| Motif | Name | Description |
| a19c | The sun horse | The Sun is associated with a horseman or rides in a cart driven by horses (equids) |
| a19c | The sun horse | The Sun is associated with a horseman or rides in a cart driven by horses (equids) |
| a19c1 | The sun cart | The sun or the moon moves in a cart or sledge |
| a23a | Who will see the Sun first? | Two persons or animals argue about who of them will be the first to see the rising sun. One who seemed to have less chances wins |
| a23b | First beams on the tree tops | Two persons or animals argue who will see the rising sun first. One who got to see not the sun itself but its reflection or the first beams on trees or mountain tops wins |
| a2a | The sun is a source of distructive heat | The world was or will be (almost) burned when several suns had (will) appear(ed) simultaneously; or the only sun was too hot (or bright) |
| a2c | Extra suns are children of the present one | Extra suns who almost burned or could burn the world are children of the present one |
| a2c1 | The Sun abandons his marriage plans | The Sun plans to have children. One of the animals sais that if the Sun (marries and) has children, the earth will burn. The Sun has to abandon his plans. |
| a3 | Male sun and female moon | The Moon is female or bisexual, the Sun is male |
| a42 | Phaethon: false Sun fails to fulfill his duty | Person comes to the sun, attempts to fulfill the sun's duty but intentionally or because of a lack of skill does it wrong and the earth suffers from heat etc.
(Cf. Earth burned because the bearer of the sun came too low, Boas 2002: 664)
|
| b2a | The female earth | The earth is a female person (alone or together with a male person); she is female being or associated with a woman |
| b33a | Person dies of cold in the spring | When it becomes warm, a person or animal (bird) decides that the winter is over (most often an old woman goes to graze her animals) but dies of cold or the animals that had been deiven to the pasture die |
| b42n | Orion is one person | Constellation of Orion or the Belt of Orion is identified with only one male person, usually with a warrior or hunter |
| b42p | Ursa major is a bear | Ursa major is identified with a bear |
| b42p | Ursa major is a bear | Ursa major is identified with a bear |
| b42q | Ursa major is a carriage | Ursa major is identified with a carriage, a cart |
| b42t | Ursa major is a big mammal | Seven main stars of Ursa major are interpreted as a figure of a mammal: bear, deer, mountain sheep, camel, dog |
| b85b | Bag of winds | Wind was or is in a particular enclosure (bag, cave, etc.). It was released from it or comes out from time to time |
| b87 | Alcor | Alcor (a weak star near the second star of the handle of the Big Dipper) is selected as a particular sky object |
| b87c | Alcor is a rider | Alcor (a weak star near Mizar, the second star of the Big Dipper’s handle) is a rider, a driver |
| b98 | The bat between birds and animals | Bat (rare: ostrich) makes attempts to join sometimes animals and sometime birds or is excluded from both categories |
| b98a | Bat becomes an outcast | The bat becomes an outcast among other creatures (usually after it makes attempts to join first animals and then birds or vice versa) |
| c2 | Deluge and conflagration combined | Inhabitans of the Middle World are (partly) destroyed (or will be destoyed) once by fire or draught, another time by a flood or the world is destroyed with a flood of fire or boiling water |
| c32c (motif is not in the correlation table) | Beware of cut off nails | The cut off nails (and hair) have special significance for the fate of the soul in the beyond or for the future of the entire world |
| c35 | Cosmic marriage cancelled | It becomes known that if the Sun or the Sky marry, great calamity is inevitable. The marriage plans are given up |
| c35b | Frog is the enemy of the Sun | The frog (toad) prevents situation in which more than one Sun there were in the sky |
| c36 | The final battle | Gods fight with their powerful adversaries at the decisive battle that changes fate of the world |
| d1 | Female spirit of fire | Fire is personified as an (elder) woman, alone or with her husband, master of fire |
| d1b | Male spirit of fire | The fire is personified as an elder man (alone or with his wife, mistress of fire) |
| f101 | The rival woman tries to prevent the heroine to give birth | Using magic, the rival woman tries to prevent the heroine to give birth |
