μῦθοι Mythoi
Motif

Periodic sacrifices to a monster.

Unnatural cruelty. · Cruel sacrifices. · Sacrifices. · view the constellation · filed as S262

Filed across the traditions
  • Missouri French Carrière
  • Spanish Espinosa III Nos. 139, 151, 157
  • Greek *Frazer Apollodorus I 207 n. 2, II 119 n. 2, 134 n. 1 → on our shelf: The Library (Bibliotheca), BOOK II, ch. V
  • India *Thompson-Balys
  • Buddhist myth Malalasekera I 189, II 573, 1188
  • Japanese Ikeda
  • Africa (Basuto) Jacottet 154 No. 22, (Fang): Trilles 166.
  • general *Schoepperle II 326ff.
  • general *Panzer Beowulf 276ff.
  • general *Frazer Pausanias V 143
  • general Brown Iwain 17 and passim
  • general *Freytag Am Urquell I (1890) 179ff., 197ff.
  • general *Fb "glarbjærg" I 459, "jomfru" II 43
  • general Chauvin VI 110 No. 274. Irish myth: *Cross
Within the index

Filed under Sacrifices. (Cf. S255.)

5 finer motifs beneath it
One man disappears each night Woman given to devastating monster as wife to appease it Tribute of youths regularly sent to foreign king Sacrificial victim chosen by lot. (Cf. N126.) Girl offers to sacrifice herself to dragon in place of her parents
Filed beside it
Human sacrifice Foundation sacrifice. A human being buried alive at base of the foundation of a building or bridge Sacrifice to appease spirits (gods). (Cf. K1603, T211.1.1.) Sacrifice to rivers and seas Sacrifice of strangers Burial of live girl to banish plague Flood stopped by sacrifice of boy and girl Child sacrificed to provide blood for cure of friend. (Cf. S260.1.4.) Sacrifice of child to remove barrenness Sacrifice of brothers promised if girl is born Child bought to serve as sacrifice to demon Sacrifice as an agricultural rite Sacrifice as protection against disease [First Edition: S290. Cruel sacrifices – miscellaneous motifs.]
Keeps company with — shares receipted episodes
Hound of hell. Cerberus (monstrous dog) guards the bridge to the lower world Two-headed dog Hydra: nine-headed monster. Middle head immortal Man-eating mares Centaur: man-horse. Trunk and head of man, body of horse Hind with golden horns Transformation to animal to seduce woman Magic goblet (glass) Transportation by magic goblet. (Cf. D1171.6.2.) Immortality exchanged. Wounded Centaur immortal but cannot be cured. He gives away his immortality to Prometheus and is thus allowed to die Person with three bodies. Body of three men grown together in one at waist but parted in three from flanks and thighs Tasks imposed. A person's prowess is tested by assigning him certain tasks (usually impossible or extremely difficult) to be performed either to escape punishment or to receive a valuable reward
Carried in tale types

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