The Mythology and Folklore Database
B74B - The wedding of the owl and the moon.




6 Myths, Legends and Folktales
6 Unique Narratives for Motif B74B
4 Cultures & Traditions where B74B is told
35 Mythemes Indexed
2 Sub-Motifs of Motif B74B


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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 owl is forced to part with the moon and now cries out when it sees the moon. Usually, the story tells how the marriage of the owl and the moon fell apart or did not take place.

Berezkin category: The Origins of the Characteristics of the environment

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 7, Etiology of plants and animals and of their peculiar features, particular animals as protagonists of cosmological stories, metamorphoses, weather and calendar


B74 has 2 other sub-motifs


B74.  The eyes of the capercaillie or black grouse turned red from tears.
B74a.  Red cloths are sewn over the character's eyes (threads, eyelids are painted red) or he does it himself. He sees everything in red or his eyes have turned red forever.
B74b.  The owl is forced to part with the moon and now cries out when it sees the moon. Usually, the story tells how the marriage of the owl and the moon fell apart or did not take place.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
A21A100.00%The moon is an object that was accidentally released by its owners or stolen from them and ended up in the sky.
B118100.00%A character who was unable to reach the sky or returned from the sky to earth becomes an owl.
E39A100.00%An animal (snake, pig) conceives from a man's urine and gives birth to a human child (or twins).
F43C100.00%The husbands of the first women, Amazons or single women are small animals - usually flying foxes.
K32F100.00%A woman or girl raises a bird of prey chick, which brings her food and fire. This usually happens after an evil spirit leaves the girl or young woman in a tree or on an island.
K37D100.00%The character recognises the presence of another by noticing traces of their teeth or nails on fruit or leaves.
L132100.00%When one member of a small (family) group, left alone, secretly eats food, this leads to serious conflict, often resulting in the murder of the guilty party.
L133100.00%The character keeps his limbs separately, connecting them to his body when necessary.
M5A100.00%Small animal characters sail in the boat, it sinks, everyone escapes as best they can.
M5B100.00%rat drowns, has difficulty getting to the shore (usually an aquatic animal takes it), and mocks other animals (usually its savior).

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 4 traditions: Lampung (Lampong); South Sumatra Malays (incl. Bengkulu), Dusun, Murut, Kelabit, Tombonuwo, Bajau, Tidong, Bidayuh (incl. Maloh), Iban (Sea Dayak), Sakarram; Brunei, Palawan (incl Agutaynen)


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