The Mythology and Folklore Database
K75C - The Unwashed Woman, ATU 361.
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 devil promises a person wealth if he does not wash (cut his hair, etc.) for a certain period of time; both keep their promises.Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures
K75 has 6 other sub-motifsK75. The girl (usually the youngest of the sisters) does not reject the hero, who temporarily takes the form of an animal, a freak, an old man, a poor man, or a loser, or she picks up the hero's remains and he comes back to life. After some time, the hero reveals his true nature. K75a. The character chooses one of many suitors (a woman chooses a husband, a boy chooses a father, a young man chooses a bride) by throwing an object (often an apple) at him. Cf. motif K113A (throwing an object at random, not at a person who is nearby). K75a1. The ruler orders his youngest daughter (and her chosen husband) to live in conditions that do not correspond to her status. He does not know that her chosen one is not a poor wretch, as he seems, but a mighty warrior and a handsome man. K75a2. Appearing incognito to an authoritative figure, the hero works for him as a gardener. K75a3. Appearing incognito to an authoritative character, the hero works for him as a groom. K75b. Wanting to show that it is time for them to marry, daughters of different ages send their father fruits of varying degrees of ripeness (bread baked in different ways). K75c. The devil promises a person wealth if he does not wash (cut his hair, etc.) for a certain period of time; both keep their promises. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of K75's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| I110B | 100.00% | Orion – people or agricultural tools associated with harvesting or haymaking. |
| K100D | 99.99% | At the end of the story, the animal helper (horse, lion, etc.) turns into a prince (princess) itself. |
| K56E1 | 99.96% | A man sees dwarves (spirits, witches) having fun. Their song mentions the names of the days of the week. The man sings along, naming the days that the dwarves like. He is rewarded. (Usually, someone else tries to get the same reward, but names the wrong days of the week and is punished). |
| A32M | 99.95% | The moon is called the "Gypsy sun". |
| A35B | 99.95% | The character tries to cover the moon with resin (so that it shines less brightly). |
| B123 | 99.95% | A fly lands on the chest of the crucified Jesus. His persecutors, who intended to drive a nail into his heart, do not do so, believing that the nail has already been driven in. |
| B124 | 99.95% | Ever since a piece of flesh was torn from a person's foot, a hollow has formed between the toe and the heel. |
| B49B | 99.95% | In the past, cows had more teats on their udders than they do now. |
| C32 | 99.95% | Demonic characters will make a ship out of nail clippings. |
| F101 | 99.95% | With the help of magic, a rival or the spouse's mother tries to prevent a woman from giving birth. |
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 32 traditions: Ireland, Scotland, Scots, Picts, Scotti, Scottish, Spain, Spaniards, Catalan, Sicily, Sicilians, Dutch, Flemish, Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen, Poles, Kashubians, Hungarians, Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Croatians, Croats; Italians of Dalmatia (if the motif is absent among other Italians), Slovenians, Slovenes, Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Lithuanians, Latvians, Livonians, Estonians, Finns, Western Sami, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Danish, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Mordvins, Icelanders, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Italians: Central (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), Frisians, Russian Federation