The Mythology and Folklore Database
K35C2 - The hero in the underwater kingdom, (ATU 677).
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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
When the ship unexpectedly stops, the hero descends to the bottom of the sea, behaves correctly with the local inhabitants, and returns to the ship.Berezkin category: Adventures: Acts of heroes
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part group 10, Adventures
K35 has 13 other sub-motifsK35. The deceiver pretends to be a hero in order to take his place (to possess his woman). (This motif includes all texts with motif K35a3). K35a. In exchange for improving his current situation, the character agrees to have his body injured or branded. K35a1. Setting off on a journey, a person (often against the advice of their horse) picks up a precious feather. Upon learning of this, an authoritative character gives them difficult tasks. K35a2. A man kills an animal with glowing fur. Upon learning of this, an authoritative figure gives him difficult tasks. K35a3. In order to obtain the privileges enjoyed by the hero, the deceiver manages to swap status with him. K35a4. In order to get rid of the hero and take his place, the deceiver pushes him into the sea or leaves him on a distant island. The hero survives and returns. K35a5. An authoritative character leaves an object (a letter) for a little boy, by which he will be able to recognise him when he grows up and comes to him. K35a6. The character illuminates the room with a light-emitting object (usually a feather) that he has found. K35a7. A character finds a feather, the touch of which brings health and beauty. K35b. The hero gives his rivals the food that the king sent them all to get, but what the rivals got turns out to be poisonous, useless, or tasteless, while what the hero brought, regardless of how it looks, gets praised. K35c. The dev (ajdaha, sea king) did not kill the man who descended to him, as people assumed, but rewarded him because he greeted him and/or answered his question correctly. K35c1. The young man is not killed, but rewarded, because he answered correctly (evasively) the question of a powerful character – which of the two women he should marry, which is more beautiful, which object or material is more valuable, etc. K35c2. When the ship unexpectedly stops, the hero descends to the bottom of the sea, behaves correctly with the local inhabitants, and returns to the ship. K35c3. For reasons that are not immediately clear, the ship stops in the middle of the sea (rarely: a horse stops in the middle of the road). Click here if would you like to see a distrbution map combining all of K35's motifs? |
Top 10 Motifs with similar dispersal patterns
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| K93B4 | 100.00% | When a woman gives birth to a son, at the same time a mare (dog, and/or other domestic animals) give birth to a boy. These boys grow up together and then set off on a journey. |
| K171 | 99.89% | The heroes fight, but the number of enemies does not decrease, because someone is constantly weaving (forging) new warriors. |
| L90A | 99.85% | Describes a house that stands on the legs or a single leg of a bird or small animal and/or rotates (is capable of turning). |
| K93B1 | 99.80% | After eating fish, a childless woman gives birth to a boy or twins. |
| M109A1 | 99.80% | A zoomorphic character smears his head with dough (sour milk, butter, etc.) to make it look as if his brains are spilling out from the beatings. |
| K117D | 99.79% | The princess, lying between two suitors, must choose blindly the one she likes best. The suitor of low birth arranges things so that his noble rival emits a foul odour (while he himself emits a pleasant fragrance). The princess turns to him. |
| M101B | 99.79% | A large predator wants to see a human being. First, it meets a child and learns that this is a future human being, then an old man – a former human being. The encounter with a present human being (a hunter, a soldier) ends badly for the beast. |
| M74D | 99.79% | God (the saint) travels with his companion. When he leaves, he eats the kidneys (heart, etc.) and says that the animal did not have kidneys. He continues to persist (even in the face of death), but confesses when he is promised wealth. |
| K33A4 | 99.79% | A woman, transformed into a medium-sized forest animal (lynx, wolf, vixen) by the machinations of a rival, tries to establish contact with her children or husband. |
| M136A | 99.73% | People try to bring light, darkness, smoke, etc. into or out of a room. |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 12 traditions: Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Setu, Finns, Karelians, Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Bashkirs, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Russian Federation