The Mythology and Folklore Database
K136B - Rubies from the river, (ATU 467).




14 Myths, Legends and Folktales
14 Unique Narratives for Motif K136B
10 Cultures & Traditions where K136B is told
0 Mythemes Indexed
3 Sub-Motifs of Motif K136B


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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

A character finds precious stones or unusual flowers (usually in a river) and learns where they come from.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures


K13 has 3 other sub-motifs


K13a.  The character's leg (rarely: both legs) is cut off, bitten off, torn off, or damaged. The character ascends to the sky: to the moon; becomes the moon; turns into a star or constellation; becomes the sun; blood flowing from the leg colours the sky.
K13b.  A man crosses a body of water on the back of a caiman. The caiman bites off his leg. The cripple undergoes a metamorphosis, turning into a constellation or an animal.
K13c.  The cannibal's daughter takes revenge on her husband for her mother's death and manages to cut off his leg. See motif K13A.
K13d.  A group of boys reaches the sky, the last one's leg is cut off or torn off.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
L15E98.78%The hero's life is in a certain object, usually his weapon. An enemy steals or discards this object, the hero weakens or dies, his friends or brothers return the object, and the hero comes back to life. {In ATU, this is motif 302B; at least some of the references cited by Uther do not contain the motif in our formulation (not found in Japan or Burma); original publications are required}.
L81A298.64%While the men are away, a demonic character comes to a girl or woman to drink her blood or otherwise torment her. The men notice that the girl is wasting away, but at first they do not know the reason.
M39A6D97.90%One of the relatives or spouses transfers a text or object to the other through third parties. Only the recipient understands the meaning of the words or the item handed over, saves the sender and/or destroys his enemies.
M29Z197.82%purely anthropomorphic character, or a character who bears the name of an animal or plant but does not act zoomorphic in the course of his adventures. See the motives in square brackets. {Data not fully entered}
L39C97.70%A boy (less often a girl) climbs a fruit tree that has just grown (usually from a discarded seed). A cannibal tries to force the boy (girl) to come down to the ground.
I50A97.45%A demon sequentially tears off the legs of an animal that helps the hero (usually the horse on which the hero rides).
B46A97.01%One of the stars of the Pleiades was separated from the others (usually stolen by the stars of the Big Dipper and identified with Alcor).
K9196.97%Dogs, the hero's horse, or the hero himself fight the enemy in the underworld. Those watching from a distance judge the course of the battle by the colour of the water or foam rising to the surface, the colour of the first animal to emerge, etc.
K16996.97%The hunter spares the hunted animal, noticing that it is a pregnant female and remembering his own pregnant wife.
K27Z496.88%The character always wins bets or outplays others thanks to a trained cat (mouse, rat) that holds (or extinguishes in time) a lamp, turns dice, etc. The hero releases the mouse (or cat, mongoose, respectively), the cat rushes after it (or the mouse is afraid to come out), and the character loses.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Arabs of Egypt, Algeria Arabs, Portuguese, Portugal, Albanians, Balkarians, Rushani, Shughni, Khufi, Bartangi, Persians, Ossetians, Anatolia Turks, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Turkmen


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