The Mythology and Folklore Database
I111 - Reptilian Earth.
Please log on to view the narratives.
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 earth as a whole or a mountain range is the body of a crocodile, dragon, or snake (eel).Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 2, Moon spots, stars, constellations
I11 has 2 other sub-motifsI11. The turtle (toad, frog) serves as a support (embodiment) of the earth (sky), or the supports of the sky are made from its body. I11a. Describes how, in the process of creation, the earth is placed on the back of a turtle or frog, which becomes its support. I11b. The pillars of the sky are made from the legs of a four-legged animal (usually a turtle). Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of I11's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| E38B | 97.98% | After a global catastrophe or at the beginning of time, a pumpkin appears on earth, from which the ancestors of humans emerge. |
| G8E | 97.77% | A character unsuccessfully cuts down a tree growing on the moon. |
| B3D | 97.35% | The earth is obtained by a worm; it arises from worm excrement, extracted from the worm. |
| H36G | 97.33% | God sends a messenger to the people to tell them to eat infrequently (once a day, once every three days, etc.). The messenger says that one should eat often – at least two or three times a day. |
| A2 | 97.18% | There was a time when several, i.e. more than two, suns shone in the sky at the same time. |
| M152E | 97.04% | A tiger (lion) and another animal compete to see whose roar is louder. The tiger roars louder, but ultimately loses. |
| H34C | 97.03% | Rice flew (came) from the field to the house. |
| M152D | 96.98% | The elephant and the tiger (lion) engage in combat (usually competing to see who can roar louder). The tiger wins and is about to eat the elephant, but a small animal saves it. |
| C8 | 96.92% | At the beginning of time or as a result of a catastrophe, the only human couple is a brother and sister (less often a mother and son, father and daughters). They marry and give birth to people. |
| K27ZZ2 | 96.80% | Several wives of one man (several sisters) go blind – the older ones in both eyes, and the younger one in one eye. |
See more...
Please log on to view the narratives.
Map of Motif Dispersal
Click here for a clustered map
Drag the map around by clicking and using the mouse, use the wheel to zoom
This motif has been recorded in 8 traditions: Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Negrito (incl. Mamanwa), Central Taiwan: Bunun (Vonum), La'arua, Tsou, Kanabu, Kanakanabu, Early Chinese written sources, Udeghe, Oroch, Nivkh, China