The Mythology and Folklore Database
I4C - Thunder in captivity.
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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
The enemy of the thunderer temporarily defeats and captures him.Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures
I4 has 7 other sub-motifsI4. When a vehicle moves across the sky, thunder rumbles. I4a. Thunder falls to earth and cannot rise. Usually, a person helps it return to the sky. I4b. A person helps thunder defeat the enemy. I4c. The enemy of the thunderer temporarily defeats and captures him. I4d. An enemy steals a weapon (usually a musical instrument) used by the thunder god to summon a storm. The thunder god or his assistant comes unrecognised to the thief, takes possession of his weapon and kills his enemies. I4d1. An enemy steals the tendons (heart and eyes) of a thunder god, who returns them and prevails over his enemy. Cf. motif L57A, "The hero's companion returns his organ." I4e. An anthropomorphic deity (associated with thunder and rain) rides on a cloud or a cloud. I4F. The hero and his opponent engage in single combat and are still fighting in the sky. This is thunder. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of I4's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| M204A | 88.08% | Gold is placed in a person's path so that they can take advantage of it. At that moment, the person accidentally closes their eyes and walks past. |
| L15I | 86.61% | A man dies or loses his strength (or pretends to) if his hair is cut or pulled out. |
| F98 | 85.77% | A heavenly anthropomorphic deity descends to earth and mates with a cow. |
| A32L | 83.56% | The silhouette of a certain character is visible on the solar disc. Or it is said that the character fell into the sun and remained there. |
| L16B | 83.56% | The eyes or mouths of creatures are located on joints (knees, etc.). |
| H49 | 83.32% | A dog or other animal kills a creature that threatened a small child. The owner or other people mistake the saviour for an aggressor and kill it. |
| I82D | 83.22% | The Morning and Evening Stars are contrasted as man and woman. See motifs I82a, I82b. |
| A19C1 | 82.67% | The sun or moon travels across the sky in a chariot or sleigh. |
| L108C | 82.50% | To prevent the victim from recognising him and opening the door, the predator, the cannibal, shows part of his clothing, his hand, his paw, making the victim believe that his mother, teacher, etc. has come. |
| M196A | 81.67% | Arguing over a trivial matter, a husband and wife (or one of them) lie down and do not move, and people gather to bury them. At the last moment, the supposed dead person opens their mouth, and people think that the dead have come back to life; or the supposed dead person is actually buried in the ground. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 5 traditions: Yao, Makua, Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria, Ancient Greece, Western Sami, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga)