Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
N37 — Sheltered in the sky
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
OverviewThe character is said to sleep under the sky (like a blanket).
Berezkin category: Fabulous and epic formulas
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 13, Formulae.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| A23D | 97.30% | Animals argue about which of them should start the cycle of 12 months or years. The mouse wins the primacy. |
| M157A3 | 96.07% | A character demands that another provide him with offspring or milk from a male animal. |
| I52 | 95.68% | The world rests on a fish or fish-like creature, or the earth itself is such a creature or originated from a fish. See motif I8B. |
| N4 | 95.66% | Fused ribs are a sign of heroic strength. {The motive was highlighted and the material was collected by Kostyantin Rahno}. |
| I85 | 95.64% | Polar Star – stake, nail, hitching post, etc. |
| L95 | 95.25% | A person (usually a child or teenager) returns to a previous location for a forgotten item (often a toy) and finds a demon there, from which they struggle to escape. |
| K98 | 95.22% | An animal or (less commonly) a woman who gave birth to a hero or helped him turns into a house and property. |
| B116 | 95.10% | The first book (writing, important document) is eaten by an animal or a person. (In some European traditions, the eating of the book is not described, but is implied from the context). Cf. ATU 200. Cf. Thompson 1955-1958. †A2219.2. Cow swallows book; cause of maniplies in stomach. |
| L125 | 94.90% | After meeting a beautiful woman, a man finds her in a situation where her inhuman nature is revealed. After that, the marriage falls apart. |
| I20A | 94.87% | Anthropomorphic inhabitants of the upper world – giants. |
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 N37, ‘Sheltered in the sky’, as recorded in the Berezkin–Duvakin Analytical Catalogue of Folklore Motifs (8 traditions mapped). Geolocation and cartography by Jonathan Fielder-White, Folklore Database, release 1.26206.1 (25 July 2026), https://www.folkloredatabase.com/motif/N37 (accessed 8 August 2026). Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Traditions
8 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 8 traditions: Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians, Moldovans, Kalmyk, Kazakh, Uyghur, Turkmen, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Buryats: Eastern (trans Baikal), i.e. Khori
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
Where applicable, users should also cite the relevant original sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including Berezkin, ATU, Thompson, and other cited authorities, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed.
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