The Mythology and Folklore Database
N28A - The roots of mountain
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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 roots (belt) of mountains or stones are mentioned in myths, riddles, spells, and songs as something that does not really exist.Berezkin category: Fabulous and epic formulas
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 13, Formulae
N28 has 7 other sub-motifsN28a. The roots (belt) of mountains or stones are mentioned in myths, riddles, spells, and songs as something that does not really exist. N28b. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a ladder or stairway to the sky (variant: a ladder in the sky) is mentioned N28c. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a pillar of the sky is mentioned N28d. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a lid or covering for the sea, ocean or river are mentioned N28e. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a bridge across the sea, ocean or lake is mentioned N28f. It is said that water has no boughs or twigs N28g. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a gall of horse or ass is mentioned N28h. In a list of things that do not exist in the world, horns of the horse are mentioned Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of N28's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| M179 | 99.60% | Two zoomorphic characters live nearby, one's house is destroyed, he asks the other to shelter him. Usually he breaks in and drives out the owner, strong animals fear the invader, while weak or small ones drive him away. |
| M120A | 99.54% | The character pretends to be a mourner and eats (treats the body disrespectfully) the deceased. |
| K151 | 99.44% | A magical helper grants a poor man's simple wish. The poor man or his wife ask for more and more. In the end, the helper punishes the beggar (usually by taking away everything that was given). {Many references to texts outside Europe in Uther 2004 are not related to the plot of ATU 555 and do not contain the K151 motif. This applies in particular to the Arabic and Ossetian variants}. |
| K38E | 99.41% | Locations or objects made of three (rarely four) materials of varying degrees of value, but all valued positively (copper, silver, gold; silver, gold, diamonds, etc.) are mentioned. |
| K38F7 | 99.38% | The character acquires wild animals (at least two different species) that serve him like dogs. |
| K35A3 | 99.36% | In order to obtain the privileges enjoyed by the hero, the deceiver manages to swap status with him. |
| M38D2 | 99.33% | Several characters (usually three), which are small objects, go traveling and must cross the river. This fails. |
| L37C | 99.33% | A person encounters the incarnations of Fortune (and Misfortune) – his own or someone else's. He manages to influence their behaviour and change (for himself) the course of events for the better. |
| K131B | 99.31% | Having received and then lost a magical object, the hero returns it with the help of a new one (a club, a box with an army, etc.), received in exchange for the first or obtained by the hero's brother. The episode may be repeated several times. |
| B102A | 99.29% | Clouds are associated with horned cattle, especially cows (and rain is their milk). |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 18 traditions: Poles, Czech, Czechs, Slovenians, Slovenes, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Karelians, Vepsians, Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia), 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), Hui (Dungan) of Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan (Dungan texts from Southern and Eastern China are clustered with the Chinese ones), Turkmen, Forest Nenets, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians