μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Spine test. Attempt to kill hero by throwing him on sharp spine or spike.

Tests. · Other tests. · Tests of endurance and power of survival. · Tests of power to survive. · view the constellation · filed as H1531

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“He said to the old man, “Now you shall die for all this.” “Well,” said the old man, “you must die too, for all that you have done.’’ Then the son- in-law began to shoot arrows at the old man, and the latter becoming frightened called on Blood-Clot for help. Then Blood-Clot sprang up and upbraided the son-in-law for his cruelty. “Oh,” said the son-in-law, “I was just fooling.” At this Blood-Clot shot the son-in-law through and through.”

Tales of the North American Indians, Tale 45 · served from our shelf  receiptuncorrected OCR — being verified against the scan

Attested across traditions
Scholars’ trail — 1reference

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 324 n. 168.
Within the index

Filed under Tests of power to survive. Vain attempts to kill hero.

2 finer motifs beneath it
Test: dancing on sharp instrumentsVain attempt to kill hero on stairway set with razors
Filed beside it
Heat test. Attempt to kill hero by burning him in fireCold test. Attempt to freeze hero to deathPoisoned food test. Attempt to kill hero by feeding him poisoned foodPoisoned clothing test. Attempt to kill hero by poisoning clothingTest: bite of poisonous snakeClam test. Hero is sent to capture a giant clam, so that he can be killedKilling trees threaten heroClashing rocks test: hero to pass between themWedge test. Hero is caught in cleft of treeHanging test. Unavailing attempt to kill hero by hangingPlank test. Attempt to kill hero by letting plank fall on himPrecipice test. Hero is pushed over a precipiceToboggan test. Attempt to kill hero on dangerous tobogganTest: playing game with ferocious beastDrowning test. Unavailing attempt to drown hero
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Deceiver in swinging contest killed. Old woman planning to kill hero in swinging game by cutting rope is killed when hero cuts the rope firstMiraculous conceptionConception from eatingConception from falling rainConception from casual contact with manMiraculous birthBirth of human being from an egg. (Cf. F611.1.11.)Child born in a jug (jar)Pregnant manPlace and conditions of childbirth

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