Western Sahara and Mauritania Arabs; Berbers of Mauritania (Zénaga)



Tradition title rus: 
Арабы Западной Сахары и Мавритании; берберы Мавритании (зенага)
Areal ID: 
3.1.3.4
Tradition analysis result motif count all: 
61.00
Tradition analysis result motif count cosmo: 
13.00

Linked Motifs

MotifNameDescription
e9jMonkey-wifeMan marries monkey-woman; supernatural woman takes form of a monkey or the man pretends that the house-keeper is a monkey
f70Potiphar's wife: false accusation of sexual abuseWoman makes vain overtures to young man and/or falsely accuses him of sexual abuse. Her husband believes that the young man is guilty, kills or tries to kill him
f70bRevenge of a rejected womanA woman revenges on a man who rejected her love but necessary not pretends to be an object of sexual harassment from his part
f70dA disgraced informerA castrate or girl pretends to be a man or a cripple girl conceles her injury or a man pretends to be a girl. Some person gets to know about it and plans to expose the deception. At the last moment the hero or heroine magically becomes a real man (or girl; gets back the lost members) and the informer is disgraced
h16bThe basin of milkA river (wave, lake, basin) of milk that exists on earth (and not among the stars) is mentioned in narratives (in different context)
h55Sinners in other worldPerson who visits the other world gets to see different people punished or rewarded according to their behavior when they were alive on earth
i22Objects in permanent movementThere are objects which remaining on the same place are moving permanently or periodically (meet and part. rise and fall down, shut and open, rotate)
i22cA plank from the stern of ArgoPerson succeeds in getting through the opening which is going to bang shut but the stern of his boat, the tail of an animal or a bird, the body of his horse, or his own heel is flatterned, torn off, etc.
i22gClapping rocksThere are mountains or rocks which permanently collide and separate again from each other or a crack (jaws) in a vertical cliff which is opening and closing
j32To identify the night thiefSome valuables (foals, hay, apples, etc.) are regularly stolen. Nobody (the elder brothers) is able to catch the thief and only the hero (the younger brother) finds who it is
j32fThe stolen applesBeing on guard, the hero gets to know who steals regularly fruits (usually apples) from the garden
j54aThe calf and the tiger cubTwo women (usually female animal persons) live together, both have children, one of them kills and devours another or wants to do it. The son of the murderer kills his mother and becomes a companion of the victim's son, or the victim’s and the murderer’s children escape together
k113The animal brideSeveral young men (usually three brothers) decide to choose wives (usually shooting arrows or throwing objects on the off-chance). The wife of the youngest initially is ugly or non-human (a frog, a snake) but proves to be beautiful enchantress. She and her husband triumph. Or girls choose their husbands and the youngest one gets a youth who has guise of a snake
k114Brothers leave home after their sister is bornSeveral brothers leave home immediately after their mother gives birth to a girl. Usually they do not want to have another brother and hope that this time a girl will be born but chance or by evil intent a signal is given that not a girl but a boy is born again. The brothers are disappointed and leave, the girl grows up and travels in search of them
k12Woman is lost and returnedBy trick or by force, a rival or adversary kidnaps hero's wife or bride. The man gets her back
k126Wolf pays for the eaten up horseA wolf (lion, etc.) or a demon eats up hero's horse but gives him a fair compensation (usually provides a wife)
k174Fingering thrown into a pitcherA person puts (usually inconspicuously) his or her fingering or other small personal object into a pitcher with which a servant (girl) has come to take water. The servant's mistress or master finds the ring and understands that the person is nearby
k176A man in search of the womanA (young) man sets off to find or to return his bride or his wife
