The Mythology and Folklore Database
H34B - The river flows in both directions.
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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
Somewhere there is or was a river that flowed or, according to the plan, was supposed to flow in two directions at once.Berezkin category: Paradise Lost
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 4, Origin of death, diseases and hard life
H34 has 9 other sub-motifsH34. Work did not require effort. Some people do not believe that this is possible, or do not consider it to be right, or do not fulfil the necessary conditions, which is why people have to work. See motifs H34A – H34H; H34 contains only texts that are not classified in more detail. H34a. The character believes that people should live easily (without labour and suffering) and makes appropriate suggestions. The interlocutor rejects them. This dialogue forever determines the conditions of people's lives. Those traditions in which the dialogue is conducted by two anthropomorphic brothers or companions are highlighted in bold in the list. H34b. Somewhere there is or was a river that flowed or, according to the plan, was supposed to flow in two directions at once. H34c. Rice flew (came) from the field to the house. H34d. A zoomorphic character climbs or attempts to climb up to the sky or the moon to bite off a piece of them. H34d1. The sky or celestial objects were edible, but then this source of food became inaccessible or is now only used by inhabitants of a country beyond the human world. H34e. The snow was edible. H34f. Baskets or clay vessels carried heavy loads themselves. H34g. One grain was enough to prepare a meal. H34h. Firewood and brushwood came by themselves, flying into the house; there was no need to specially harvest and deliver them. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of H34's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| C5A | 92.10% | A bird, various birds, or people who then turn into birds are sent to explore the earth (whether it exists, whether it has dried up, whether there are any survivors, why smoke is rising from the earth, etc.) or with the task of bringing back a piece of solid substance to create dry land. |
| J4 | 91.79% | The heroes avenge the death (enslavement) of their father, uncle, grandfather, or mother and father, or in general their descendants, with the loss of men being the most painful. |
| J25 | 91.62% | Heroes (one, two or one of two), while still infants or embryos, disappear or are thrown away (often into water). To bring them back to the world of humans, they are lured, persuaded or (with difficulty) caught. |
| I13A | 91.38% | A huge aquatic or celestial serpent, dragon, or snake-like creature with horns on its head. |
| I19 | 90.91% | Anthropomorphic creatures satisfy their hunger with the vapours of food being prepared. See motifs I14 (people without anuses), I15 (people without mouths). |
| L65 | 90.63% | An infant or small child turns out to be a demon and kills people. |
| H18 | 90.21% | Hunted animals were concentrated in one place. A certain character creates them there or allows them to scatter. |
| F9A | 88.38% | There are teeth, blades or sharp stones in a woman's vagina or on the inside of her thighs; the vagina is a toothy mouth. (Only texts with a focus on authenticity are taken into account, not anecdotes). |
| I28 | 88.25% | Wild or domestic animals live inside a mountain, in a cave or in the underground world, or once came out of there into our world; often animals take on human form underground and have an owner. See motif H18. |
| K10 | 88.16% | A monstrous bird (bat) attacks people, heroes engage in battle with it. See motifs K10A – K10G. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 24 traditions: Tajik, Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Forest Nenets, Kets, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Ainu, Oroch, Nanai, Koyukon, Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Quinault, Karok, Yurok, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Orinoco Kariña, Yaruri, Tamanak, Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Zaparo, Chayahuita , Machiguenga, Kanamari, Shipibo, Conibo, Setebo