The Mythology and Folklore Database
B77B2 - The sky was touched with a broom.




4 Myths, Legends and Folktales
4 Unique Narratives for Motif B77B2
3 Cultures & Traditions where B77B2 is told
9 Mythemes Indexed
6 Sub-Motifs of Motif B77B2


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 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

The sky moved away and/or the connection between people and the deity ceased after the sky or the heavenly deity was touched or struck with a broom.

Berezkin category: The Origins of the Characteristics of the environment

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature


B77 has 6 other sub-motifs


B77.  The sky was close to the ground, then rose.
B77a.  One or more anthropomorphic characters push the sky away from the earth. See motif B77.
B77b.  The sky moved away and/or the connection between people and the deity ceased after the sky or the heavenly deity was touched or struck with a long object (a pestle, a broom, etc.) during work. Cf. motifs B77b1 and B77b2.
B77b1.  The sky receded and/or the connection between humans and the deity ceased after the sky or the heavenly deity was touched or struck during work with a pestle used to pound in a mortar or with a spoon used to stir porridge (Ewe, Nubians, Nyiman).
B77b2.  The sky moved away and/or the connection between people and the deity ceased after the sky or the heavenly deity was touched or struck with a broom.
B77b3.  In the past, either in a distant country, the sky was or is so low that various objects are placed on it as needed.
B77c.  A snake-like creature pushes the sky away from the earth. See motif B77.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
A8100.00%The sun, moon and stars – three brothers or three sisters.
B119100.00%A woman of non-human nature agrees to live with a man, but leaves him upon learning of his real or imagined infidelity.
B121100.00%A small bird carries pebbles and sticks, trying to fill the sea.
B49A100.00%Powerful animals could have many cubs, but now they give birth to only one every few years.
B6A100.00%The first woman gives birth to several eggs. One or two of them remain unchanged for a long time and are thrown into the river, believing them to be spoiled. However, it is precisely from these eggs that characters of high status emerge (or should have emerged).
B93A100.00%Once a year, birds form a bridge across the heavenly river with their bodies. Usually, the feathers on their heads are worn away as a result.
C39100.00%When the sky split or partially collapsed, it was repaired.
C39A100.00%A hole in the sky or a crack in the ground was plugged with a piece of ice, which is why it is cold in the north (north-west, north-east).
C40100.00%At first, stones fell from the sky and crushed people.
C41100.00%At first, the sky has no specific colour. After a character hangs a cloth on it or performs other actions, the sky acquires its characteristic colour.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 3 traditions: Bondo, Didayi (Gata'), Gutob (=Gadaba; cf Dravidian-speaking Gadaba), Assamese, Sinhalese; Vedda


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