Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
J24 — Ground into flour.
Source data for narratives and traditions is drawn from Berezkin’s Analytical Catalogue. If you use this data, please acknowledge and link to it: Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of motif
OverviewThe hero, ground into powder, is reborn.
Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 10, Adventures.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| L26 | 98.52% | During the (first) initiation, supernatural beings teach boys rituals and kill them for violating rules related to the consumption and distribution of food. |
| M121 | 98.52% | A louse or other similar creature (flea, tick, firefly) is sent to follow a certain character. |
| G14 | 98.07% | A man swallowed by a water monster is carried away to an underwater or overseas world, obtains plants, and returns to people. |
| K11 | 98.07% | Brothers (brother and sister) kill a monstrous bird. Its eyes turn into heavenly bodies (among the Oaxacan Indians) or something else (among the present-day Condors of the Yokuts). |
| B2B | 97.84% | The earth feeds on the people buried in it. See motif B2A. |
| B62 | 97.70% | Man believes that vultures live better than humans, changes his appearance to that of a vulture. The former vulture lives with the man's wife, and the man usually does not like his new life. |
| A22A | 97.30% | Two characters burn; one turns into the present sun, and the other into a less significant celestial object. See motif A22. |
| B67 | 96.87% | A fallen tree and/or its stump turns into a mountain (mountain range) or rocks. (Usually, the branches of this tree bear the fruits and shoots of various cultivated plants, see motif G5). |
| L58 | 96.75% | A man refuses to give food to his closest relatives or spouse; as punishment, he or his food changes its nature. |
| I27B | 96.71% | A dog carries a person across a river to another world. See motif I27. |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
DistributionDrag the map to pan, use the scroll wheel to zoom — choose a texture or projection below
Cite this map
Distribution of the traditions attesting motif J24, ‘Ground into flour.’, as recorded in the Berezkin–Duvakin Analytical Catalogue of Folklore Motifs (8 traditions mapped). Geolocation and cartography by Jonathan Fielder-White, Folklore Database, release 1.26206.1 (25 July 2026), https://www.folkloredatabase.com/motif/J24 (accessed 8 August 2026). Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Traditions
8 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 8 traditions: Tepecano, Popoloca; Tlapanec, Quiche, Achí, Cakchiquel, Pocomchi, Pocomam, Tepehua, Totonac, Gulf Nahuatl, Chontal, Chorti, Baniwa (incl. Wakuenai), Bare, Piapoco, Curripaco, Siusi, Guarikena