The Mythology and Folklore Database
M171C - In exchange for a thorn, ATU 2034F.
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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
At the request of a character, another character removes a thorn from his body (cuts off the tip of his tail, etc.). The thorn (tip of the tail) disappears, or when it is removed, the character is wounded. As a result, he receives something more valuable than what he has lost.Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior
M17 has 2 other sub-motifsM17. A wife, mother or grandmother directs the arrow of a blind man or boy at game, lies that he missed, cooks and eats the meat herself. See motif M16 (man is blind, K333.1). M17a. The mother or grandmother of a blind man or boy secretly eats (the meat or fish he has caught), pretending that there is no food in the house. M17b. The wife directs the blind man's arrow at game, lies that he has missed, and eats the meat herself. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of M17's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| M195 | 99.31% | The character must guess which of the two horses or cows is older. He does this by knowing the behavioural characteristics of these animals. |
| F9F | 98.51% | Without the woman's knowledge, the demon regularly kills her suitors on their wedding night. |
| K66B | 98.48% | Travelling from one place to another, the hero leaves one of his companions in each place (usually marrying them to the princesses he has received as a reward), and continues on his way. When he gets into trouble, his companions come to his aid. |
| K38C | 98.47% | After the hero helps the bird (usually by doing good to its chicks), it takes him to the place he desires, or instructs its chicks to do so. (This does not involve movement between levels of the universe; in the Sumerian version, the bird gives the hero the ability to move with lightning speed and directs him to his goal). |
| L15E | 97.98% | The hero's life is in a certain object, usually his weapon. An enemy steals or discards this object, the hero weakens or dies, his friends or brothers return the object, and the hero comes back to life. {In ATU, this is motif 302B; at least some of the references cited by Uther do not contain the motif in our formulation (not found in Japan or Burma); original publications are required}. |
| K90 | 97.97% | A person sees two opposing monsters or animals (usually of contrasting colours: red and black, black and white) and helps one of them, or one of the combatants helps the person. (Cf. ATU 156B, 738). |
| M114C | 97.91% | The character is puzzled as to how the other person's clothes (firewood, etc.) remained dry after the rain – the other person covered them with their body (hid them in a vessel, waited out the rain in a shelter). |
| L90 | 97.87% | One lip (one fang, horn, etc.) of the creature reaches the sky, while the other drags along the ground. |
| M29Z1 | 97.58% | purely anthropomorphic character, or a character who bears the name of an animal or plant but does not act zoomorphic in the course of his adventures. See the motives in square brackets. {Data not fully entered} |
| E41A | 97.54% | The first ticks were made as a result of observing animals (a dog's crossed paws, two snakes, snake jaws, etc.). |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 13 traditions: Kannada, Lingayat, Halakki, Tamil, Muthuvan, Marvar, Tamils, Bengali, Nepali; Tharu, Greeks (modern), Balkarians, Tajik, Persians, Nogai, Georgians, Armenians, Anatolia Turks, Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Kurds