Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

B40B. The horse changes with the Cow .22.23.27.28.

The horse changes with the Cow, gives off horns and/or gets teeth.

Vietnamese, Burmese, Thais, Sinhalese, Bondo, Hungarians, Ukrainians (Westerners), Poles (Krakow).

Burma - Indochina. Vietnam: Landes 1886, No. 81 [=Coyaud 2011, 3:39; =Krappe 1930:62; the buffalo had two rows of teeth and the horse had no teeth at all; the horse asked to lend her the upper row of teeth to go to holiday; promised to return it if the buffalo overtook it; he could not overtake it]: 202-203; (cf. Nikulin 1990 [a man lured a tiger into a cage, set it on fire; the buffalo laughed when he saw the tiger rushing around; the tiger escaped, its skin remained striped; the buffalo fell in fear, hit a stone with its jaw, knocked himself out front teeth]: 123-125; Burmese [Buffalo had two rows of teeth, the Ox had only the lower row; Buffalo gave the Ox's upper teeth during the meal; one day he did not return them, but went to look at the performance that the Horse was giving; it had only lower teeth; the Ox laughed, showing two rows of teeth; the horse asked to borrow her upper teeth to make the audience laugh better; ran away; since then laughs, Ye-go-go; Buffalo repeats "these are mine", Ox says "it's true" (onomatopoeia in Burmese)]: Aung 1957:48-50; Thais [there is a story about why buffalo and cow don't have upper teeth and boa constrictor has no poison]: Plenge 1976:113.

South Asia. Sinhalese [The Horse had horns but had no teeth in its upper jaw, and Ox had teeth above and below but had no horns; they were jealous of each other and changed]: Dähnhardt 1910:125; bondo [horse and buffalo were friends; when they went to graze, they left their organs {which ones?} in one heap; once they quarreled over them; the horse knocked out part of what the buffalo had, took the rest; the buffalo had to take the horse's organs; he trampled his broken piece into the ground, a banana grew; a buffalo a banana always butts, remembering what happened]: Elwin 1954, No. 25:351

The Balkans. Hungarians [God gave the horse horns but did not give teeth; a hornless cow has two rows of teeth; she asked to be given horse horns to protect her; God and the horse agreed, the cow received horns in exchange gave the horse's (upper) teeth; the horse grinds its teeth and the cow shakes its horns]: Dähnhardt 1910:125 (=Krappe 1930:62).

Central Europe. Ukrainians (Western) [The cow had teeth but no horns; the horse had horns because it was a trait's creation, but it had no teeth; the Horse and the Cow changed]: Belova 2004a, No. 375:176; (cf. Petnikov 1956 [the bull and the horse decided to race; the bull fell into a ditch, thought that the ground had fallen under it; since then, bulls only run if they were beaten with brushwood]: 69); Poles (Krakowskie Voivodeship) [when the horse asked the cow to exchange its teeth for horns, she gave him teeth from one jaw; therefore, the cow has no teeth in its upper jaw]: Belova 2004a, No. 375:176.