Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 10 of 30

• Pleiades girls who died of grief. A773.3
• Pleiades seven illegitimate children. A773.4
• Pleiades from hunters marooned in sky after felling world-tree. A773.5
• Pleiades as swarm of bees. A773.6
• Two stars from Great Bear constellation transferred to Pleiades. A773.7
• Origin of the North Star. (Cf. A702.3.) A774
• Origin of Hyades. A775
• Origin of constellation Lyra. Greek (Orpheus's lyre). A776
• Origin of Vega (Alpha Lyrae). A776.1
• Origin of constellation Scorpio. A777
• Origin of the Milky Way. A778
• Origin of Magellanic Clouds. A778.0.1
• Milky Way a hunting party. A778.1
• Milky Way is the Wild Hunt. A778.1.1
• Milky Way as a road. A778.2
• Milky Way as path of souls (demons). A778.2.1
• Milky Way as a river. A778.3
• Milky Way as a stitched seam in the sky. A778.4
• Milky Way as milk from breast of a woman. A778.5
• Milky Way as the sperma of the gods. A778.6
• Milky Way as path of a bird of passage. A778.7
• Milky Way is smoke (ashes). A778.8
• Milky Way as race track. A778.9
• Abyss at end of Milky Way. A778.10
• Origin of stars – miscellaneous. A779
• Origin of Coal Sack. A779.1
• Origin of constellation Aquila. A779.2
• Origin of constellation Argo. A779.3
• The planets (comets, etc.). A780
• Planets supervised by angels. A780.1
• Origin of Venus (planet). A781
• Origin of Morning Star. A781.1
• Origin of Evening Star. A781.2
• Origin of Jupiter (planet). A782
• Origin of comets. A786
• Relation of the planets to human life. A787
• Origin of meteors. A788
• Falling stars as pieces of the moon. A788.1
• Shooting star one that has come down to graze. A788.2
• Shooting stars spirits coming down to earth to make woman pregnant. A788.3
• Shooting stars are star-dung. A788.4
• Shooting stars are unfaithful wives. A788.5
• The heavenly lights. A790
• Heavenly lights originate from firmament. A790.1
• Origin of the Rainbow. A791
• Rainbow as bow of deity. A791.1
• Rainbow as snake. A791.2
• Rainbow made as bridge by the gods. A791.3
• Rainbow has three colors. A791.4
• Rainbow is a transformed king; the lesser rainbow is the king's wife. A791.5
• Rainbow from gods' emptying their drinking cups. A791.6
• Rainbow is horse of rain-god. A791.7
• Rainbow comes out of an anthill. A791.8
• Rainbow lives in a hole. A791.8.1
• Origin of rainbow: transformed butterflies (souls of lovers). A791.9
• Rainbow as covenant between creator and men. A791.10
• Origin of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). A795
• Origin of the signs of the zodiac. A796
• Origin of colors at sunrise and sunset. A797
• Creation of the earth. A800
• Earth born of Chaos. A801
• China first land to appear in our world. A802
• Primeval water: In the beginning everything is covered with water. A810
• God and Devil fly together over primeval water. A810.1
• Primeval water to subside in a specified time. A810.2
• Waters of heaven would engulf earth were it not for firmament. A810.2.1
• Earth brought up from bottom of primeval water. (Cf. A812.) A811
• Earth originates from fish brought from bottom of sea. The fish is hacked with knives; hence, mountains. A811.1
• Earth brought up by three gods. A811.2
• Earth Diver. From a raft in the primeval sea, the creator sends down animals to try to bring up earth. After a number of animals have failed, one (often the muskrat) succeeds. The earth is made from the bit brought up. A812
• Devil as Earth Diver. Satan dives for earth at instance of God. Succeeds only third time (by use of right formula). He hides the earth under his tongue. It swells, and he must be rescued by God. A812.1
• Earth from egg from bottom of sea recovered by bird. A812.2
• Creator sends crow, after creating her, to scout for earth-nucleus. A812.3
• Raft in primeval sea. Creator is on the raft and there creates the earth. (Cf. A812.) A813
• Earth in form of raft supported by spirits. A813.1
• Lotus-leaf raft in primeval sea. A813.2
• Creator rests on tree or stake. A813.3
• Earth from object thrown on primeval water. A814
• Earth from stone thrown on primeval water. A814.1
• Earth from sand strewn on primeval water. A814.2
• Earth from decayed matter on primeval water. A814.3
• Earth from tree grown in primeval water. A814.4
• Earth from steam made by fire thrown into primeval water. A814.5
• Earth scattered in a circuit in four directions on primeval water. A814.6
• Earth from primeval water mixed with seeds of tobacco. A814.7
• Earth from lotus seed placed on water. A814.8
• Earth from egg breaking on primeval water. (Cf. A1222). A814.9
• Earth from creator's spittle falling on primeval water. A814.10
• Earth from spittle of primeval potter spreading on surface of water. A814.10.1
• Earth from turtle's back. Earth erected on back of a turtle floating in primeval water. (Cf. A844.1.) A815
• Earth from serpent's head. Earth reared on head of serpent floating in primeval water. A815.1
• Earth rises from sea. A816
• Stone emerges from primeval water. Devil sits on the stone, which becomes a mountain. A816.1
• Ocean under this world. A816.2
• God causes primeval sea to roll back and leave bare all the hills. A816.3
• Earth let down from sky on to primeval ocean. A817
• Other means of creation of earth. A820
• Earth made of lac. A821
• Earth made by mud shaken from back of primeval boar. A822
• World is transformed mud parrot in golden cage. A822.1
• Earth made by cups of earth placed on spider's web. A823
• Earth made by transformation of broken ground. A824
• Earth made by first couple dancing on bit of cloth laid on water. A825
• Earth sets like curds. A826
• Earth made by drying up of primeval water. A827
