The Mythology and Folklore Database
B42D - Hunting the tapir.
Please log on to view the narratives.
Motif Summary - Motifs with Simlar Dispersals - Map of Myth Distribution - List of Traditions - Myths |
Source Data from Berezkin's Analytics Catalogue, if using this data please acknowledge and link to it here:
Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of Motif
In the cosmic hunting plot, the object of pursuit is a bear. See motif B42.Berezkin category: The Origins of the Characteristics of the environment
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 2, Moon spots, stars, constellations
B42 has 27 other sub-motifsB42. Hunters, their dogs, fleeing or killed animals are visible in the sky in the form of stars and constellations. B42a. Hunters chase a bear across the sky and kill it in August-October. The bear's blood or fat falls to the ground in the form of dew or colours the foliage red. See motif B42. B42b. In the cosmic hunting plot, the objects of pursuit are hoofed animals (elk, deer, mountain sheep). See motif B42. B42c. In the cosmic hunting plot, the object of pursuit is a bear. See motifs B42 and B42P. B42d. In the cosmic hunting plot, the object of pursuit is a bear. See motif B42. B42e. In the cosmic hunting plot, the object of pursuit is the rhea (Rhea americana, a large flightless bird). See motif B42. B42f. The Big Dipper (as a whole or only the dipper) is identified with a large hoofed animal (elk, deer, mountain sheep). Unless otherwise specified, see motif B42 in the description of cosmic hunting. B42g. The Big Dipper (as a whole or only the dipper) is identified with an animal (animals) pursued by hunters / attacked by other characters. B42h. Orion's Belt – game, another star or group of stars within or outside Orion – hunter. B42h1. In the plot of cosmic hunting, one of the astral objects is identified with an arrow or bullet, and it is emphasised that it struck an animal or three animals, which are identified with Orion's Belt. {In the Khoisan variants, it is emphasised that the arrow did not reach its target}. B42h2. A large reddish star (Betelgeuse or Aldebaran) is identified with an arrow. B42hh. Orion is associated with the theme of cosmic hunting. (Including motifs b42h, b42h1, b42m, b42r). B42i. Cassiopeia is associated with a deer or elk. B42k. In stories about cosmic hunting, the object of pursuit or the hunters are identified with the Pleiades. See motif B42. B42l. The stars of the handle of the Big Dipper are hunters, the dipper itself is a bear, an elk or a meat storehouse where the bear climbs. B42m. The three stars of the Big Dipper's handle are three men (hunters, thieves). The stars of the dipper are the object they seek to obtain (the hunted animal; the bed). Alcor (a faint star near Mizar) is a container, a vessel carried by the second of the three characters. B42m1. The three main stars of the Big Dipper's handle are associated with people of three different nationalities. B42m2. The stars of the Big Dipper's handle are three hunters chasing a beast. Each has a distinct character (one is boastful, another is hasty, etc.). In Siberia, the hunters are identified with people of different nationalities, and in the North American Northeast, with birds of different species. B42mn. Only one character (rather than several) chases an animal (elk or bear) across the sky, associated with one of the circumpolar constellations, but not with the Pleiades or Orion. (In the Kalevala tradition, there is no identification with stars). B42n. The constellation Orion is identified with a man, usually a giant, warrior, or hunter. B42o. A certain constellation is represented by a person who has been struck or wounded in the back. B42o1. The Big Dipper is identified with the fisher (Mustela pennati). B42p. The Big Dipper is identified with a bear. B42q. Ursa Major – chariot, cart. B42r. The three stars of Orion's Belt are three characters chasing each other. B42s. The Big Dipper or Polar Star – a small animal (ermine, marten, forest marmot) or anthropomorphic character with animal features, struck by a spear or arrow. B42t. All seven stars of the Big Dipper (and not just the stars of the dipper) are considered to be the figure of an animal - a bear, moose, deer, ram, camel, or dog. B42U. The stars of the handle of the Big Dipper – three people, and the four stars of the dipper – animals or objects (one or more). Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of B42's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| E9G | 100.00% | Before meeting the hero, his beloved (wife, helper) has the image of a vulture. |
| H38 | 100.00% | A supernatural character changes appearance and comes to the hero's children (less often to the hero himself). Unaware of the trick, they hand over the magical object they have obtained to its former owner, and the character disappears with it. |
| K11B | 100.00% | The bones of a huge bird are turned into reeds or bamboo for making arrows or sarbacanes. |
| M1A | 100.00% | The caiman transports one of the brothers or a group of brothers, who then turn into the Pleiades. It usually bites off the leg of the youngest. Cf. motif K13B. |
| F9B | 99.89% | A biting piranha in a woman's genitals. |
| A25 | 99.85% | When coming out onto the earth (for the first time or after a global catastrophe) or witnessing the first sunrise, people should not look directly at the light. |
| J68 | 99.85% | Characters who have been chasing an animal for a long time see increasingly fresh droppings on the trail and finally catch up with their prey (usually the droppings correspond to how long they have been lying there); or the pursuers see areas where less time has passed since sowing. |
| L39A | 99.62% | A supernatural character emerges from the underworld and attacks a man who has climbed a tree. |
| L78 | 99.52% | In the images, the character has the features of a jaguar and a toad; the toad/frog turns into a jaguar; the toad/frog is the mother or wife of the jaguar. |
| J43 | 99.28% | To destroy his antagonists, the hero creates edible bait for them, usually a fruit tree on the other side of the river. |
See more...
Please log on to view the narratives.
Map of Motif Dispersal
Click here for a clustered map
Drag the map around by clicking and using the mouse, use the wheel to zoom
This motif has been recorded in 4 traditions: Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Bakairi, Kamayura