μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

External soul. A person (often a giant or ogre) keeps his soul or life separate from the rest of his body.

The dead. · The soul. · External soul. · view the constellation · filed as E710

Filed across the traditions
  • Breton Sébillot Incidents s. v. "corps", "âme"
  • Icelandic Fripjofssaga (Wenz ed., Halle 1914) 16
  • French Canadian Barbeau JAFL XXIX 11
  • Greek Grote I 136f.
  • India *Thompson-Balys
  • Philippine Fansler MAFLS XII 178
  • N. Am. Indian *Thompson Tales 346 n. 246a, *Hultkrantz 330–341
  • Africa (Swahili) Steere 3ff.
  • general *Type 302
  • general *BP III 440
  • general *Krappe in Penzer Ocean of Story VIII 107
  • general *MacCulloch Childhood 118ff.
  • general *Chauvin V 176 No. 100, II 193 No. 12
  • general Fb "hjærte" IV 318b
  • general Mélusine XI 263
  • general *Penzer X 143 s. v. "External Soul"
  • general Clouston Tales I 347
  • general Köhler-Bolte I 161, 515
  • general Gittée RTP II 283
  • general Krappe Revue Archéologique (May-June 1933) 195–211. – Irish myth: *Cross
Within the index
8 finer motifs beneath it
Ferocious animal guardian of separable soul of ogress External soul avenges murder Soul kept in object. (Cf. E765.) Hidden soul (life) Soul hidden in a series of coverings. This motif is combined with several others. Usually the soul will be hidden in an egg, in a duck, in a well, in a church, or a similar series Soul (or life) kept in special part of body Separable soul kept in animal Multiple separable souls: ogre's separable spirits live in a tree (plant), fish, honey bee
Carried in tale types

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