| f14 | Son of a man and a rock | Hero is born by a rock that was impregnated by a man |
| f14a | Birth from a rock | Anthropomorphic person appears from a rock, is born by a it |
| f35a | Feeding with the kin’s meat | Person does not know that he or she eats or cooks the meat of the member of his or her household (blood relation, more rare a spouse or servant) or serves it to his or her friends, or uses her or his bones for everyday needs, or slowly kills him ort her |
| f57 | Persephone picks a flower | A girl or her father (rare: mother) picks a plant (usually a flower) and because of this encounters a person who has non-human guise and/or is related to the underworld. The girl marries him. In some cases the flower is the person’s hair but more often it’s not so |
| g2 | The return of Persephone | Person who is the incarnation of fertility and life first disappears and then (reriodically) returns |
| g25 | Cereals spilled over the earth | Seeds of cereals have been spilled over the earth, now people cultivate them |
| h12 | The alive person comes to the land of the dead after somebody’s death | The alive person comes to the land of the dead to bring back somebody who has recently died (besides stories about shamans who journey to the other world to bring back the soul of a sick person) or, having no particular aim, goes there in company of somebody who had recently died or following his or her tracks |
| h12c | Orpheus: to return the dead wife | Husband follows his dead wife to the other world but is unable to bring her back or succeeds to do it but loses her once again |
| h4 | The shed skin | Those who change their skin become young again |
| h5 | People and snakes | Reptiles or invertebrates possess the medicine of immortality; are contrasted with men as immortal with mortals and/or are responsible for originating of death; or a snake's bite inflicts the first death |
| h54b | The glance of death | Person’s glance brings death (and destruction) |
| h7 | The personified Death | Death (also Old Age, Disease, etc.) is a particular person not identical with the Master of the Dead. He kills people usually carrying away their souls |
| i100 | The Pleiades are girls | The Pleiades are a group of girls or women (with children) |
| i103 | The dog star | Sirius is associated with a dog or a wolf |
| i110 | Night sky agriculturalists | Constellation are interpreted as agricultural tools or people occupied with agricultural works (mostly ploughing and haymaking) |
| i110a | The star plough | Orion (rare: other constellation) is a plough |
| i114 | The golden fleece | A ram (lamn, sheep) who has golden fleece or the skin of such a ram is described |
| i131 | The thread of life | Life of every man is related to certain thread. When the thread is cut, the man dies |
| i13c | Snake’s crown | Reptiles possess treasure which a person gets or tries to get. Usually it is a crown, jewel or small horns on the snake's head |
| i22 | Objects in permanent movement | There are objects which remaining on the same place are moving permanently or periodically (meet and part. rise and fall down, shut and open, rotate) |
| i22g | Clapping rocks | There 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 |
| i35a1 | Challenge to Thunder-god | Person claims to be equal to the sky god, imitating him or mocking upon him |
| i35a1a | Insulting the God | Person claims to be equal to the high god, imitating him, mocking upon him or making attempt to kill him |
| i35c | God the craftsman | One of mythological characters using his skills in crafts creates for the first time tools and valuable cultural and natural objects; is a patron of craftsmen (usually of blacksmiths) |
| i40 | Rainbow bow | Rainbow is a bow |
| i41b | Rainbow drinks water | Rainbow drinks (soaks up) water |
| i46a | Old woman’s rainbow | Rainbow is associated with an old woman |
| i48 | Confined to the underworld | Certain person loses his or her freedom, is confined to a far away place (often, to the underworld) and acquires cosmic dimensions: supports the earth or the sky and/or his or her movements produce earthquakes or (rare) storms |
| i61 | Milk on the Milky Way | Milky Way is a trace of spilled milk |
| i61a | Milky Way is a belt | Milky Way is the belt of the sky |
