μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Spider carries large stone on head and drops it: hence spiders under stones. (Cf. A2433.5.3.)

Mythological motifs. · Animal characteristics. · Various causes of animal characteristics. · Animal characteristics: change in ancient animal. · view the constellation · filed as A2211.6

ask the rhapsode about this motif →

Scholars’ trail — 1reference

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.

  • general Gold coast: Barker and Sinclair 84 No. 13.
Within the index

Filed under Animal characteristics: accidental action of ancient animal.

Filed beside it
Lynx views country from mountainside: cause of his squint. (Cf. A2330.2.)Rabbit laughs: cause of hare-lip. (Cf. A2216.3, A2234.4, A2342.1.)Wolf falls out of nest: cause of straight back. (Cf. A2356.2.2.)Why some whales die on land: first whale did soShrew blows nose into snout. Sent after fire, he finds but a little which he tries to revive by hard blowingBirds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)Lizard dips head in palm-oil: cause of red head. (Cf. 2320.3.)Lizard swallows fish bone: hence head bobs up and down. (Cf. A2474.1.)Tortoise left out in rain: hard shell develops. (Cf. A2312.1.)How rattlesnake became harmful: earthworm feeds him chili pepperBuffalo helps tiger quench fire: white mark left on buffalo's neck where tiger held on while being ducked in waterStag defeated by snail vomits his gall-bladderRat defecates on octopus's head: origin of tubercles on headGoddess scatters pubic hairs on fish: why he has so many bones
Travels with
Haunts of spider. (Cf. A2211.6, large stones, A2261.2, dusty corners.)

wander