Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
L25 — The devil sucks out brains.
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
OverviewBy killing demons, people save the life of a child, girl or woman. Remaining among people, she or he kills people (usually children) left in her or his care.
Berezkin category: Adventures: Monsters and evil spirits
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 |
|---|---|---|
| B2B | 93.68% | The earth feeds on the people buried in it. See motif B2A. |
| A47 | 93.68% | The sun is born or emerges from an egg. |
| A22A | 92.01% | Two characters burn; one turns into the present sun, and the other into a less significant celestial object. See motif A22. |
| I8E | 91.98% | The sky or the earth is supported by four anthropomorphic male characters located at the four cardinal points. |
| B62 | 91.76% | 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. |
| I27B | 91.55% | A dog carries a person across a river to another world. See motif I27. |
| A22B | 91.29% | The sun and its companion burn up. The companion burns in a less intense fire (is thrown into the ashes, etc.); therefore, the moon (or star) is cold. See motif A22. |
| L26 | 91.28% | During the (first) initiation, supernatural beings teach boys rituals and kill them for violating rules related to the consumption and distribution of food. |
| M121 | 91.28% | A louse or other similar creature (flea, tick, firefly) is sent to follow a certain character. |
| K30A | 91.27% | The wife of the first ancestor flies away with the vultures (usually voluntarily, after she has already cheated on her husband), and the chief (Uito: her brother) brings her back. See motif K30. |
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 L25, ‘The devil sucks out brains.’, as recorded in the Berezkin–Duvakin Analytical Catalogue of Folklore Motifs (15 traditions mapped). Geolocation and cartography by Jonathan Fielder-White, Folklore Database, release 1.26206.1 (25 July 2026), https://www.folkloredatabase.com/motif/L25 (accessed 12 August 2026). Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Traditions
15 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 15 traditions: Abkhaz, Abkhazians, Kalmyk, Khakas, Shor, Kwakiutl (Kwakwaka'wakw), Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, (Lower) Cowlitz, Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu, Siona, Secoya, Coreguaje, Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”), Kofan, Shuar, Achuar (Shiwiar), Barasana, Taibano, Macuna, Desana, Siriano; Tatuyo, Bara, Tuyuca, Letuama, Tanimuca, Ufaina, Yahuna, Machiguenga
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
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