The Mythology and Folklore Database
J55 - The unrecognised hero encounters enemies.




65 Myths, Legends and Folktales
64 Unique Narratives for Motif J55
26 Cultures & Traditions where J55 is told
117 Mythemes Indexed
0 Sub-Motifs of Motif J55


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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

The hero encounters characters who, not recognising him, say that they are waiting for so-and-so (naming him) to kill him. He easily kills them or turns them into animals.

Berezkin category: Avenger heroes: The amerinday cycle

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures



Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
J50B95.56%The father (alone or with his brother) is only partially resurrected and is unable to live among people (he cannot be a warrior). The hero leaves him (in another world) or allows him to die completely.
I11295.53%The boat is a living creature with a mouth, a fish.
L15A195.47%The character's vulnerable spot is located at the bottom of the foot (heel, toe, sole, ankle).
K87A95.23%A forest woman receives or kidnaps a little boy and raises him to be her lover.
K27N3A95.18%The character who gives the hero difficult tasks or subjects him to trials is associated with the sun, moon, thunder or wind (cloud, downpour). See motif K27.
M7194.83%A character (usually carried away by a river or fallen from a height) turns into a piece of wood. Someone is picking it up. The character then takes on his true form, usually in the absence of the hosts.
A3494.76%The jackal, coyote or fox are associated with the moon (usually with the appearance of lunar spots).
B28D94.39%Not understanding who they are dealing with, the characters respond to the wandering Transformer that they are preparing weapons to kill so-and-so or a hiding place to escape from so-and-so. The Transformer kills them himself or turns them into animals.
H2094.15%All the fish or (rarely) molluscs were concentrated in one place. A certain character allows them to escape or deliberately releases them into rivers or the sea. {In some cases, the theme of the spread of fish concentrated in a small container is difficult to separate from the theme of the spread of water. In any case, neither of these exist in Africa}.
F28D94.09%By masturbating with an artificial penis, a woman conceives children.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 26 traditions: Baluch, Georgians, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Micmac, Montagnais, Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Iowa, Wichita; Spiro Mound iconography, Plains Ojibwa, Lkungen (Straits; including Samish, Songish, Sooke, Lummi), Klallam, Comox, Pentlatch, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Klamath, Modoc, Maidu, Nisenan, Konkov, Western Shoshone, Gosiute, Panamint, Sicuani, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Tariana, Yagua, Moseten, Chimane, Ese’ejja, Kayabi, Tapirape


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