Mackenzie Delta



Tradition title rus: 
Эскимосы устья Макензи
Areal ID: 
11.2.3.1
Tradition analysis result motif count all: 
59.00
Tradition analysis result motif count cosmo: 
35.00
Motifs: 

Motif

a4


Name_eng: 
Female sun
Description: 

The Sun is female, the Moon is male or (more rare) also female




Motif

a31


Name_eng: 
The incestuous Moon
Description: 

As a result of some intimate contacts and/or love affair, the Moon acquires its present appearance (often, the stains on his face) and/or ascends to the sky




Motif

a32


Name_eng: 
Figure on lunar disc
Description: 

A figure or an imprint of some being or object are seen in the Moon. (For statistical analysis motifs A32A – A32J are also included into A32)




Motif

a32d


Name_eng: 
Man in the Moon
Description: 

Human being or imprint of human being is seen in the moon




Motif

a35


Name_eng: 
Spots on the lunar disc
Description: 

Dark spots on the lunar disc are dirt, blood, paint, traces of beating, burning, scratching, etc. on the Moon person's body or face (Kiliwa: spots on the Sun) and do not form any particular figure




Motif

a44


Name_eng: 
Moon the protector
Description: 

A person pursued by an enemy or tyrannized by others asks the Moon to take her or him to the sky. The request is granted and the person is now seen in the Moon




Motif

b3a


Name_eng: 
Primeval waters
Description: 

Water is the original element, the dry earth appears later




Motif

b4


Name_eng: 
The fished out earth
Description: 

Islands or continent are fished out of the ocean or pulled to their present place by rope




Motif

b38


Name_eng: 
The ruined painting
Description: 

Person paints birds or animals or they paint each other. Some of them are not satisfied with the result




Motif

b38a


Name_eng: 
Two birds decorate each other
Description: 

Two birds decorate each other, one becomes worse than it was before




Motif

b38c


Name_eng: 
Raven and loon paint each other
Description: 

Raven and loon paint each other




Motif

b42


Name_eng: 
Cosmic hunt
Description: 

Certain stars or constellations are interpreted as hunters, their dogs and game that the hunters pursue




Motif

b42c


Name_eng: 
Sky hunters pursue a bear
Description: 

In the cosmic hunt tale the game pursued by the hunters is a bear




Motif

b42f


Name_eng: 
Ursa major is an ungulate
Description: 

Ursa major (seven stars or only four stars of a dipper) is identified with an ungulate (elk, deer, mountain sheep, etc.)




Motif

b82


Name_eng: 
The white raven
Description: 

Raven or other carrion-eating bird of dark color and a similar size was originally white




Motif

c2


Name_eng: 
Deluge and conflagration combined
Description: 

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




Motif

c19


Name_eng: 
Acquisition of the sun
Description: 

The Sun (the day light) that was absent, stolen or hidden appears (again)




Motif

d9


Name_eng: 
Fire and vulture
Description: 

Raven or other big dark-feathered bird scavenger is the owner, personification, spouse, obtainer or stealer of fire, daylight, or the Sun




Motif

f28a


Name_eng: 
Primeval penis grows from the ground
Description: 

There is only one monstrous penis, a husband of primeval women or the amazons, which grows out of the ground or out of the water in a lake




Motif

f46


Name_eng: 
One for all
Description: 

In the beginning of time two or more men (animal people) have only one woman




Motif

f51


Name_eng: 
The clandestine lover
Description: 

Person who conceals his or her identity comes to his or her lover (at night). Next time, the lover puts a mark on the stranger's face, body or clothes doing this intentionally (to recognize him or her) or by chance (that leads to the identification)




Motif

f65


Name_eng: 
The false burial
Description: 

To realize his or her secret desire (illicit sex, refusal to share food with relations), person pretends to die and is abandoned at a burial place




Motif

f65a


Name_eng: 
Death feigned to meet paramour
Description: 

Person pretends to die. His or her wife or husband abandons him or her on a burial place. He or she marries his or her paramour




Motif

f91


Name_eng: 
A worm-breeder
Description: 

A man lets his wife to be eaten up by worms. She either dies or has a narrow escape




Motif

i38


Name_eng: 
The dog-heads
Description: 

Some beings are half-men and half-dogs (usually anthropomorphic with heads of dogs)




Motif

i55


Name_eng: 
Stars are openings
Description: 

Stars are openings in the firmament; holes in dwelling's covering are thought to be stars




Motif

j17


Name_eng: 
Frogs in hair
Description: 

Instead of lice, there are other (bigger or dangerous) creatures in the hair of some persons or he or she pretends that his or her hair is infested with them




Motif

j22b


Name_eng: 
Two women from one
Description: 

A woman is torn or cut in half, two new women appear




Motif

k27n


Name_eng: 
Difficult tasks of the in-laws
Description: 

A man must fulfill difficult tasks (to win competition) to receive the permission for a marriage




Motif

k51


Name_eng: 
The deceived wife
Description: 

A Man disappears or goes away for long time. His wife sets off, comes to a house where her husband lives now or first sends her son there. She gets to know that he has married another woman




Motif

k86


Name_eng: 
Weeping child stolen
Description: 

Because a small child is ignored or punished by its parents (usually it cries late in the evening), bush spirit or animal carries it away




Motif

l4


Name_eng: 
The unmasked murderer (The Blue Beard)
Description: 

Person kills girls (rare: his nephews or younger brothers of his wife) in succession (usually the male person kills his wives). The last of potential victims escapes, usually after finding remains of those who had been killed or imprisoned earlier




Motif

l5f


Name_eng: 
Helpful skull
Description: 

A bodiless head, face, or skull is a woman's husband, suitor or son. He is not dangerous but a good provider, saves people from hunger, etc.




