The Mythology and Folklore Database
D4A1 - Luring fire.
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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
A certain character possesses fire or steals it. His attention is attracted or distracted by singing, music, dancing, unusual gifts, indecent or strange behaviour, offers of sex, food and/or alcohol.Berezkin category: Fire and Laughter
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature
D4 has 22 other sub-motifsD4a. Fire is stolen from its original owner, returned to people by the thief, or (the motif of theft is not expressed) brought with difficulty from a distant place. D4a1. A certain character possesses fire or steals it. His attention is attracted or distracted by singing, music, dancing, unusual gifts, indecent or strange behaviour, offers of sex, food and/or alcohol. D4aa. Moths try to steal the fire that humans possess. D4b. Those who stole or asked for fire and/or those who received fire are punished by the deity. D4c. Characters obtain the warm season from its original owners. D4c1. Animal-people come to steal summer from its owners. One of them, in the guise of an elk or caribou, distracts the owners' attention or floats a log or stump down the river, which the owners of summer mistake for an elk and rush after. D4d. The opossum obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. D4e. The thief or giver of fire, light or sun is a coyote or fox (indicated in square brackets). See motif 4A. D4e1. The thief or giver of fire, light or sun is the dog. See motif 4A. D4f. Once in the fire, the beaver (in North America) or fish (in South America) scatters and/or carries the fire away from its original owners. See motif D4A. D4g. Hummingbird steals, finds or spreads fire. See motif D4A. D4h. The swallow obtains fire for people. See motif D4A. D4h1. A small songbird (redstart, robin, wren) obtains fire for humans. D4i. The beaver obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. D4j. The thief, the thief's assistant, or the owner of fire is a rabbit, a hare, or (ofaye) a guinea pig. See motif D4A. D4k. The deer obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. D4l. The first fire is brought down to earth from the sky; the first ancestors go to the sky and bring back fire or warmth. See motif D4A. D4m. The thief comes to the owners of fire or light. They feast or dance. He joins them and steals their valuables when the moment is right. See motif D4A. D4n. A boy or (among the Kutené) a woman cries, demanding the absent elements - summer, fire, rain. See motif D4A (demand for summer). D4o. In order to steal fire from its owner, the character pretends to be wet and cold, and after receiving permission to dry off, runs away, bringing fire to the people. D4p. The parrot obtains fire for humans. See motif D4A. Australian data is not taken into account, as the common origin of the motif in America and Australia is excluded. D4q. The fly rubs its legs together and produces fire. D4q1. The bat participates in obtaining fire. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of D4's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| B28E | 100.00% | The Moon (alone or together with the Sun) transforms the original "incorrect" world into the one in which people now live. |
| B14 | 98.36% | In order to regulate the flow of the river in a certain way, the character creates rapids and waterfalls. |
| F94 | 97.25% | A man ascends to the upper world, where he can choose a wife associated with either life or death. |
| E23 | 96.80% | A handful of fleas or lice must be thrown at the character; only this will make him or her move, which is necessary for revival or for the existence of people. |
| K3 | 96.67% | The hero climbs a tree or rock to get bird eggs, chicks, fruit, honey, etc. He cannot climb down because another character makes the tree (rock) very tall or makes the tree trunk thick. See motif K1A. |
| M76 | 96.49% | A woman cuts off a man's leg when he climbs a tree; a man cuts off a woman's leg when she climbs a tree. See K13A motif. |
| J50 | 96.47% | The father or mother of twin heroes dies or is killed. An attempt to revive the deceased fails. |
| D4G | 96.08% | Hummingbird steals, finds or spreads fire. See motif D4A. |
| A34 | 95.88% | The jackal, coyote or fox are associated with the moon (usually with the appearance of lunar spots). |
| K87A | 95.18% | A forest woman receives or kidnaps a little boy and raises him to be her lover. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 12 traditions: Loyalty Islands (Uvea, Lifu, Mare), Kiowa Apache, Wailaki, Mattole, Lassik, Sinkyone, Cahto, Yuki (Yuki proper, Coastal Yuki, Huchnob), Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Chiricahua, Chinantec, Mazatec, Zapotec, Chatino, Sibundoy: Kamsa, Ingano (Inga), Sicuani, Sanema, Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami