The Mythology and Folklore Database
K35A7 - The magical feather.
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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 character finds a feather, the touch of which brings health and beauty.Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures
K35 has 13 other sub-motifsK35. The deceiver pretends to be a hero in order to take his place (to possess his woman). (This motif includes all texts with motif K35a3). K35a. In exchange for improving his current situation, the character agrees to have his body injured or branded. K35a1. Setting off on a journey, a person (often against the advice of their horse) picks up a precious feather. Upon learning of this, an authoritative character gives them difficult tasks. K35a2. A man kills an animal with glowing fur. Upon learning of this, an authoritative figure gives him difficult tasks. K35a3. In order to obtain the privileges enjoyed by the hero, the deceiver manages to swap status with him. K35a4. In order to get rid of the hero and take his place, the deceiver pushes him into the sea or leaves him on a distant island. The hero survives and returns. K35a5. An authoritative character leaves an object (a letter) for a little boy, by which he will be able to recognise him when he grows up and comes to him. K35a6. The character illuminates the room with a light-emitting object (usually a feather) that he has found. K35a7. A character finds a feather, the touch of which brings health and beauty. K35b. The hero gives his rivals the food that the king sent them all to get, but what the rivals got turns out to be poisonous, useless, or tasteless, while what the hero brought, regardless of how it looks, gets praised. K35c. The dev (ajdaha, sea king) did not kill the man who descended to him, as people assumed, but rewarded him because he greeted him and/or answered his question correctly. K35c1. The young man is not killed, but rewarded, because he answered correctly (evasively) the question of a powerful character – which of the two women he should marry, which is more beautiful, which object or material is more valuable, etc. K35c2. When the ship unexpectedly stops, the hero descends to the bottom of the sea, behaves correctly with the local inhabitants, and returns to the ship. K35c3. For reasons that are not immediately clear, the ship stops in the middle of the sea (rarely: a horse stops in the middle of the road). Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of K35's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| B32A | 100.00% | The enemies of a hero sailing the sea turn into seals or dolphins. |
| I137 | 100.00% | One of the constellations is associated with footwear, usually with (worn-out) bast shoes. |
| I95B | 100.00% | Orion is a yoke. |
| K38F3 | 100.00% | To kill the dragon, the hero digs a pit and hides in it. When the dragon crawls nearby or over the pit, the hero strikes it with a fatal blow of his sword. |
| M39A2A | 100.00% | fool buys spoons and/or a table, tells the table to go on its own feet, throws away spoons because they rattle. The two episodes are usually combined. |
| M39A3B | 100.00% | fool decides that stumps need hats, puts pots on the stumps. |
| N28F | 100.00% | It is said that water has no boughs or twigs |
| N31 | 100.00% | Late autumn and then winter sets in line with the departure of two or three species of birds flying in a wedge (Zugvogel). |
| N32 | 100.00% | The ornithomorphic character is said to be sitting on several trees. |
| I95 | 99.76% | The Pleiades are a sieve or riddle for sifting agricultural products. See motif I95. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 9 traditions: France, Western Ukrainians, Tats, Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars, Chuvash, Chechens, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Russian Federation