Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

N28E. The bridge across the sea. 29.32.33.

Among the things that don't exist in the world is a bridge across a lake, sea or ocean.

Kumyks, Turks, Maris, Kyrgyz.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Kumyks ["What four things are missing in the world?" (stairs to the sky, keys to the earth, a bridge across the ocean, sleeves at the burka)]: Gamzatov, Dalgat 1991:448; Turks ["What is that over which you don't build a bridge? What is that for which you don't find a cure? - Open sea, death"]: Taylor 1954:407 (cf. ["Incapable of begitting offspring, -, unbridgeable, unacceptable. - Mule, heaven, sea, death"]: Taylor 1954:408)

Volga - Perm. Marie: Kitikov 2004, No. 394 (meadow; ~Kitikov 2006:29) ["There are no stairs to go to heaven, there is no bridge across the sea, the white hawk has no milk"; shopshar is a kind of staircase made of solid wood with short cut branches]; No. 2564 (hervel) ["God's supports - three supports: there are no stairs to climb into the sky, there are no stairs, there is no bridge to cross the sea, no white hawk has no milk"]: 40, 163; Kitikov 2006, No. 395 (Novotoryalsky District) ["There are no three things in the world" (a bridge across the sea, a staircase to heaven, bird's milk)]; â„– 396 (Soviet District) ["There are no three things in God's world ( bridge across the sea, stairs to heaven, bird milk)]: 69; Taylor 1954 ["Three sorts of things are not in the world: for climbing to heaven there is no ladder; for going over the sea there is no beam; a white hawk has no milk"]: 408.

Turkestan. Kyrgyz ["What doesn't have cream? /- Clean water doesn't have cream./ What doesn't have roots? /- A stone has no roots./What doesn't have a bridge? /- The lake doesn't have a bridge. /What doesn't have a support? /- The sky has no support./What doesn't have a soul? /- A log has no soul./ What doesn't have a language? /- Fish don't have a tongue./ What doesn't blood? /- The herb has no blood./ What doesn't have bile? /- A horse doesn't have bile./Why doesn't milk? /- Birds don't have milk./What don't they have hair? /- The snake has no hair"]: Orozova 1998:114.