• Earth from worm scratched by creator's nails. A828
• Earth excreted by worm. A828.1
• Creation of earth by creator. A830
• Earth from body of person (animal). A831
• Earth from body of son of deity. A831.1
• Earth from giant's body (Ymir). (Cf. A614.1.) A831.2
• Earth by sacrifice of son and daughter of first couple. A831.3
• Earth by murder of first brother and sister. A831.4
• Earth from the body of murdered child. A831.5
• Earth from body of slain animal. A831.6
• Earth from body of divine suicide. A831.7
• Gods create the earth from their dead victim's blood and bones. A831.8
• Earth created from Adam's body. A831.9
• Creation because of creator's lonesomeness. Dissatisfied at being alone in center of primeval water, God creates the earth. A832
• Earth from creator's cuticle. (Cf. A1211.5.) A833
• Earth from nut in devil's mouth. God throws a nut over his left shoulder. The devil catches it in his mouth. The nut grows rapidly and the devil spits it out. A835
• Earth created from snow under divine throne. A835.1
• Creator prepared earth's nucleus as one would a rice cake. A836
• Creator creates earth piecemeal. A837
• Support of the earth. A840
• World-columns. Four (two, etc.) columns or supports sustain the earth. A841
• The four world-columns fastened immovably by two gods with their mother's hairs. A841.0.1
• Four world-cords. Earth is suspended from the sky by cords at four corners. A841.1
• Four maidens as earth-supports. One is at each of the cardinal points. (Cf. A842.) A841.2
• Twelve iron pillars steady the earth. A841.3
• Four earth-nails. A841.4
• Atlas. A man supports the earth on his shoulders. A842
• Goddess standing on her head supports earth. A842.1
• Old woman supports earth on her head. A842.2
• Earth supported on post. The post has an old woman as guardian. When she is hungry the post shakes, causing earthquakes. A843
• Earth supported on cross of wood. A843.1
• Earth rests on animal's back. A844
• Earth rests on turtle's back. (Cf. A815.) A844.1
• Earth supported by bull. A844.2
• Earth supported by fish. A844.3
• Earth supported by frog. A844.4
• Earth rests on the horns of a bull who rests upon a fish. A844.5
• Earth rests on tortoise, serpent, elephant. (Cf. A1145.1.) A844.6
• Earth rests on elephant's back. A844.7
• Earth rests on cobra's head. A844.8
• Earth supported on great boar's tusk. A844.9
• Earth supported on vast number of birds' legs. A844.10
• Earth rests on leviathan. A844.11
• Serpent supports the earth. (Cf. A844.6.) A844.12
• Support of the earth – miscellaneous. A849
• Earth founded on stone. A849.1
• Earth rests on God's arm. A849.2
• Earth supported by prop. A849.3
• Changes in the earth. A850
• How the earth became oblong. God the Father situated on one side of the earth, the Son on the other. A851
• Making the earth smaller. Earth made too large. God learns from devil by trickery how to make it smaller. A852
• Making the earth larger. Gradually extended during creation. See references to A812 in which this idea is always involved. A853
• Doubling size of the earth. Increase of population necessitates change. A853.1
• Opposite of present. Everything on the earth – courses of rivers, height of mountains, human reproduction, etc. – are at first the reverse of the present condition. A855
• Hardening of the earth. At first it is soft, but is hardened by sun's rays. A856
• Primeval earth hardened by wind. A856.1
• Ground, previously all wet, dries up when first woman cuts her little finger and blood drips on ground. A856.2
• Steadying the earth. A857
• Why earth becomes warm and wet: two huge copper vessels steaming over fire are underneath earth. A857.1
• Creator's giant servant puts a valley where earth's crust is heavy and a mountain where it is light so as to stabilize it. A857.2
• Creator's giant servant puts trees to hold earth together where it slipped. A857.3
• Roots created to hold land firm. A857.3.1
• Nature and condition of the earth. A870
• Earth square with four quarters. A871
• Taprobane at eastern end of the world. A871.0.1
• Unextinguishable fire at end of earth. A871.0.2
• Four streams from four corners of earth. A871.1
• Four rivers, rising in paradise, water primitive world. A871.2
• River that flows around the world. A872
• Seven seas encircle the world. A872.1
• Above and below the earth are great clouds. A873
• Earth wheel-shaped (flat and round). A875
• Navel of the earth. Omphalos, the central point on the earth disc. A875.1
• Mountain at center of earth. A875.1.1
• Well in the midst of earth from which eleven rivers originate. (Cf. A871.1.) A875.2
• Midgard Serpent. A serpent surrounds the earth. A876
• The leviathan that surrounds the globe. A876.1
• Earth-tree. Tree of life or fate. A878
• Stream of paradise from roots of world-tree. A878.1
• Other streams from roots of earth-tree. A878.1.1
• Three wells under the three roots of earth-tree. A878.1.2
• Lake of milk by tree of life. A878.2
• Animals at earth-tree. A878.3
• Snake at roots of earth-tree. A878.3.1
• Hart(s) eating of the earth-tree. A878.3.2
• Chattering squirrel in the earth-tree. A878.3.3
• Wise eagle in the earth-tree. A878.3.4
• Hawk in the earth-tree. A878.3.5
• Golden cock in earth-tree. A878.3.6
• Earth-tree furnishes health-giving and hunger-satisfying sap. A878.4
• Zones of earth corresponding to Zodiac. A881
• Topography – general considerations. A900
• Topographical features caused by experiences of primitive hero (demigod, deity). Footprints of the gods, thoroughfares of heroes, etc. A901
• Topographical changes or landmarks due to battle between gods. A901.1
• Natural features because of combat of huge rock columns with each other. A901.2