Birds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)

Motif

Birds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)

Mythological motifs. · Animal characteristics. · Various causes of animal characteristics. · Animal characteristics: change in ancient animal. · view the constellation · filed as A2211.7

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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

North American IndigenousTales of the North American Indians, Tale 8 receipt
North American IndigenousTales of the North American Indians, Tale 9 receipt

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.

N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 287 n. 57a.

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 so Shrew blows nose into snout. Sent after fire, he finds but a little which he tries to revive by hard blowing Spider carries large stone on head and drops it: hence spiders under stones. (Cf. A2433.5.3.)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 pepper Buffalo helps tiger quench fire: white mark left on buffalo's neck where tiger held on while being ducked in water Stag defeated by snail vomits his gall-bladder Rat defecates on octopus's head: origin of tubercles on head Goddess scatters pubic hairs on fish: why he has so many bones

Travels with

Markings on birds. (Cf. A2211.7.)

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 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 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

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