μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Relative's flesh eaten unwittingly.

Ogres. · Kinds of ogres. · Cannibals and cannibalism. · Occasional cannibalism. · Human flesh eaten unwittingly. · view the constellation · filed as G61

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“Nihansan said: “I wish there were a hole that I could hide in.” When they had nearly caught him he came to a hole and threw himself into it. The hole extended through the hill, and he came out on the other side while the bear-women were still standing before the entrance. He painted himself with white paint to look like a different person, took a willow stick, put feathers on it, and laid it across his arm.”

— Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 31 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 20references

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.

  • Spanish ExemplaKeller
  • GreekFox 70, 119, 120 (Prokne and Tereus, Tantalus, Thyestes)
  • JewishNeuman
  • India*Thompson-Balys
  • Buddhist mythMalalasekera II 573
  • ChineseGraham
  • JapaneseIkeda
  • IndonesianDe Vries's list Nos. 227, 228
  • Eskimo (Greenland)Rink 106, 128, 160, 286, 447, Holm 43, 90, (Bering Strait): Nelson RBAE XVIII 215, (Central Eskimo): Boas RBAE VI 627, (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 229
  • N. Am. Indian*Thompson Tales 300 nn. 97, 98 and 340 n. 226
  • Africa (Zulu)Callaway 20, (Ila, Rhodesia): Smith and Dale II 402 No. 2, 405 No. 4, (Kaffir): Theal 100, (Angola): Chatelain 191 No. 24, (Thonga): Junod 217, (Fjort): Dennett 82 No. 19, (Benga): Nassau 105 No. 8, (Basuto): Jacottet 260 No. 38, 276 No. 41
  • American Negro (Georgia)Harris Nights 314 No. 54, Remus 165 No. 34
  • Cape Verde IslandsParsons MAFLS XV (1) 73 n. 3.
  • general *Type 720
  • general BP I 412ff.
  • general *MacCulloch Childhood 283ff.
  • general *Cosquin Études 394
  • general *Fb "menneskekjød" II 579b. Irish myth: *Cross
  • general Oceanic (Indonesia, New Zealand, Molucca): Dixon 58, 195, 229f.
  • general S. Am. Indian (Baikairi): Alexander Lat. Am. 303
Within the index

Filed under Human flesh eaten unwittingly.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Child recognizes relative's flesh when it is served to be eatenMother recognizes child's flesh when it is served to be eaten
Filed beside it
Murderer caused to eat victim's flesh unwittingly. Sickens and diesUnwitting cannibalism: scavenger in wedding feast finds basket of noses put there by hero and thinks it full of meatHuman flesh being cooked speaks out
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Crane-bridge. Fugitives are helped across a stream by a crane who lets them cross on his leg. The pursuer is either refused assistance or drowned by the crane
Carried in tale types

wander