Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 11 of 30

• Topographical features of the earth arranged by creator. (Cf. A0.) A902
• Two creators go by different route to establish features of the earth. A902.1
• Topographical features caused by animals. A903
• Origin of water features – general. A910
• Waters created on first day of creation. A910.1
• Waters created as punishment. A910.2
• Bodies of water in primitive abyss sink. A910.3
• Bodies of water remnant of flood. A910.4
• Waters created by divine twins. A910.5
• Bodies of water from tears. (Cf. A901, A920.1.5, A941.2, A1012.) A911
• Origin of tides. A913
• Tidal wave or surge marks place of death of person. (Cf. A920.1.4, A936.) A913.1
• Tide caused by breathing of sea-monster. A913.2
• Ebb-tide goes to great whirlpool. A913.3
• Tub that drips at high tide but holds water at low tide. A913.4
• Mountains push water westward. A914
• Why waters do not engulf the earth. A915
• Quarrel between earth and waters. A917
• Male and female waters. A918
• Origin of the seas. A920
• Origin of lakes. A920.1
• Origin of particular lake. A920.1.0.1
• Inexhaustible buckets as source of lakes. A920.1.1
• Lakes from digging of primeval ox. (Cf. A901.) A920.1.2
• Lake bursts forth to drown thief. A920.1.3
• Lakes burst forth to commemorate birth, death, battle, etc., of primitive hero. A920.1.4
• Lakes originate from tears. (Cf. A901, A911.) A920.1.5
• Lakes originate from belches. A920.1.5.1
• Lake from urine of horse. (Cf. A933.) A920.1.6
• Lake created by fairies. A920.1.7
• Lake bursts forth to quell fairy war. A920.1.7.1
• Lake bursts forth to drown impious people. A920.1.8
• Lake from violating tabu. A920.1.8.1
• Lake bursts forth where island is plowed out. (Cf. A951.) A920.1.9
• Lakes made by giant or devil. A920.1.10
• Woman transformed to pool of water. A920.1.11
• Lake bursts forth where blind king plucks rushes. A920.1.12
• Lake of milk formed through virtue of saint. A920.1.13
• Lakes are daughters of the gods. A920.1.14
• Origin of the Dead Sea. A920.1.15
• Lake originally filled with palm wine. A920.1.16
• Origin of sea channels. A920.2
• Ocean the son of Earth and Heaven. A921
• Ocean made from blood. A922
• Ocean from creator's sweat. A923
• Ocean from urine. (Cf. A933.) A923.1
• Miscellaneous origins of the ocean. A924
• Origin of sea from overturned calabash. A924.1
• Origin of sea from rotting snakes. A924.2
• Sea released from tree-top. A924.3
• Sea from earth excavation. A924.4
• Origin of various qualities of the sea. A925
• Origin of high sea waves. A925.1
• Origin of sea's color. A925.2
• Origin of foul odor of sea. A925.3
• Origin of fresh water welling up in sea. A925.4
• Origin of mournful sound of sea. A925.5
• Origin of surf. A925.6
• Origin of shining patches beneath sea. A925.7
• Giant drinks up ocean. A928
• Origin of streams. A930
• Creator of rivers. A930.1
• Snake as creator of rivers and lakes. A930.1.1
• Meander-pursuit. (Cf. A901.) – A fugitive's doublings cause a river's windings. A931
• River from urine of goddess (giantess). A933
• River from the slaver of the Fenris-wolf. A933.1
• River from vagina of first woman. A933.2
• Various origins of rivers. A934
• Rivers from digging of primeval ox. (Cf. A920.1.2.) A934.1
• Rivers formed where certain stones are placed. Each of seven children are to go in a different direction, to walk a mile and put down a stone, then another mile and a stone, etc. Thus rivers are formed. A934.2
• Rivers burst forth to commemorate birth, death, battle, etc., of primitive hero. (Cf. A901, A920.1.4.) A934.3
• Rivers where god drags his staff. A934.4
• Rivers originate through saint's prayer during drought. A934.5
• Hail-storm leaves twelve chief rivers in Ireland. A934.6
• River bursts from well in pursuit. A934.7
• Rivers from mythical well. A934.8
• Stream unexpectedly bursts from side of mountain. A934.9
• Origin of river: from a girl drowned in a well. A934.10
• River from transformation. A934.11
• Girl reincarnated as river so god Vishnu can lie in its bed in the form of a stone. A934.11.1
• Person transforms self to river. A934.11.2
• Goddess in anger breaks herself into five parts: hence, five branches of a river. A934.11.3
• Origin of river: transformed flowing honey. A934.11.4
• Peacock shows rivers the way to the big valley so they will not go round and round. A934.12
• Origin of falls (cataracts). A935
• Why there is no mist on a certain river: fanned away with a pair of eagle's wings. A937
• Rivers and streams offspring of marriage of Ocean and his sister. A938
• Origin of other bodies of water. A940
• Origin of springs. A941
• Origin of a particular spring. A941.0.1
• Springs originate from horse's hoof-prints. (Cf. A901.) A941.1
• Spring from urine of horse. (Cf. A920.1.6., A933.) A941.1.1
• Spring breaks forth where fairy horse lies down. A941.1.2
• Springs originate from tears. (Cf. A901, A911.) A941.2
• Spring from striking earth with sword. A941.3
• Spring breaks forth where magic spear strikes ground. (Cf. A941.5.1.) A941.3.1