k25Magic wifeA man consciously marries a woman related to the non-human world
k27 (motif is not in the correlation table)Competitions and difficult tasksPerson is suggested to fulfill tasks that are mortally dangerous or cannot be fulfilled without supernatural helpers or capacities. The person fulfills the tasks and remains alive. A contest between persons has form of a competition or game in which the loser is deprived of his status or life
k27fThe task: to get a womanA task-giver asks the hero to get for him a particular woman
k27nDifficult tasks of the in-lawsA man must fulfill difficult tasks (to win competition) to receive the permission for a marriage
k27n1Task-giver is a king or a chiefPerson who gives difficult tasks to the hero and/or person who demands the fulfillment of certain conditions from those who want to marry his daughter is a prominent figure in social hierarchy. He is a head of the socio-political unit of community or super-community level and is neither a member of the hero’s household nor a mythical being
k27qMilk of the wild beastHero is sent to bring milk of a wild animal or milk in possession of a dangerous creature or person
k27r1The burnt person proves to be unharmedThe antagonist believes that the hero was burned but returned from the other world alive and prosperous therefore he asks burn him (her) or his representatives
k27z1Bird, horse and princessHelpful animal instructs the hero how to steal an object he needs to get but not to take anything else (bird, but not cage, horse but not bridle, etc.) The hero breaks prohibition, is caught but released on condition that he brings another wonderful object. Situation is repeated and the last task is to bring a girl. Ultimately the hero gets both the girl and all the objects
k28Father or uncle is rival and enemyMaternal uncle or father (or grandfather if he replaces father who is not mentioned) of the young man is his rival or enemy and tries to kill him
k32The false wifeAn ugly, old, lazy, etc. woman or (in Chaco) a male trickster comes to man under disguise of his wife or bride who is driven out, confined to the underworld, killed, etc.
k32dSister sent to feed geese, servant taken for the sisterA girl (rare: boy) is walking to her or his relations or to her bridegroom. On the way the imposter lures her (him) to exchange clothes and takes her (his) place while the real girl (boy) is sent to look after crops or fee domestic fowl or animals. People hear her (his) song in which all the story is told. The deception is disclosed, the imposter killed
k32gPunishment: torn apart by horsesTo punish an antagonist, he or she is tied to a horse (camel, bull) and dragged or he or she is torn apart (usually by horses)
k35aHero brands his rivalsIn exchange for temporal advantages, person agrees to be maimed or branded
k75The youngest daughter is willing (The loathsome bridegroom)A girl (usually the youngest of several sisters) does not reject but marries a poor, sick, dirty, old, too young, non-human, etc. man who later demonstrates his supernatural qualities
k80a4Person’s hair turns into grassHair of the head of a person turns into grass (thorns, bamboo, shrub)
k82aPregnancy from the snake eggsAn ill-disposed elder woman makes a young woman or girl to swallow snake eggs (a snake, something else). Her stomach becomes to swell and the man believes that the victim has become pregnant because of her dissoluteness (rare: to make snakes, worms, etc. to kill her from inside)
l108The wolf and the kidsAn (animal) person gives a signal (special song, etc.) to his relative or friend who lets him or her in. Antagonist imitates the person's voice or guise and the relative lets him in
l108aGoat kills the antagonistA predator animal (ogre, ogress) swallows people or animals. The goat (rare: the sheep) punishes him or her and usually saves the victims (most often opens the ogre’s belly open and the swallowed ones come out alive)
l108bThe thin voiceTo make himself unrecognizable by the victim, a predator or ogre modifies his throat or tongue mechanically (oils or burns it, asks blacksmith to remake it, etc.)
