The Mythology and Folklore Database
D4O - Dry by the fire.




69 Myths, Legends and Folktales
69 Unique Narratives for Motif D4O
31 Cultures & Traditions where D4O is told
0 Mythemes Indexed
22 Sub-Motifs of Motif D4O


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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

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.

Berezkin category: Fire and Laughter

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior


D4 has 22 other sub-motifs


D4a.  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.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
M295.32%The hero descends from a tree or rock on the back of an animal or on the backs of animals.
M894.84%Some characters (not humans) are struggling to break a strong barrier that prevents access to the desired location or to a high-value object. See also M8A - M8D motifs; they are included in the M8 motif in the correlation tables.
L5594.84%To neutralise a dangerous enemy, a caustic or boiling liquid is poured into one of the openings of its body.
M21A94.43%The character is pursued by an enemy. An animal hides the fugitive in its mouth or on its body, and when the pursuer appears, it refuses to open its mouth or expose part of its body. (Usually simulates illness – toothache, etc.). Cf. motif i87ad.
F34B92.74%A girl, woman or group of women voluntarily take as their lover a penis that exists as a special creature, snake, moray eel, lizard, worm, crab, large aquatic animal or aquatic monster, or large terrestrial mammal. People kill or maim the lover, the woman and/or her offspring, or she herself loses her human nature. The woman's behaviour is condemned.
J2992.53%Murdered parents themselves inform their children about the circumstances of their death.
J892.51%A woman or girl sets out in search of a husband (fiancé, etc.). Bird feathers left on the trail, at a crossroads or near a dwelling mark the right or wrong path. See motif J7.
L1192.24%Everyday objects take the form of fish, invertebrates, reptiles, dangerous predators, or objects that transform into these animals under special circumstances.
C1392.13%During or before the onset of a global catastrophe (flood, darkness) or (surui) at night, household items and/or stones, trees, domestic animals, and cultivated plants turn into wild birds and animals or come to life.
K691.72%A vine or rope emerges from tears, snot, urine, saliva, and chewed substance. See motif K1A.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 31 traditions: Dinka, Atuot, Nuer, Ngbakka, Mbum (incl Mbai), Mundang, Fali, Tupuri, Maya (=Bali), Nyong, Lingala, (Ba)Ngala, Ntomba, Kioque, (Ki)Bangi, Bolia, Balolo, Boloki, (Ba)Akwa, (U)Poto, Batak (Toba, Dairi), Sardinia, Corsica, Sardinians, Corsicans, Manchu, Western Ojibwa (Chippewa), Menominee, Lillooet, Comox, Pentlatch, Karok, Cherokee, Aztec; Aztec and Teotihuacan iconography, Gulf Nahuatl, Mixtec, Trique, Cuicatec; Amuzgo, Tzotzil, Colorado (Tsachila), Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Shuar, Achuar (Shiwiar), Chayahuita , Andoque, Witoto, Ocaina, Bora, Kaingang, Xokleng, Mocovi; Kechua of Santiago del Estero with probable Guaikuruan substratum; Abipon, Chamacoco (Ishir), Mataco, Chorote, Toba (incl Pilagá), Ofaie, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio)


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