μῦθοι Mythoi
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.

  • American IndianKroeber JAFL XXI 224, (California): Gayton and Newman 56.
Within the index

Filed under Series of creations. The present universe is the last of a succession of creations.

Filed beside it
Pre-existing world of gods above. Such a world is assumed before the real creation of the universe. Though this belief is not explicitly set forth in many mythologies, it seems to be implied in most of the North American Indian systems. See, for example, motif A31, Creator's grandmotherSuccession of creations and cataclysms. From the ruins of each earlier creation a new one is raisedEarlier universe opposite of present. Everything in the earlier world was the reverse of the present world. Cf. A855

wander