World-tree. Tree extending from lowest to highest world. (Cf. A878.)

Motif

World-tree. Tree extending from lowest to highest world. (Cf. A878.)

Mythological motifs. · Cosmogony and cosmology. · The universe. · Nature of the universe. · The universe as a whole. · view the constellation · filed as A652

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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 — 6references

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.

NorseMacCulloch Eddic 331ff., De la Saussaye 346ff.
BabylonianSpence 138
N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 286 n. 56a.
general **Holmberg Baum des Lebens. – Irish myth: Cross
general Hagen MPh I (1903–4) 57
general **Olrik Danske Studier, 1917, 49ff.

Within the index

Filed under The universe as a whole.

4 finer motifs beneath it

Tree to heaven Tree hanging from sky. A tree hangs upside down in the sky. By its branches men pass back and forth to the upper world Tree in upper world Sky as overshadowing tree. Shadowing the earth

Filed beside it

Hierarchy of worlds. A series of worlds, one above the other Earth under umbrella Primary elements of universe. (Earth, air, fire, water, etc.)World as egg. The two halves are heaven and earth River connecting earth and upper and lower worlds Size and distances of the universe The universe as a whole – miscellaneous

Travels with

Earth-tree. Tree of life or fate

Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes

Hierarchy of worlds. A series of worlds, one above the other 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 Birds cling to sky in flood: cause of tail colors. (Cf. A2412.2.)

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