Berezkin Analytical Catalogue · Motif
N32 — Sitting on three oaks
Source data for narratives and traditions is drawn from Berezkin’s Analytical Catalogue. If you use this data, please acknowledge and link to it: Ю.Е. Березкин, Е.Н. Дувакин. Тематическая классификация и распределение фольклорно-мифологических мотивов по ареалам. Аналитический каталог.
Summary of motif
OverviewThe ornithomorphic character is said to be sitting on several trees.
Berezkin category: Fabulous and epic formulas
This is of motif type Adventures and tricks and is part of group 13, Formulae.
Top 10 motifs with similar dispersal patterns
Phylogeny| Motif | Similarity | Motif summary |
|---|---|---|
| B32A | 100.00% | The enemies of a hero sailing the sea turn into seals or dolphins. |
| I137 | 100.00% | One of the constellations is associated with footwear, usually with (worn-out) bast shoes. |
| I95B | 100.00% | Orion is a yoke. |
| K35A7 | 100.00% | A character finds a feather, the touch of which brings health and beauty. |
| K38F3 | 100.00% | To kill the dragon, the hero digs a pit and hides in it. When the dragon crawls nearby or over the pit, the hero strikes it with a fatal blow of his sword. |
| M39A2A | 100.00% | fool buys spoons and/or a table, tells the table to go on its own feet, throws away spoons because they rattle. The two episodes are usually combined. |
| M39A3B | 100.00% | fool decides that stumps need hats, puts pots on the stumps. |
| N28F | 100.00% | It is said that water has no boughs or twigs |
| N31 | 100.00% | Late autumn and then winter sets in line with the departure of two or three species of birds flying in a wedge (Zugvogel). |
| I95 | 99.76% | The Pleiades are a sieve or riddle for sifting agricultural products. See motif I95. |
See the 100 most similar distributions →
Map of motif dispersal
DistributionDrag the map to pan, use the scroll wheel to zoom — choose a texture or projection below
Cite this map
Distribution of the traditions attesting motif N32, ‘Sitting on three oaks’, as recorded in the Berezkin–Duvakin Analytical Catalogue of Folklore Motifs (10 traditions mapped). Geolocation and cartography by Jonathan Fielder-White, Folklore Database, release 1.26206.1 (25 July 2026), https://www.folkloredatabase.com/motif/N32 (accessed 8 August 2026). Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Traditions
10 recordedThis motif has been recorded in 10 traditions: Western Ukrainians, Byelarusians, Belarusians, Georgians, Chuvash, Arabs (literary tradition; incl. One Thousand and One Nights), Southern Altai: Teleut, Eastern Ukrainians, Northern Ukrainians, Early Russian written sources, Russian Federation
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. https://folkloredatabase.com
0009-0006-1672-4451
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