μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Ladder to upper world.

Marvels. · Other world journeys. · The upper world. · Access to upper world. · view the constellation · filed as F52

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“Then he rolled over and pretended to go to sleep again but looked out through his eyelashes. By and by he saw a very small but handsome girl coming along. Her skin clothes were very clean and neat, and her leggings were ornamented with porcupine quills. Just as she reached out to shake him he said, “I have seen you already.” Now the girl stood still and said, “I have come after you. My grandmother has sent me to bring you to her house.””

— Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 53 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 12references

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.

  • EgyptianMüller 176
  • Jewish*Neuman
  • IndiaThompson-Balys
  • Philippine (Tinguian)Cole 126
  • N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 333 n. 204
  • S. Am. Indian (Brazil)Oberg 109
  • AfricaWerner African 136, (Gold Coast): Barker and Sinclair 97 No. 18
  • Cape Verde IslandsParsons MAFLS XV (1) 11 n. 2.
  • general *Frazer Old Testament II 52ff.
  • general *Toldo IV 59
  • general Gaster Thespis 400. Irish myth: Cross
  • general Hatt Asiatic Influences 48ff.
Within the index

Filed under Access to upper world.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Ladder of glass to upper worldColumns of smoke as ladder to upper world. (Cf. F61.3.1.)
Filed beside it
Sky-rope. Access to upper world by means of a ropeAscent to upper world on arrow chain. Hero shoots arrows which join one another in the air to form a chainTree to upper worldMountain reaches to skySky-window. An opening into the sky gives access to upper worldRoad to heavenTower (column) to upper worldAccess to upper world – miscellaneous
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Transformation flight. Fugitives transforms themselves in order to escape detection by the pursuerObstacle flight. Fugitives throw objects behind them which magically become obstacles in pursuer's pathReversed obstacle flight. Magic obstacles raised in front of fugitiveAscent to upper world on arrow chain. Hero shoots arrows which join one another in the air to form a chainBridge to otherworld

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