The Mythology and Folklore Database
I55 - Stars – holes.




75 Myths, Legends and Folktales
74 Unique Narratives for Motif I55
44 Cultures & Traditions where I55 is told
74 Mythemes Indexed
2 Sub-Motifs of Motif I55


Please log on to view the narratives.




 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

Stars – holes in the sky; or holes in the canopy, in the roof of a dwelling, appear to be stars.

Berezkin category: Supernatural objects, objects and creatures

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part group 2, Moon spots, stars, constellations


I55 has 2 other sub-motifs


I55.  Stars – holes in the sky; or holes in the canopy, in the roof of a dwelling, appear to be stars.
I55a.  Stars – lakes on one of the heavenly tiers.
I55b.  The hero chases a deer or elk carrying the sun.

 Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of I55's motifs?



Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns

MotifSimilarityMotif Summary
B42F91.63%The Big Dipper (as a whole or only the dipper) is identified with a large hoofed animal (elk, deer, mountain sheep). Unless otherwise specified, see motif B42 in the description of cosmic hunting.
L1789.92%Mouth and eyes of an anthropomorphic creature on the chest, no head.
B48A89.57%The bodies of animals, birds or fish contain internal organs or muscles that were originally parts of the bodies of other animals, birds, fish or monsters. Cf. motif B36C.
I22B189.48%Some migratory birds (shamans in the form of birds) die on the border of our world.
K32A86.42%A man is carrying his wife or daughter. Another woman or demonic character replaces her when the man leaves on a journey (rarely: falls asleep).
L72H86.41%Fleeing for his life, the character throws behind him a tool for kindling fire (flint, tinder, match, kindling), which becomes an obstacle in the path of his pursuer. (A discarded flint is counted if it serves to strike fire, and is not counted if it is simply a hard stone that turns into a mountain).
B64D86.29%Certain bones in the bodies of living creatures (usually birds and fish) are arrows shot into them.
K6385.75%A man comes to people who hunt humans or catch fish-people. For them, these are wild animals or fish.
L17A285.65%Instead of a beautiful woman, a man takes a devil with an odd number of eyes.
B64B85.57%Two types of fish shoot arrows at each other. Since then, the fish have had many small bones in their bodies, or some of their bones have split in two.

 See more...

Please log on to view the narratives.



Map of Motif Dispersal

Click here for a clustered map

Drag the map around by clicking and using the mouse, use the wheel to zoom



This motif has been recorded in 44 traditions: Somali, Shone (Shona, =Mashona, =Karanga), Makoni (Shoni dialect), Remba (=Hungwe, Wahungwe); Zezuru, Rozwi, Ndau (Vandau), Congo (Koongo, Bacongo; incl Vili, Fioti, (Ma)Yombe, MuKunyi), Ndombo, Luango (Loango), Zombo (Sambo), Laadi (Laari), (Ba)Fioti, Woyo (Kiwoyo), Ronga, Tswana (Chwana), Suto (Soto; incl Pedi, Mbire), Timor: Amarasi, Tetum, Meto, Atoni (incl Mollo), Kedang (Lomblen island), Leti Islands (Leti, Moa, Lakor), Lampung (Lampong); South Sumatra Malays (incl. Bengkulu), Mentawai, Kayan, Bahau, Kenja, Aoheng, Punan (Bukat, Basap, Oloh Ot, etc); "Klemantan", Andamanese, Miao (Hmong) and Yao of Southern China, Early Chinese written sources, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Balkarians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Swedes, Western Ukrainians, Russians: Central part of ethnic territory as in A.D. 1500 (Tver, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Kostroma, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk provinces; in case of absence in other areas also Russians in Vyatka, Perm, Kazan provinces), Armenians, Mari (Cheremis), Komi (Zyrians and Permyaks), Mansi, Eastern Khanty (Ostyaks), Forest Nenets, Nganasans, Central Yakuts (Sakha), Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Evens (Lamuts), Negidal, Nivkh, Manchu, Forest (Upper Kolyma) Yukaghir, Chukchi, Central Yupik, Nunivak Island, Tutchone, Bering Strait Inupiat (incl. King Island), Mackenzie Delta, Netsilik, Caribou, Iglulik, Thompson (Nlaka'pamux), Seri, Kodiak


Please log on to view the narratives.