The Moon is female or bisexual, the Sun is male
The earth is a female person (alone or together with a male person); she is female being or associated with a woman
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
Constellation of Orion or the Belt of Orion is identified with only one male person, usually with a warrior or hunter
Ursa major is identified with a carriage, a cart
Seven main stars of Ursa major are interpreted as a figure of a mammal: bear, deer, mountain sheep, camel, dog
Alcor (a weak star near the second star of the handle of the Big Dipper) is selected as a particular sky object
Gods fight with their powerful adversaries at the decisive battle that changes fate of the world
Fire is personified as an (elder) woman, alone or with her husband, master of fire
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
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
Person claims to be equal to the sky god, imitating him or mocking upon him
Milky Way is the path over which souls travel to the beyond or a path of the funeral procession
Life of every man is related to certain thread. When the thread is cut, the man dies
Baby heroes, embryos or objects from which they emerge are found in a river or lake or come to people out of the water
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
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
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.
There is a headless anthropomorphic being who has eyes and/or mouth on his or her breast
Person or creature has another face (another mouth) on the back of his (her, its) head
In episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is fox, jackal or coyote
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
The Pleiades are a group of girls or women (with children)
Alcor (a weak star near Mizar, the second star of the Big Dipper’s handle) is a rider, a driver
Bat (rare: ostrich) makes attempts to join sometimes animals and sometime birds or is excluded from both categories
Life of a man depends on an object that can be burned. He dies as soon as the object is burned
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
Wind was or is in a particular enclosure (bag, cave, etc.). It was released from it or comes out from time to time
Hero is born by a rock that was impregnated by a man
Bird’s (hen’s) milk is mentioned in fairy tales, riddles and proverbs as something very rare and difficult to obtain
Constellation are interpreted as agricultural tools or people occupied with agricultural works (mostly ploughing and haymaking)
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)
Because of its stupidity and unsocial behavior, the lion suffers a reverse, is injured or dies
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
Golden fruits (in rare cases only leaves) of a certain tree are mentioned in tail. Usually these are golden apples
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
The frog (toad) prevents situation in which more than one Sun there were in the sky
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)
Extra suns who almost burned or could burn the world are children of the present one
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.
It becomes known that if the Sun or the Sky marry, great calamity is inevitable. The marriage plans are given up
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
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
The bat becomes an outcast among other creatures (usually after it makes attempts to join first animals and then birds or vice versa)
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
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
It is said that somewhere there is (or was) even bird’s milk
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
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
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
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
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)
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)
The Sun is associated with a horseman or rides in a cart driven by horses (equids)
The Sun is associated with a horseman or rides in a cart driven by horses (equids)
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)
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
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
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
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
Person claims to be equal to the high god, imitating him, mocking upon him or making attempt to kill him
From the mouth of a horse fire is coming ot the horse itself is of fire
Mother tries to kill her son (children) because he interferes with her love affair
The fire is personified as an elder man (alone or with his wife, mistress of fire)
Disguised as a bird, small animal or insect, a man penetrates into the place of a girl (into her father’s house)
An ornitomorphic hero impregnates a girl magically or imperceptibly for her
Person who is the incarnation of fertility and life first disappears and then (reriodically) returns
Seeds of cereals have been spilled over the earth, now people cultivate them
Using magic, the rival woman tries to prevent the heroine to give birth
The sorceress who lives an island transforms men into animals
Person transforms people who come to him or her into animals. Thanks to the hero, victims are disenchanted
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
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
Person transforms people who come to him or her into inanimate objects, usually stones
Two or more persons have only one eye for all
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
A ram (lamn, sheep) who has golden fleece or the skin of such a ram is described
Person gives advice that the right way to plant seeds or tubers is to cook them before
A man consciously marries a woman related to the non-human world
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
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
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)
Being seized by a person, a male person turns into different materials, elements or animals
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
Anthropomorphic person appears from a rock, is born by a it
When mighty person or animal loses his strength (self-control) after being made drunk he recognizes the superiority of the alcoholic intoxication over him
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