The Mythology and Folklore Database
M69 - The head gets stuck in the skull




25 Myths, Legends and Folktales
24 Unique Narratives for Motif M69
14 Cultures & Traditions where M69 is told
44 Mythemes Indexed
0 Sub-Motifs of Motif M69


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 Motif Summary  -   Motifs with Simlar Dispersals  -    Map of Myth Distribution   -   List of Traditions  -   Myths



Source Data from Berezkin's Analytics Catalogue, if using this data please acknowledge and link to it here:
Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.



Summary of Motif

character is attracted by the inside of a large animal's skull (small animals or insects are dancing or feasting inside, or eating some meat); he sticks his head inside , it gets stuck.

Berezkin category: Adventures: Tricks and episodes

This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 11, Tricks and competitions won thanks to deception, absurd and obscene behavior



Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
J19B99.66%An evil spirit kills a woman by burning through her body.
C6B99.33%The desired object is brought up from the bottom by a muskrat (rarely a beaver or otter).
M5399.26%The character invites others to gather around him, focusing on an activity (usually dancing with their eyes closed or lowered), and then kills the crowd (usually one at a time).
M6698.54%After eating certain foods frivolously or rubbing his body with his spine, the character suffers from itching, diarrhea, or an irrepressible eruption of intestinal gases.
D4C97.99%Characters obtain the warm season from its original owners.
L5E197.83%A woman who has become a monster pursues her own children.
A38C97.64%The Sun exchanges a cape made of animal or bird skins with a boy or girl, or spoils it. As a result, the boy or girl raises their status or takes revenge on the Sun.
L9B97.58%The sharp elbows or (rarely) knees of the character resemble knives or awls.
A38D97.51%Because the Sun has harmed the character (ruined or burned his cloak, the fur on his skin, etc.), he catches it in a trap or kills it.
L8697.05%Having turned into a demon, a woman pursues her children. Cf. motif K102a2: A mother seeks to destroy her son (children) because he interferes with her love affair and/or sides with his father in a conflict between his parents.

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Map of Motif Dispersal

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This motif has been recorded in 14 traditions: Chipewyan, Attikamek, Naskapi, Winnebago, Blackfoot, Arapaho, Arikara, Kiowa, Gros Ventre, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Assiniboine, Crow, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux)


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