Motif

l13


Name_eng: 
The reared up monster
Description: 

A small creature is reared up by people. When it is grown up, it becomes harmful and dangerous




Motif

l14


Name_eng: 
Reared up serpent
Description: 

A small creature (often a worm or a reptile) is brought home and reared up or it becomes to live by itself in an artificial body of water. When big, it goes out of human control or becomes something huge and/or dangerous. Cf. motif L13A (The reared up monster attacks people)




Motif

l73


Name_eng: 
Ogre tries to drink a river dry and bursts
Description: 

The antagonist tries to drink a river or sea and bursts




Motif

l79


Name_eng: 
Two co-wives, human and monstrous
Description: 

A girl marries a powerful benevolent man. His first wife is a monster. The man kills her or is glad that she is killed by his human wife




Motif

l101


Name_eng: 
Pieces of clothes thrown to pursuer
Description: 

Pursued by demonic creature (usually a whale or walrus), people throw behind piece by piece children’s or woman’s clothes. These attract the pursuer’s attention, he loses time, the runaways escape




Motif

l102


Name_eng: 
Escape from animal husband
Description: 

Seriously of for fun, a girl or a woman names an animal or remains of an animal as her husband or steps on the animal’s bones. The animal (revives and) carries her away. Her human husband or brother comes after her and they run away. The animal husband pursues them but abandons the chase or dies




Motif

l103


Name_eng: 
Obstacle flight (Atalanta type)
Description: 

Treasure, or the like, is thrown back to tempt pursuer to delay




Motif

m29a


Name_eng: 
Trickster-raven
Description: 

In episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is raven




Motif

m29b


Name_eng: 
Trickster-fox, jackal or coyote
Description: 

In episodes related to deception, absurd, obscene or anti-social behavior the protagonist is fox, jackal or coyote




Motif

m46b


Name_eng: 
A stratagem: baby born by woman
Description: 

Person turns into tiny object or creature. Touching or swallowing it, the woman conceives and gives birth to a baby-boy. The boy steals valuables or make love to the woman




Motif

m46d


Name_eng: 
Child cries for a toy
Description: 

A small child cries and becomes satisfied only when he gets a particular object to play with. This object is of high value and is hidden in the house. As soon as the object is given to him, the child or a person related to him carry it away




Motif

m123


Name_eng: 
Raven marries goose
Description: 

A bird of prey or a carrion-eater (raven, owl, hawk; coyote) marries or tries to marry goose-person or other water bird. This marriage is not realized or is a short one




Motif

a13a1


Name_eng: 
Raven obtains the Sun
Description: 

Raven (crow) gets the hidden or stolen Sun (daylight)




Motif

k27 (motif is not in the correlation table)


Name_eng: 
Competitions and difficult tasks
Description: 

Person 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




Motif

k27n3c


Name_eng: 
Task-giver is a zoomorphic being
Description: 

Person who gives difficult tasks to the hero is associated with an animal, a bird or a fish




Motif

k87a1


Name_eng: 
Baby passed to the demon’s hands
Description: 

Mother of a baby child is asked by demonic woman to give her the baby for a short while or the demon imperceptibly replaces another person who must take the baby. As soon as the demon gets the baby she carries it away to her place




Motif

m46e


Name_eng: 
The Sun as a toy
Description: 

They (promise to) give a child the Sun (and or the Moon) to play with




Motif

e9m


Name_eng: 
Bear-wife
Description: 

Man marries a polar bear or grizzly who becomes a woman or a woman who becomes a bear




Motif

k25


Name_eng: 
Magic wife
Description: 

A man consciously marries a woman related to the non-human world




Motif

k27n3c1


Name_eng: 
Hero’s adversaries are polar bears
Description: 

Inhabitants of the village of the polar bears who are relations of the hero’s wife give him difficult tasks and tests




Motif

l1a


Name_eng: 
Woman turns into the bear
Description: 

A young woman turns into the bear (in Asia, into the tiger) and attacks her husband or close relatives




Motif

f28


Name_eng: 
Primeval penis
Description: 

The penis is a particular monstrous being with whom copulate the primeval women, the amazons, or a certain woman




Motif

a20


Name_eng: 
Childhood and youth of the Sun and Moon
Description: 

The Sun and the Moon (rare: the Sun and a star, the Moon and a star) are two siblings who live on earth and then ascend to the sky being still young persons




Motif

a14a


Name_eng: 
The conflict between the Sun and the Moon
Description: 

The Sun and the Moon are or were enemies, either permanently or in particular situations




Motif

m46


Name_eng: 
The false baby
Description: 

Planning to get or to return valuables, person turns into baby or in a small objects that has power to impregnate a woman. The picked up or the born baby steals the valuables and acquires his real guise (including cases according to which the girl herself is the desired valuable)




Motif

b36a


Name_eng: 
Two creatures decorate each other
Description: 

Two zoomorphic personages decorates each other or somebody decorates each of them





Similar traditions based on Cosmology and Etiology motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 7 Tradition: North Alaskan Inupiat
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Athna
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Iglulik
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Koyukon
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Denaina
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
East Greenland (Angmassalik, Kulusuk)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Eyak
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Gwich'in (Kutchin, Loucheux)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Central Yupik

Similar traditions based on Adventures and Tricks motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 8 Tradition:
North Alaskan Inupiat
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Asiatic Eskimo (Sirenek, Naukan, Chaplino)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Iglulik
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Chukchi
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Polar Inuit
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Central Yupik
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Labrador Inuit (Koksoagmiut)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Tlingit
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Caribou
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
West Greenland