The Mythology and Folklore Database
M74E - Divides by biting off piece by piece
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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 characters ask the third to share something edible between them. He bites off a little bit from each of the halves, because one or the other is slightly larger. As a result, it eats everything.Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior
M74 has 7 other sub-motifsM74. A weak character regurgitates previously swallowed unusual food, or replaces his belching with a strong character's belching, or interprets his secretions as remains strong animals he ate. The strong believe that the weak are strong or have unusual abilities. M74a. The character pretends to be invited to visit several times in connection with the birth of a child, or gives names to various tracts that the boat passes by. The names and titles sound strange, but they become clear when it turns out that the character ate supplies. M74aa. The character (several times) pretends to be his name (that he is going to visit), and eats up supplies himself. See M74A motif. M74ab. Travelling in a boat or on a sledge, animal person (always the fox) steals food supplies or ruins objects and accordingly to his deeds, names different places. These names seem strange to the person’s companions (“River of broken arrows” and the like) M74b. The character adjusts so that the sign that identifies the thief who ate supplies or who should be eaten is not on him, but on another character (smears with leftovers or with the secretions of your body of another, replaces secretions, etc.). M74c. Having noticed the woodpecker's beautiful plumage, the wolf or bear believes that the fox painted it and asks the fox to make him just as beautiful. The fox burns it alive. M74d. God (the saint) travels with his companion. When he leaves, he eats the kidneys (heart, etc.) and says that the animal did not have kidneys. He continues to persist (even in the face of death), but confesses when he is promised wealth. M74e. Two characters ask the third to share something edible between them. He bites off a little bit from each of the halves, because one or the other is slightly larger. As a result, it eats everything. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of M74's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| K32B | 98.06% | The man's mother takes on the appearance of his wife in order to take her place. |
| K102A1 | 90.45% | To hide the truth, a person buries an animal or an inanimate object and says that the grave supposedly contains the remains of another person's wife (bride, mother, daughter, sister, children). |
| F3 | 79.12% | A man accidentally eats a magical remedy intended for a woman to become pregnant and gives birth to a child. The child comes out of a tumour on the man's leg, or in some other way, but the man remains alive. |
| M38B1 | 78.98% | After the wedding, the wife is silent until her husband says certain words that indicate her origin. {In North Africa, the Pyrenees and the Arabs of Western Asia, the motive is very popular, which suggests that the list of traditions in which it is known may include some records that have so far been supported only with links to pointers, but not by the texts themselves}. |
| I140 | 70.71% | The staff thrown to the ground turns into a living snake. |
| N39 | 70.71% | The image of a three-ply rope is used to describe the invincibility of two close-knit friends |
| K33F | 69.51% | Sources of at least two valuable liquid edible products (honey, oil, etc.) are available or imagined. Cf. motif N34. |
| L81A3 | 68.60% | A girl sees a demon in a frightening and repulsive form. When he asks her what she said about him (what she saw), the girl replies that she praised his beauty and manners (she saw him in an attractive form). Usually, the girl eventually tells the truth, and the men hiding in ambush kill the enraged demon. |
| M39A4C | 68.04% | Fool sells property to birds and believes that they will pay him. Trying to get his money, he finds treasure |
| M39A4D | 67.08% | Fool sells property a lizard and believes it will pay him. Trying to get his money, he finds treasure |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 3 traditions: Berbers of Morocco and adjacent parts of Algeria, Geez, Tigrai, Tigre, Kurds