μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Origin of tortoise's shell. (Cf. A2215.3, A2231.1.4, A2213.3, A2211.10.)

Mythological motifs. · Animal characteristics. · Causes of animal characteristics: body. · Origin of animal characteristics: body covering. · view the constellation · filed as A2312.1

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In our texts — keyword-matched, unreviewed
Scholars’ trail — 3references

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.

  • JapaneseIkeda
  • general Dh III 9. – India: Thompson-Balys
  • general Yoruba: Ellis 273 No. 6.
Within the index

Filed under Origin of animal shell.

1 finer motif beneath it
Origin of cracks in tortoise's shell
Filed beside it
Origin of snail's shellOrigin of dents in crab's shell
Travels with
Tortoise left out in rain: hard shell develops. (Cf. A2312.1.)Animals' size increased by stretching. (Cf. A2312.1, A2301.)Bowl placed on turtle's back: hence his shell. (Cf. A2312.1.)Discourteous answer: tortoise's shell. Zeus celebrates a wedding and invites the animals. Tortoise is late. Why? "I like my house." "May you bear your house always." (Cf. A2312.1.)

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