| i65 | Milky Way of the dead | Milky Way is the path over which souls travel to the beyond or a path of the funeral procession |
| i82a | Venus is male | Morning and/or Evening Star is a male personage |
| i82b | Venus is female | Morning and/or Evening Star is a female personage |
| i8g | Atlas | One giant supports the earth or the sky |
| j25c | Baby brought up by the she-wolf | A she-wolf brings up an abandoned baby boy. He becomesan illustrious leader |
| j26 | Babies come out of the water | Baby heroes, embryos or objects from which they emerge are found in a river or lake or come to people out of the water |
| j62 | People turned into stones | Person transforms people who come to him or her into inanimate objects, usually stones |
| j62b | Transformed into animals disenchanted | Person transforms people who come to him or her into animals. Thanks to the hero, victims are disenchanted |
| j62b1 | The mistress of an island transforms men into animals | The sorceress who lives an island transforms men into animals |
| k100i | Strong person who is made drunk is deprives of his strength | When mighty person or animal loses his strength (self-control) after being made drunk he recognizes the superiority of the alcoholic intoxication over him |
| k102a2 | Conflict between mother and son | Mother tries to kill her son (children) because he interferes with her love affair
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| k16 | To get access to a girl in guise of a bird or an animal | Disguised as a bird, small animal or insect, a man penetrates into the place of a girl (into her father’s house) |
| k164 | Wife is not the best friend | A man himself or somebody else creates situation that demonstrates that his wife is not his best friend. Often a treacherous wife is contrasted with a true dog |
| k17 | The ornitomorphic suitor | An ornitomorphic hero impregnates a girl magically or imperceptibly for her |
| k179 | Bride purchased for her weight in gold | An object (usually the bride) purchased for the sum of money equivalent (or bigger) than its weight in gold (silver) or a heap of valuables as high as the corresponding person |
| k25 | Magic wife | A man consciously marries a woman related to the non-human world |
| k25a6 | Magic wife does not forgive the unfaithfulness of the man | A wife from the non-human world agrees to live with the mortal man but abandons him when he becomes unfaithful to her (when he visits his mortal wife) |
| k27w | Monster brought by the hero kills the task-giver | Task-giver asks to bring him dangerous being or object possessed by a moster or deity. Hero fulfills the task. The beast, monster, deity or the object itself kills the task-giver |
| k27w | Monster brought by the hero kills the task-giver | Task-giver asks to bring him dangerous being or object possessed by a moster or deity. Hero fulfills the task. The beast, monster, deity or the object itself kills the task-giver |
| k38d1 | A girl sacrificed to a dragon | To appease a water monster (water spirits, gods) or to put an end to the drought or flood, a girl is sacrificed or descends into the water by her own will |
| k38f | The dragon-slayer | A reptile monster demands humans (usually virgins) as a sacrifice or abducts a girl or closes sources of water. Hero kills him. Monster’s victims do not play an active part in the plot |
| k38f5 | Fire-breathing horse | From the mouth of a horse fire is coming ot the horse itself is of fire |
| k64 | Escape from Polyphemos’ cave | Person gets into dwelling of master of animals or monstrous shepherd. The host can kill him. The hero escapes sticking to hair of one of the animals who are going out |
| k64b | Object sticks to person | Hero's adversary provokes him to touch an object that proves to be sticky. The hero sticks to it, sometimes has to cut off his finger |
| k80c | The cranes of Ibycus | Person becomes a victim of a murder. Just before dying he or she calls on some birds (celestial bodies, animals, plants, etc.) to bear witness for the crime. Getting to see these birds (this plant, the Sun, the Moon, etc.) the murderer reveals himself without thinking. Or the birds, being the only witnesses, bring the investigators to the murderers. |
| k80c4 | Mute witnesses of the crime | In a deserted place, a man kills another. After some time he is exposed thanks to circumstances and facts that do not seem important and do not report on the crime directly (the victim’s last words; objects or live beings that were or appeared on the place of the murder). (All texts that contain motifs K80c, K80c1, K80c3, K80c4, also contain a more general motif K80c4) |
