The Mythology and Folklore Database
J53C1 - Grizzly bear and black bear.
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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
Two women live together, both have children. One of them kills and (then) eats the other. The killer is associated with a grizzly bear, and the victim with a smaller species of bear.Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures
J53 has 5 other sub-motifsJ53. The children of a character associated with a hoofed animal (deer, antelope) come into conflict with an enemy associated with a predator or a larger hoofed animal. They kill his children and/or run away from him. See motif J52. J53a. A character invites another to play. The latter follows the rules, but the initiator of the game does not and kills the other. J53a1. The children of the murdered man kill the murderer's children, luring them to a place where they perish from heat or smoke. J53b. Two women live together, both have children. One of them leaves the house with the other, kills her, brings her meat home and starts cooking it. The children of the deceased notice their mother's breasts (in California – eyes or liver), or the mother's breasts themselves turn to her children. J53c. Two women live together, both have children. One of them leaves the house with the other, kills her and (later) eats her. The children of the murdered woman escape. See motif J52. J53c1. Two women live together, both have children. One of them kills and (then) eats the other. The killer is associated with a grizzly bear, and the victim with a smaller species of bear. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of J53's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| A5A | 100.00% | The younger brother (usually the Sun) is made from the urine and swaddling clothes of his older brother (usually the Moon), who was kidnapped as a baby. See motif A5. |
| B107 | 100.00% | During the (world) fire, the oyster burns, which is why oyster shells are black. |
| B28B | 100.00% | The inhabitants of the area where the hero finds himself are afraid of creatures that are tools, utensils, and plants that are now harmless. The hero easily defeats these creatures and usually transforms them into what they are now. |
| B28D1 | 100.00% | Not understanding who he is facing, the man promises to kill the Transformer. The Transformer turns his weapon into deer antlers and him into a deer. |
| B61 | 100.00% | The mole had to hold up the fallen sky and sun. Since then, its paw (hand) has remained dislocated backwards. |
| B64C | 100.00% | Fish, together with other earthly creatures, wage war on the inhabitants of the sky. Falling to the ground, they break their bones, which is why fish have many small bones in their bodies. See motif B64. |
| B91 | 100.00% | The snail had (the most keen-eyed) eyes. Another character borrows them and does not return them. |
| D1A | 100.00% | A girl marries a man whose mother is fire. |
| D4I | 100.00% | The beaver obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. |
| D4Q | 100.00% | The fly rubs its legs together and produces fire. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 11 traditions: Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Lillooet, Comox, Pentlatch, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Kalapuya, Takelma, Coos, Yurok, Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet, Halkomelem (Snaymuk)