The Mythology and Folklore Database
I132 - To the sky on deer antlers.




12 Myths, Legends and Folktales
12 Unique Narratives for Motif I132
6 Cultures & Traditions where I132 is told
0 Mythemes Indexed
5 Sub-Motifs of Motif I132


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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

A deer props its antlers against the sky, and a person climbs them to reach the upper world. Alternatively, a person finds themselves in the sky when they touch the deer's antlers.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 8, Queer and monstrous beings, creatures, objects and loci, folk beliefs related to particular phenomena and objects


I13 has 5 other sub-motifs


I13a.  A huge aquatic or celestial serpent, dragon, or snake-like creature with horns on its head.
I13b.  A small snake, the snake has horns on its head.
I13c.  Reptiles possess a treasure that humans take or try to take. Usually it is a crown, a precious stone, or horns on a snake's head.
I13d.  A person enters the dwelling of snakes, spends a long time there, is released or escapes. While in the dwelling of snakes, he usually licks a stone that relieves thirst and hunger.
I13e.  The snake agrees to let the man go on condition that he does not tell anyone about their meeting. Under threat of death, the man breaks his promise. The snake teaches him to drink a broth made from its flesh and takes revenge not on the man, but on those who forced him to break his word.
I13F.  In autumn, a man falls asleep in a bear's den. When he wakes up, he thinks that the night has passed, but it is already spring. Usually, the bear gives him advice before parting.

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Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
K101C100.00%The bride stipulates that she will only be with her husband during the day. The husband discovers that at night she meets with heavenly maidens (and usually flies away to dance in the sky). He follows her and in the end she stays with him on earth.
K116B99.35%In order to take possession of the girl, the antagonist creates a situation in which her relatives are forced to put her in a chest (barrel, sack, etc.) and leave her there. The girl is secretly replaced by a ferocious dog or other animal. When the antagonist opens the chest, the animal usually kills or mauls him.
H49B99.35%A man gives his dog to another man. The dog is of great use to him (it finds stolen goods and drives away thieves). The man who received the dog sends it back with a letter of thanks. The owner thinks that the dog has run away, kills it, and only then finds the letter.
A37B99.23%A small animal (marmot, rabbit, mole, frog) or a person who turns into such an animal tries to hit a target in the sky (a celestial body or a bird) with arrows and as a result loses their thumbs.
K56A8B99.23%A virtuous girl (usually the daughter of a dog) wants to kill herself and puts her hand in a snake's hole. The snake does not bite her, but rewards her.
L90D99.23%The hero attaches the upper lip (jaw) of the monster to the sky, and the lower lip to the earth.
M78A99.05%A tiny little man emerges from the severed tail of a goat or sheep.
B1C98.45%Two creators agree that the older of them (the main creator) will be the one whose object is in a certain state (usually: whose tree or flower grows or blooms earlier). While one was asleep or absent, the other switched the objects and deceitfully achieved primacy.
B116C98.38%In the past, the people possessed writing and knowledge, but these were lost, or the people missed the opportunity to acquire them.
H43A98.29%Having created the human body, the creator leaves. At this time, another character tries to break the figure, which has not yet come to life.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 6 traditions: Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Georgians, Kalmyk, Daur (Daghur), Udeghe, Nanai


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