l127Dancing earsIn the other world person sees separate body parts or other strange creatures that dance, etc. He or she should neither express his or her surprise, laugh, nor name the God
l15eHero’s life in his swordHero's life is in certain object, usually in his weapon. When antagonist steals the object, the hero dies but revives after his friends or brothers find the object and bring it back
l19bBeings with odd number of headsBeing (any besides birds) with more than ten heads or with odd (but more than one) number of heads are described in tales or represented in art. If beings with ever more number of heads are named, the row ends with a being that has odd (or more than ten) number of heads
l19b1The seven-headed monsterОписывается или изображается чудовище (обычно змей) о семи головах. При перечисления существ по мере возрастания у них числа голов ряд заканчивается на семи
l72The obstacle flightRunning away from a dangerous being, person throws small objects behind him or her which turn into mighty obstacles on the way of the pursuer
m106Meaningful namePerson lies that his name is so and so. Others understand it not as a name but as a common word and behave accordingly
m112Animals dig a wellAn animal person refuses to dig or clean a source of drinking water together with other animals or birds but takes advantage of the results of the work
m126The speaking skullPerson comes across speaking head, skull or tortoise and tells others about his experience. When the information is controlled, the skull keeps silence and the man is punished as a liar
m146The fox gets bait from trap by luring wolf into itAn animal knows that food is in a trap or poisoned and tricks another to take it
m157The impossible giving birthPerson claims that a man or a male animal had given birth (or is menstruating) or that a female gave birth to a young of another species or that a woman gave birth to an animal
m157a1Father is giving birthPerson proves the absurdity of the claims of another person saying that his or her father (or other man or a male animal) had given or is giving birth or is menstruating
m157a2Bull or cart gives birthPerson claims that a calf (colt, kid, etc.) was born (brought to the place) not by the cow (mare, etc.) of another person but by his own male animal (bull, stallion, etc.), his own animal of another species or by inanimate object (usually a cart)
m159The lion’s shareThe strongest predator (usually a lion) suggests one of his companions to shares the booty. He is not satisfied by results and beats the companion. When another companion becomes to divide, he gives everything to the strongest one and explains that the injured one taught him the right way of sharing
m160Unkind words are more painful than woundA strong predator animal and a man become friends. The animal hears how the man or his wife complains about him (e.g. criticizes the bad smell of his mouth) and asks the man to strike him with an axe, knife and the like. Later he comes to demonstrate his healed wound and explains that the physical wound can be healed unlike the psychological one. Or the animal dies because of his wounded feelings as soon as he understands that the man betrayed him
m166Piece among animalsTo lure his potential victim down from a tree, a predator pretends not to be dangerous (usually announces that it has been decreed that all animals are united in piece). The victim is dubious and usually asks the predator to announce the same news to the dogs. The predator runs away
m170Pilgrimage of the animalsAn animal person pretends to have no other interests than to fulfill religious rules and prescriptions (to confess his sins, to make a pilgrimage, to become vegetarian, etc.) and kills those who have believed him
m172The hare makes the lion his horseTo demonstrate that a strong animal is his slave or his riding animal, a weak animal tricks the strong one to carry him. People believe that the strong one is really a slave of the weak one
m183A race: one against manyMany animals of one species that all look identical together fulfill the task that would be impossible for any of them if he were alone; the competitors believe that the task was fulfilled by only one animal. Usually a slow and a fast animals agree to race. The slow one puts other animals of his species at the finish or along the distance, each one answering the fast one that he is ahead of him. The fast one accepts his loss
m29bTrickster-fox, jackal or coyoteIn episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is fox, jackal or coyote
m29ggThe hedgehog wins thanks to his smartnessBeing smart and witty, the hedgehog overcomes overcomes strong adversaries
m29w3The lion is a failure Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the lion suffers a reverse, is injured or dies
m29xThe hyena is a failure Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the hyena suffers a reverse, is injured or dies
m39a4aFool’s customer is an animal or an objectA fool gives meat, a domestic animal, cloth etc. to an animal (plant, inanimate object) and thinks that the latter will pay him later or asks an animal to do some work. Claiming money or products of the work, he finds treasure
m39a4cConversation of the fool with a birdHearing the cry of a bird (often, an owl) and thinking that the bird speaks with him, the fool eventually finds treasure


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Romanians, Moldavians, Aromanians
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Ukrainians: Western dialects to the East of Carpathians
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Spain
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Similar traditions based on Adventures and Tricks motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Kabylia and other Berber of Northern and Central Algeria: Beni Snous, Beni Menacer (incl Zuav), Shaui, etc.)
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Tiv, Bamum (Bamun), Mungaka (Mgaka, Bali), Beba, Anaguta, Bete (Mbete, Karang), Ekoi, Nyang, Vute (Wute), Jukun, Chamba, Bamileke, Kwotto, Kirri; Denya (Nyang)
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Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Morocco Arabs
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Persians
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Lithuanians
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Hindi-speaking peoples and casts (incl. Teli, Parahiya; incl. Chhattisgarhi) of Northern and West-Central India
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Spain
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Greeks (modern)