The Mythology and Folklore Database
I22A - The sky beats against the earth, F791.
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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
The sky constantly beats against the earth like the lid of a boiling cauldron.Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures
This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 3, Cosmogony, the earth and the sky, etiology of the elements, natural and biological phenomena (fire, water, soil, thunderstorms, dream, etc.), cataclysms and cosmic threats, spirits of nature
I22 has 10 other sub-motifsI22. There are objects that, while remaining in place, move constantly or periodically (collide and diverge, fall and rise, open and close, rotate). I22a. The sky constantly beats against the earth like the lid of a boiling cauldron. I22b. Migratory birds (or shamans in the form of birds) fly from our world to another; the path lies through a narrow opening between jutting rocks, or the sky strikes the earth, crushing those who fly through; and/or at the passage to the other world there is a character who feeds on birds; and/or in the world on the other side of the pulsating barrier there is the mistress of the birds. I22b1. Some migratory birds (shamans in the form of birds) die on the border of our world. I22c. The character safely slips, sails or flies through the opening, which then slams shut, but the edge of the stern of the boat, the tail of an animal or bird, the body of a riding animal, the hero's companion or his own heel is crushed, torn off, etc. I22d. To obtain a miraculous life-giving (healing) remedy, one must penetrate the space behind the shifting rocks. I22e. The deceased, travelling to the afterlife, must pass by colliding rocks or other moving obstacles. I22f. The character must pass small objects (trees, logs, blades) that constantly collide and diverge, fall and rise. I22g. Mountains (rocks) are mentioned that constantly collide and diverge, or a crevice or gap in a vertical rock that opens and closes. Cf. motif I22g1, Colliding rocks. I22g1. In another world, the hero sees many strange things, including colliding stones (but they do not block his path). I22h. The character must jump over a gap (abyss) beneath his feet, which alternately widens and narrows, or a river whose banks converge and diverge. Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of I22's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| B52A | 94.29% | Flying over the world, a bird (usually a vulture) dries the earth after a flood with its wings or otherwise gives it its present appearance. |
| L65D | 94.07% | When the older sister becomes a cannibal, the younger sister (temporarily) escapes. Cf. motifs L1B, L65C. |
| B84 | 93.56% | After a demonic character (usually a woman who pursues the hero) dies, her flesh turns into objects found on trees - mushrooms, resin, fruits, cones. |
| J18 | 93.47% | A pregnant woman or a woman with a child falls from the sky. She or her newborn daughter dies or undergoes a metamorphosis. Her son or her daughter's son survives and grows up. Cf. motif K9. |
| J19 | 89.57% | While her husband or brother is hunting, an evil spirit comes to his wife or sister; he kills her or takes her away. Her sons, who were torn from her womb or born at that time, are saved. |
| F59 | 89.38% | Pretending to be a woman, the trickster transforms part of his body, another character, or some object into a swaddled baby, female genitalia, or a female household item, or disguises an animal or object as a baby born to a new husband. |
| K27M | 89.27% | Task: to kill and bring an animal of a certain (often unusual) colour or shape. See motif K27. |
| I2 | 89.03% | Lightning bolts fly from the eyes or mouth {specified} of a creature embodying a thunderstorm. See motif I1. |
| J12J | 88.89% | A girl or sisters end up with a false groom who plays the role of a jester in the chief's house. See motif J12. |
| M29Q | 88.53% | See the motives in square brackets. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 35 traditions: Mindanao and Sulu: Blaan (Bilaan), Bagobo, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Hiligáynon, Binukid, Magindaan (=Magindanao: main Muslim population), Mandaya, Mansaka, Manobo (Agusan, Ata, Dibabawon, Sarangani, Ilianen), Maranao, Samal, Subanon (=Subanun), Subanen, Tboli, Anatolia Turks, Buryats: Western (cis Baikal), Mongols (Khalkha), Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans, Khakas, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Udeghe, Nivkh, Chukchi, Tagish, Tahltan, Lenape (Delaware), Micmac, Ottawa, Sauk (Sak, Mesquakie), Fox, Kickapoo, Five Nations Iroquois (Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga), Winnebago, Shawnee, Yuchi, Mandan, Omaha, Ponca, Iowa, Lushootseed (Puget Sound: Puyallup, Nisqualmi, Snuqualmi, Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Snohomish, Skagit), Yurok, Chitimacha, Alabama, Koasati, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Cherokee, Northern Foothills Yokuts (Chukchansi, Dumna, Kechayi), Hopi, Moseten, Chimane, Paresi, Upper Chinook: Wasco, Wishram, Clackamas, Kathlamet