μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Moon splits hare's lip with hatchet: hence hare-lip. (Cf. A2211.2, A751.5.1, A2342.1.)

Mythological motifs. · Animal characteristics. · Various causes of animal characteristics. · Animal characteristics: change in ancient animal. · view the constellation · filed as A2216.3

Filed across the traditions
  • Hottentot Bleek 72 No. 33.
Within the index

Filed under Animal characteristics: members bitten or cut off.

Filed beside it
Bear fishes through ice with tail: hence lacks tail. (Cf. A2378.2.4.) Devil pulls off goats' tails: hence lack tails. (Cf. A2378.2.2.) Bush-rat bites off tortoise's tail: hence tortoise's short tail. (Cf. A2378.4.4.) Hawk's tail cut in two by sword as he is being transformed. Cause of his forked tail. (Cf. A2378.5.2.) God as falcon has tail cut off: hence falcon's short tail Formerly animals have ears like elephant's: hare bites them off
Travels with (Thompson’s cf.)
Rabbit laughs: cause of hare-lip. (Cf. A2216.3, A2234.4, A2342.1.) Why hare's lip is split. (Cf. A2234.4, A2216.3, A2211.2.) Man in the moon: moon's face scratched by hare in retaliation for injury to hare. (Cf. A2216.3.)

ask the rhapsode about this motif · search the shelf for “hare-lip” · wander