The Mythology and Folklore Database
A8 - The sun, moon and stars – three siblings.




5 Myths, Legends and Folktales
5 Unique Narratives for Motif A8
3 Cultures & Traditions where A8 is told
0 Mythemes Indexed
2 Sub-Motifs of Motif A8


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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, moon and stars – three brothers or three sisters.

Berezkin category: The Sun and Moon

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


A8 has 2 other sub-motifs


A8.  The sun, moon and stars – three brothers or three sisters.
A8a.  The sun, moon and star (stars) appear as three consecutive and comparable objects/characters in narratives about the abduction and subsequent liberation of celestial bodies.
A8b.  Setting beyond the horizon, the sun shines on the anthropomorphic inhabitants of the underworld – the dead, dwarves, etc.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
B119100.00%A woman of non-human nature agrees to live with a man, but leaves him upon learning of his real or imagined infidelity.
B121100.00%A small bird carries pebbles and sticks, trying to fill the sea.
B49A100.00%Powerful animals could have many cubs, but now they give birth to only one every few years.
B6A100.00%The first woman gives birth to several eggs. One or two of them remain unchanged for a long time and are thrown into the river, believing them to be spoiled. However, it is precisely from these eggs that characters of high status emerge (or should have emerged).
B77B2100.00%The sky moved away and/or the connection between people and the deity ceased after the sky or the heavenly deity was touched or struck with a broom.
B93A100.00%Once a year, birds form a bridge across the heavenly river with their bodies. Usually, the feathers on their heads are worn away as a result.
C39100.00%When the sky split or partially collapsed, it was repaired.
C39A100.00%A hole in the sky or a crack in the ground was plugged with a piece of ice, which is why it is cold in the north (north-west, north-east).
C40100.00%At first, stones fell from the sky and crushed people.
C41100.00%At first, the sky has no specific colour. After a character hangs a cloth on it or performs other actions, the sky acquires its characteristic colour.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 3 traditions: Burmese, Intha, Kachin (Singpho), Chak, Koreans


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