The Mythology and Folklore Database
M197C - Remedy against fleas, ATU 1862A.
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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
A man sells sand, dust, etc. as a remedy against fleas, mice, etc. He explains that you need to catch a flea and pour sand into its eyes. The buyer replies that you can crush a caught flea. The seller: that's even easier.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
| Motif | Similarity | Motif Summary |
|---|---|---|
| L81C | 99.54% | The legless man lives together with the blind and armless man (or with one of the two). By working together, they are healed. |
| I132A | 99.52% | A girl sits on a swing and it lifts her up to the sky. |
| K116 | 99.40% | To choose an assistant, a young man asks the candidates to perform simple tasks (eat bread, set off on a journey). The behaviour of the chosen candidate shows that he will take care of the hero, while the behaviour of the others shows that they will only think of themselves. |
| B33E | 99.37% | The last cold month regrets that it did not come earlier or that it is too short. In that case, it would have frozen everyone. |
| F70E2 | 99.37% | The father sends his daughters or sons on a difficult task one by one. At the very beginning of the journey, their courage is put to the test. Only the youngest son or daughter passes the test. Usually, the father stands in their way, taking the form of an enemy or a predator, but only the youngest son or daughter bravely enters the fight. |
| K85C | 99.15% | A three-legged horse is strong and fast, but its four-legged brother is faster. |
| M39A2B | 99.15% | After buying salt or sugar, a fool pours them into a pond to salt or sweeten the water. |
| M114H | 99.15% | An authoritative character orders a house to be built in the air. A man finds a clever way out of the situation. |
| C31 | 99.11% | The hedgehog is wiser or more cunning than all the gods and animals; it possesses knowledge that is vital for human existence. |
| I87AA | 98.83% | Describes a giant bull (rarely: horse): head in one field, body in another; a bathhouse on its tail, a lake on its back; people standing at its head and tail have to walk a long way to meet each other; etc. Usually the bull is killed and eaten (by people in Baltic-Finnish traditions and in Olonets antiquity; by birds in most southern traditions). |
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Map of Motif Dispersal
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This motif has been recorded in 16 traditions: Lithuanians, Latvians, Finns, Danes, Danish, Uzbek, Tajik, Persians, Abaza (Abazins), Cherkassians, Adyghe, Kabardin, Karachays, Balkar, Ingush, Dargin (Dargwa), incl. Müregin, Khürkilin, Kubachi, Kazakh, Turkmen, Bashkirs, Chechens