Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
N28H — A horse doesn't have horns
Source data for narratives and traditions is drawn from Berezkin’s Analytical Catalogue. If you use this data, please acknowledge and link to it: Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of motif
OverviewIn a list of things that do not exist in the world, horns of the horse are mentioned
Berezkin category: Fabulous and epic formulas
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 13, Formulae.
N28 has 7 other sub-motifs
RelatedN28a. 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
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| I82H | 99.42% | The name of Venus sounds like Cholpan, Cholbon, Tsolmon, etc. (čol- 'to sparkle, to shine' [Vámbéri 1879: 155]). |
| L95 | 98.38% | A person (usually a child or teenager) returns to a previous location for a forgotten item (often a toy) and finds a demon there, from which they struggle to escape. |
| M106B | 98.29% | The character who caused harm to the antagonist calls himself by a fictitious name such as "Last Year," and the other antagonists understand this to mean that everything happened a long time ago and there is no point in looking for the culprit. |
| N28C | 98.20% | In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a pillar of the sky is mentioned |
| M133 | 98.00% | Cumulative tale: a bird is injured by a thorny plant and asks for it to be punished, but everyone refuses because someone else has failed to do something; the last to be asked is the wind, which blows and causes all the characters to perform the necessary actions one after another. |
| L95A | 97.70% | A person sees lungs or a liver lying on the ground or floating in the water. As soon as he touches them, a demonic character appears before him. |
| N28G | 96.90% | In a list of things that do not exist in the world, a gall of horse or ass is mentioned |
| B115 | 96.01% | Conifers and some other trees and shrubs (small shrubs) became evergreen after the elixir of immortality was accidentally spilled on them. Cf. motif H6b. |
| K76F | 95.74% | A young man with the appearance of a calf marries and then turns into a handsome man. |
| M78F | 95.71% | When a woman falls asleep, a joker (usually a tiny boy) places an embryo or the entrails of an animal or something similar next to her to make the woman herself or others think she has a miscarriage or that her viscera has fallen out. |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
DistributionDrag the map to pan, use the scroll wheel to zoom — choose a texture or projection below
Cite this map
Distribution of the traditions attesting motif N28H, ‘A horse doesn't have horns’, as recorded in the Berezkin–Duvakin Analytical Catalogue of Folklore Motifs (7 traditions mapped). Geolocation and cartography by Jonathan Fielder-White, Folklore Database, release 1.26206.1 (25 July 2026), https://www.folkloredatabase.com/motif/N28H (accessed 8 August 2026). Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Traditions
7 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 7 traditions: Marathi (incl. Bhamta; incl. Mumbai area), Koreans, Tats, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Chuvash, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
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