The Mythology and Folklore Database
A38A - Loop made of pubic hair.




19 Myths, Legends and Folktales
19 Unique Narratives for Motif A38A
11 Cultures & Traditions where A38A is told
0 Mythemes Indexed
4 Sub-Motifs of Motif A38A


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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

The sun is caught in a loop made of a woman's pubic hair.

Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 1, Sun and Moon


A38 has 4 other sub-motifs


A38.  The sun falls into a snare, a trap, and finds itself tied by a rope.
A38a.  The sun is caught in a loop made of a woman's pubic hair.
A38b.  The sun gets caught in a trap. Only a mouse or other small animal manages to gnaw through the trap and free the sun.
A38c.  The Sun exchanges a cape made of animal or bird skins with a boy or girl, or spoils it. As a result, the boy or girl raises their status or takes revenge on the Sun.
A38d.  Because the Sun has harmed the character (ruined or burned his cloak, the fur on his skin, etc.), he catches it in a trap or kills it.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
M53B99.15%Trickster claims he's carrying songs in his bag. See M53 motif.
J41B99.12%The son returns, finds his mother, who was humiliated and tortured in his absence, and burns his tormentor and his men, summoning fire and heat with magic.
M29J99.06%See the motives in square brackets.
H5398.71%The wolf participates in the creation of the earth or is the brother of the creator and/or conqueror of the demons of the underworld. He dies and/or is considered the first to die and/or becomes the lord of the land of the dead.
M93A98.56%The character punishes a part of his body (burns his ass, breaks his eyes) for not sounding the alarm. See Motive M93; cf. Motive M142.
L9B98.22%The sharp elbows or (rarely) knees of the character resemble knives or awls.
K1J98.10%The abandoned one turns into a bird and returns home faster than the one who abandoned him.
C6B97.95%The desired object is brought up from the bottom by a muskrat (rarely a beaver or otter).
M9397.43%When falling asleep or going to do something else, the character tells a certain part of his body to wake him up in case of danger. The organ did not give a signal or the character himself did not listen to it, as a result, the misfortune happened.
B42O197.33%The Big Dipper is identified with the fisher (Mustela pennati).

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 11 traditions: Society Islands: Tahiti, Borabora, Raiatea, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Eastern Ojibwa (Missisauga, Timagami and other groups in eastern Ontario), Northern Ojibwa (=Severn Ojibwa, Sandy Lake Cree), Western Swampy Cree (incl. Rock Cree), Naskapi, Montagnais, Menominee, Winnebago, Plains Ojibwa


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