μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif
In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
Scholars’ trail — 4references

The index’s own references — the collections where scholars sighted this story-shape, tradition by tradition. Titles on our shelf are live links; the rest is the frontier, not yet shelved.

  • S. Am. Indian (Cashinawa)Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 684, (Tropical Forests): Lowie ibid. (3) 55.
  • general *Dh III 22
  • general *Wesselski Theorie 43
  • general Gaster Oldest Stories 91. African: Werner African 160ff., 167, (Hottentot): Bleek 69 No. 31, 71 No. 32, 72 No. 33, 74 No. 35, (Basuto): Jacottet 46 No. 6, (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 129 No. 23, (Togo): Einstein 5, (Sandeh): Casati I 222
Within the index

Filed under Origin of death.

1 finer motif beneath it
Origin of death: wrong messenger goes to God
Filed beside it
Origin of death from bad creator's unsuccessful imitation. The bad creator attempts in vain to endow his creations with life like the good creator. Fails and thus introduces deathOrigin of death from unwise choice. Choice between two bundles, one containing tempting articles, the other everlasting life. People choose the large bundle and lose everlasting lifeOrigin of death when early people put on new skins. Child fails to recognize mother, who puts old skin back onOrigin of death: serpent given immortality instead of man. Renews his skinOrigin of death: punishment for scorning deityFirst son who died before his father after the FloodOrigin of death because world is overpopulatedOrigin of death because people weary of livingMen die because a snake comes to prey on mankind while creator restsGod of world of the dead demands that men die so he will have subjects. (Cf. A487)Death origin: God sends a woman to sell poisoned curds to manGod sends centipede down to introduce death into the world through its poisoned stingDeath comes into the world by treachery of the gods: stick used by man for scratching his back is changed into cobraGod punishes man by killing his child: origin of death
Carried in tale types

wander