μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Return from dead to reveal murder.

The dead. · Ghosts and other revenants. · Malevolent return from the dead. · Return from dead to inflict punishment. · view the constellation · filed as E231

Filed across the traditions
  • New York Jones JAFL LVII 245
  • North Carolina Brown Collection I 677
  • West Indies Flowers 429
  • Jewish bin Gorion V 213, 306, *Neuman
  • India *Thompson-Balys
  • Japanese Ikeda. N. Am. Indian (Fox): Jones PAES I 93ff., (Seneca): Curtin-Hewitt RBAE XXXII 173 No. 33, 670 No. 129
  • Eskimo (Greenland) Holm 39, Rasmussen III 145, Kroeber JAFL XII 181, (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 236
  • Africa (Fang) Tessman 118.
  • general Fb "gjenganger" I 443b, "lig" II 411b
  • general Wimberly 261
  • general England, U.S.: *Baughman
Within the index

Filed under Return from dead to inflict punishment.

5 finer motifs beneath it
Ghost tells name of murderer Ghost skeleton points lance at murderer Ghost light hovers over hiding place of body of murdered person Noise of chains leads to buried ghost. (Cf. E402.1.4.) Ghost returns to murderer, causes him to confess
Filed beside it
Return from the dead to slay wicked person Ghost punishes injury received in life Return from dead to punish indignities to corpse, or ghost Return from dead to demand stolen property Dinner with the dead. Dead man is invited to dinner. Takes his host to other world Ghosts punish intruders into ghost town Ghosts punish intruders into mass (procession) of ghosts Ghosts attack bishop who has suspended priest for singing for all Christian souls Ghosts punish failure to provide for their wants. Haunt man because he does not leave food and drink for them Ghosts punish failure to sacrifice to them Ghost kills man who had had ghost exorcised for too short a time

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