μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

World-fire. A conflagration destroys the earth. Sometimes (as with the flood legends) the tradition is somewhat local and does not refer to an actual destruction of the whole earth; sometimes the fire marks the end of the world.

Mythological motifs. · World calamities and renewals. · World-fire. · view the constellation · filed as A1030

Attested across traditions
Filed across the traditions
  • Greek Grote I 94
  • Lithuanian Balys Tautosakos Darbai VI 133f.
  • Jewish Neuman
  • Babylonian Meissner Babylonien und Assyrien II 118
  • Siberian Holmberg Siberian 368ff.
  • Hindu Keith 105
  • India Thompson-Balys
  • Chinese Eberhard FFC CXX 84. – Maori: Dixon 47 n. 33
  • N. Am. Indian *Thompson Tales 287 n. 57d.
  • general *Olrik Ragnarök 483 s. v. "Weltbrand", *Danske Studier (1913) 204ff.
  • general *Eisler Weltenmantel und Himmelszelt 452. – Icel.: MacCulloch Eddic 336ff., Boberg
  • general S. Am. Indian (Yuracare, W. Brazil): Alexander Lat. Am. 313, (Araucanian): ibid. 330, (Chaco, Tupinamba, Apapocuva-Guarani, Tembé, Shipaya, Carajá, Mura, Cashinawa, Witoto, Arawak, Yuracare): Métraux MAFLS XL 36 (Mataco): ibid. 35, (Toba): ibid. 33, (Tucuna): Nimuendajú BBAE CXLIII (3) 724, (Bacairi): Lévi-Strauss ibid. (3) 347.
Within the index
5 finer motifs beneath it
Causes of world-fire Quenching the world-fire Earth recreated after world-fire Men hide from world-fire and renew race. (Cf. A1006.1., A1045.) World-fire – miscellaneous
Travels with (Thompson’s cf.)
Flood puts out world-fire. (Cf. A1030.)
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Hierarchy of worlds. A series of worlds, one above the other World-tree. Tree extending from lowest to highest world. (Cf. A878.) World-columns. Four (two, etc.) columns or supports sustain the earth Atlas. A man supports the earth on his shoulders Deluge. Inundation of whole world or section Flood from fluids of the body Flood from belly. It flows from pierced belly of monster Creation of man Confusion of tongues. Originally all men speak same language. Because of a sin they come to speak different languages Origin of death Distribution of tribes Birds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)

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