μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Origin of death.

Mythological motifs. · Creation and ordering of human life. · Ordering of human life. · Beginnings of trouble for man. · view the constellation · filed as A1335

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“Then he went out and along the course that the racers were to go over, and hid himself, leaving his head just sticking out of a hole. By this time all the racers had started, and among them Coyote’s son. He was Coyote’s only child, and was very quick. He soon began to outstrip all the runners, and was in the lead. As he passed the spot where Rattlesnake had hidden himself, however, Rattlesnake raised oe en and bit the boy in the ankle.”

— Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 8 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 24references

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.

  • Irish mythCross
  • JewishNeuman
  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • ChineseGraham
  • SiberianHolmberg Siberian 377
  • JapaneseAnesaki 224, 233
  • BurmeseScott IndoChinese 264. – Africa (Angola): Wagener Afrikanische Parallelen 9ff., Chatelain 249, (Bushman): Bleek and Lloyd 60, (Congo): Weeks 217 No. 12, (Ekoi): Talbot 177, (Liberian): Bundy JAFL XXXII 407f., (Fang): Trilles 131. – Philippine (Tinguian): Cole 178
  • MaoriDixon 54
  • Australianibid. 285
  • Melanesianibid. 117f. *n. 53
  • Indonesianibid. 170 (Borneo), 174, *182
  • HawaiiBeckwith Myth 43
  • SinkyoneKroeber JAFL XXXII 346
  • TahltanTeit *JAFL XXXII 206f.
  • Calif. IndianGayton and Newman 64
  • Eskimo (Kodiak)Golder JAFL XX 486, (Cape York): Rasmussen III 48, (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 173
  • S. Am. Indian (Chiriguano)Métraux RMLP XXXIII 171, (Cubeo): Goldman BBAE CXLIII (3) 798, (Yuracare): Métraux ibid. (3) 503, (Warrau): Kirchoff ibid. (3) 880.
  • general S. S. Cohon The Origin of Death (Journal of Jewish Lore and Philosophy [1919])
  • general Micronesian: ibid. 252f.
  • general Raratonga: ibid. 158
  • general Banks Is.: ibid. 61. – N. Am. Indian: R. Dangel Mythen vom Ursprung dies Todes bei den Indianern Nordamerikas (Mitt. der Anthrop. Gesellschaft in Wien LVIII [1928] 341–374)
  • general *Krappe Nieuw Theologisch Tijdschrift (1928) 242ff.
  • general *Thompson Tales 284 n. 51
  • general Chitimacha: Swanton JAFL XXX 476
Within the index

Filed under Beginnings of trouble for man.

15 finer motifs beneath it
Origin of death from falsified messageOrigin 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
Filed beside it
Paradise lost. Original happy state forfeited because of one sinConfusion of tongues. Originally all men speak same language. Because of a sin they come to speak different languagesOrigin of murderOrigin of diseaseOrigin of physical defects. Wicked people entering heaven on rope fall to earth and are injured. St. Peter misunderstands what God says and lets them fallOrigin of blindnessOrigin of war among menOrigin of quarrellingOrigin of lyingOrigin of tears and sighsOrigin of hungerMan to earn bread by sweat of his brow. (Cf. A1331.1.)Mankind's escape from trouble
Travels with
First woman in Ireland to die of grief for the death of her husband. (Cf. A1335, A1611.5.4.1.)
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Hierarchy of worlds. A series of worlds, one above the otherWorld-tree. Tree extending from lowest to highest world. (Cf. A878.)World-columns. Four (two, etc.) columns or supports sustain the earthAtlas. A man supports the earth on his shouldersDeluge. Inundation of whole world or sectionFlood from fluids of the bodyFlood from belly. It flows from pierced belly of monsterWorld-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 worldCreation of manConfusion of tongues. Originally all men speak same language. Because of a sin they come to speak different languagesDistribution of tribesBirds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)
Carried in tale types

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