μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Ascent to upper world on arrow chain. Hero shoots arrows which join one another in the air to form a chain.

Marvels. · Other world journeys. · The upper world. · Access to upper world. · view the constellation · filed as F53

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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 — 5references

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.

  • N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 333 n. 203, Hatt Asiatic Influences 40ff.
  • S. Am. Indian*Lowie BBAE CXLIII (3) 55, *Ehrenreich Mythen u. Legend der südamerikanischen Urvölker 50, (Guarayú): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 438, RMLP XXXIII 147, (Chiriguano): Métraux RMLP XXXIII 156, 164, BBAE CXLIII (3) 484, (Tupinamba): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 132, (Jibaros, Ecuador): Karsten Myths of the Jibaros (cited from Boas JAFL XXXII 446).
  • general *Pettazzoni The Chain of Arrows, the Diffusion of a Mythical Motive (FL XXXV 151)
  • general Indonesia. Voorhoeve 142
  • general Oceanic (Australia, New Hebrides, Aurora, Whitsuntide, Torres Is., New Guinea): Dixon 139 n. 19, 293f.
Within the index

Filed under Access to upper world.

Filed beside it
Sky-rope. Access to upper world by means of a ropeLadder to upper worldTree 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
Travels with
Ascent to upper world on arrow. (Cf. F53.)
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 fugitiveLadder to upper worldBridge to otherworld

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