The Mythology and Folklore Database
L19B2 - Nine-headed monster.
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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
A creature with nine heads is mentioned – either singly or at the end of a series of creatures with fewer heads.Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 8, Queer and monstrous beings, creatures, objects and loci, folk beliefs related to particular phenomena and objects
L19 has 4 other sub-motifsL19a. Creatures (any except ornithomorphs) with an even number (but not more than ten) of heads at one end of the body are described or depicted, except when such creatures are mentioned among others and the series ends with an odd number or a number greater than ten. L19b. Creatures (any, except ornithomorphic ones) with more than 10 heads or an odd (but more than one) number of heads are described or depicted (in the case of listing creatures in order of increasing number of heads, the series ends with an odd number). L19b1. Describes or depicts a monster (usually a reptile) with seven heads (except in cases where snakes with an increasing number of heads are described sequentially and "seven" is not the largest number). L19b2. A creature with nine heads is mentioned – either singly or at the end of a series of creatures with fewer heads. L19b3. A creature with 12 heads is mentioned – either singly or at the end of a series of creatures with fewer heads. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of L19's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| H46A | 98.76% | The possibility of using cereals for food is determined by the behaviour of the dog in the era of creation. See motif H46. |
| B89 | 98.64% | The eagle owl (owl) was the chief among birds, claimed this position or behaved badly when choosing the head of the birds; now he avoids other birds and/or other birds chase him. |
| H44 | 98.33% | A human enters into a relationship with a non-human being. When they part, the being tears apart (or intends to tear apart) their child. (Most of the data was collected by S.Y. Neklyudov). |
| M75B3 | 98.09% | Enemies are shown a life-size or larger image of a horse or bull. Not realizing that this is a ruse, they bring the figure to their own territory and are defeated as a result. |
| K33H | 98.06% | A person finds a magical object that grants any wish. This object is stolen. It is returned by animals (which the hero had previously saved). |
| I107 | 98.06% | Stars are nails or stakes driven into the sky, or stars are nailed down. |
| M57C | 97.80% | An animal (donkey, bull, horse, goat, bear, leopard) or inanimate object makes gold or food stand out, or a character makes others believe that this is the case. |
| K2A | 97.61% | The character is sent down to the underworld (into an abyss, a well, etc.). After he sends the treasures (women) he has obtained back up, his envious companions cut the rope, but he manages to return to earth. See motifs K38, K39, K74. |
| H49 | 97.61% | 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. |
| L108C | 97.49% | 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. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 19 traditions: Poles, Czech, Czechs, Slovakians, Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Latvians, Estonians, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Russians: Central part of ethnic territory as in A.D. 1500 (Tver, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Kostroma, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk provinces; in case of absence in other areas also Russians in Vyatka, Perm, Kazan provinces), Georgians, Crimean Tatars, Karaims, Bashkirs, Mari (Cheremis), Mordvins, Chuvash, Mansi, Tsetsaut, Locono