| l130 | One eye for three persons | Two or more persons have only one eye for all |
| l15g | A burned piece of wood (Meleagros) | Life of a man depends on an object that can be burned. He dies as soon as the object is burned |
| l16b | Eyes on the body | All the body of a person is covered with eyes |
| l17 | Face on breast | There is a headless anthropomorphic being who has eyes and/or mouth on his or her breast |
| l17b | Two faces | Person or creature has another face (another mouth) on the back of his (her, its) head |
| l23 | Proteus | Person gets hold of another. Trying to free himself, the latter turns into different materials, elements, animals or (Urarina and Setebo) orders different dangerous creature to attack the person |
| l23d | Metamorphosis of the caught female person | Being seized by a person, a female person turns into different materials, elements or animals (Urarina and Setebo: sends different dangerous creature to attack the one who caught her) |
| l23e | Metamorphosis of the caught male person | Being seized by a person, a male person turns into different materials, elements or animals |
| m116 | Wisdom of hidden old man saves kingdom | People are ordered to kill their fathers or (rare) mothers (the Nyoro: to deprive them of power and property; the Baluch: not to take them setting off for the journey). An old man concealed by his son helps to resolve difficult problem |
| m13 | The short-sighted wish is granted | Some person makes a wish not taking in mind that his words can have other meaning or accidentally replacing one word with another. As a result, something quite undesirable takes place |
| m143 | Fox in a well | Getting into a well or pit and being unable to climb out animal person tricks another to descend and thanks to this gets out while the second person remains below |
| m153 | Letter on the hoof | The wolf (lion, etc.) is going to eat a horse (mule, etc.). The horse asks him to look at his hoof (for different reasons) or eat him from his hindquarters forward; then he kicks him |
| m168 | More cowardly than the hare | The hare is in despair because he is afraid of all creatures but is delighted when he sees other animals (sheep, frogs, dusks) being afraid of him |
| m169 | Medicine for the sick lion | In the presence of powerful person one of his subjects is plotting against the other. The other answers that the problem can be resolved if the first one would be maimed (usually a part of his body used as a medicine). The schemer is killed or injured |
| m180 | Fox and crane invite each other | An animal person invites another and serves his food in such a way that he is unable to taste it. Then the other invites the first animal and puts him in similar situation |
| m202 | Thorn removed from lion’s paw | Person removes a thorn from the paw (bone from the throat) of a strong and dangerous animal or a demon, the animal (demon) is grateful |
| m27 | Coming back from the sky | A tree or a chain of reeds by which people have ascended to the sky is destroyed. On their way back they fall to the ground. Some of them remain in the sky for ever or longer than others |
| m29b | Trickster-fox, jackal or coyote | In episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is fox, jackal or coyote |
| m29w3 | The lion is a failure | Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the lion suffers a reverse, is injured or dies |
| m45c | To plant the boiled tubers | Person gives advice that the right way to plant seeds or tubers is to cook them before |
| m75b3 | The Trojan Horse: victory over enemies | A life-size or larger than life-size figure of a horse or a bull is demonstrated to enemies. They do not understand that this is a stratagem and carry the figure to their territory. As a result, the invasion becomes possible and the enemies are defeated |
| m90a5 | The golden apples | Golden fruits (in rare cases only leaves) of a certain tree are mentioned in tail. Usually these are golden apples |
| n27 | The milk of birds | Bird’s (hen’s) milk is mentioned in fairy tales, riddles and proverbs as something very rare and difficult to obtain |
| n27a | You can find even bird’s milk there! | It is said that somewhere there is (or was) even bird’s milk |