μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Devil as Earth Diver. Satan dives for earth at instance of God. Succeeds only third time (by use of right formula). He hides the earth under his tongue. It swells, and he must be rescued by God.

Mythological motifs. · Cosmogony and cosmology. · –A899. The earth. · –A839. Creation of the earth. · Primeval water. · view the constellation · filed as A812.1

Filed across the traditions
  • Estonian Loorits Grundzüge I 455f., Aarne FFC XXV 139 No. 1
  • Livonian Loorits FFC LXVI 80 No. 1
  • Lithuanian Balys Index No. 3005
  • Siberian Holmberg Siberian 313ff.
  • general *Dh I 2–89 passim, *Handwb. d. Abergl. IX Nachträge 277ff. – Finnish: Aarne FFC VIII 3 No. 1
  • general Legends Nos. 7–10, 12f.
Within the index

Filed under Earth Diver. From a raft in the primeval sea, the creator sends down animals to try to bring up earth. After a number of animals have failed, one (often the muskrat) succeeds. The earth is made from the bit brought up.

Filed beside it
Earth from egg from bottom of sea recovered by bird Creator sends crow, after creating her, to scout for earth-nucleus

ask the rhapsode about this motif · search the shelf for “instance” · wander