• Spring where god throws his staff or spear. A941.3.2
• Spring breaks forth to commemorate experiences of hero (deity). (Cf. A901, A913.1, A920.1.4.) A941.4
• Spring breaks forth to commemorate place of death or burial. A941.4.1
• Spring breaks forth at primitive hero's need. A941.4.2
• Spring breaks forth at need of demigod's warriors. A941.4.2.1
• Spring breaks forth through power of saint. A941.5
• Fountain breaks forth through power of Virgin Mary. A941.5.0.1
• Wells break forth at birth of Christ. A941.5.0.2
• Spring breaks forth where saint smites rock. (Cf. A941.3.1.) A941.5.1
• Many-colored fountain breaks forth where saint strikes earth with his foot. A941.5.2
• Spring breaks forth through power of saint at place where leper pulls out clump of rushes. A941.5.3
• Spring breaks forth where animal delivers book left behind by saint. A941.5.4
• Spring breaks forth where saint's stolen cow is found. A941.5.5
• Cloth from goddess, when spread by holy man over a spot, causes water to spring from earth. A941.5.6
• Origin of springs where deity dug. A941.5.7
• Spring from innocent king's blood. A941.5.8
• Breaking forth of springs partial cause of Flood. A941.6
• Springs from beneath magic (holy) object. A941.7
• Spring from beneath world-tree. A941.7.1
• Spring from roots of sacred tree when arrow is shot into it. A941.7.2
• Stream from under holy of holies in temple. A941.7.3
• Origin of hot springs (geysers). A942
• Hot springs rise where Christ bathed his feet. (Cf. A901.) A942.1
• Origin of salt springs. A942.2
• Origin of the land. A950
• Contours of land caused by plowing of goddess. (Cf. A901.) A951
• River valley licked out by giant beast. A951.1
• Contours of land caused by rooting of swine. A951.2
• Contours of land caused by occult hero driving harrow. A951.3
• Land rises out of sea. A952
• Land thrown down from heaven. A953
• [First Edition: A953. Why mud is soft.] A953[1st ed.]
• Land born from goddess. A954
• Origin of islands. A955
• Islands created by order of deity. A955.0.1
• Islands as deity's stepping-stones. (Cf. A901.) A955.1
• Island created by shooting arrow. (Cf. D936, D1092.) A955.2
• Origin of island's shape and position. A955.3
• Origin of an island's shape. A955.3.1
• Origin of island's position. A955.3.2
• Primeval hero moves islands into their present position. A955.3.2.1
• Island plowed out by goddess. (Cf. A951.) A955.4
• Islands from cow and calf transformed by evil eye of one-eyed god. A955.5
• Islands from stones cast by giantess. (Cf. A901, A963.5.) A955.6
• Islands from webs woven by primeval spiders. A955.7
• Island fished-up by demigod (hero). A955.8
• Goddess gives birth to islands. A955.9
• Islands from transformed object or person. A955.10
• Islands originally form continent, later separated. A955.11
• Old woman as guardian of floating islands of the gods. A955.12
• Origin of peninsulas. A956
• Origin of desert. A957
• Creation of mountains (hills). A960
• Mountains from primeval animal. A961
• Hills from flapping of primeval bird. Hills and valleys are formed from the flapping of a giant turkey-buzzard when the earth is still plastic. A961.1
• Mountains from hacked-up fish drawn from bottom of primeval water. Earth originates from a fish drawn from the water. It is hacked up and thus made to form mountains. A961.2
• Mountain from accident to primeval lizard. Lizard passing through a mountain is broken; his fore and hinder parts become mountains. A961.3
• Mountains spring from scattered parts of slain giant serpent's body. A961.4
• Mountains (cliffs) from bones of killed giant. A961.5
• Mountains (hills) from ancient activities of god (hero). A962
• Mountain from part of deity's (hero's) body. A962.1
• Mountains made with God's hand. A962.2
• Mountains from primeval journeys of a god. (Cf. A901.) A962.3
• Mountains pressed together by God. A962.4
• Mountains made with the hand. A962.5
• Mountains originated from primeval journeys of the first man. A962.6
• Hills from hero's striking (earth) with sword. A962.7
• Origin of hills and ridges: pieces of shattered god's head. A962.8
• Mountains and hills are former sons, daughters of gods. A962.9
• Hills represent loads from culture-hero's shoulders. A962.10
• Mountains from stones (soil, sand) dropped or thrown. A963
• Mountains from stones dropped from giant's clothes. He carries the stones in his clothes but loses them as he walks. A963.1
• Mountains from breaking of God's sieve. He is sifting stones and the bottom of the sieve breaks, letting huge stones and mountains fall through. (Cf. A971.) A963.2
• Soil dropped to form mountains. A963.3
• Mountains and hills from stones thrown by giant at church. A963.4
• Hills from stones cast by giants. A963.5
• Hill from anvil (cast by supernatural smith). A963.6
• Hill from sand left by passersby. A963.7
• Hill as unfinished tower built in the likeness of Nimrod's tower. A963.8
• Clay soil dropped from sky to form hill. A963.9
• Mountains (hills) from ancient contest (fight). A964
• Holes in hills result of fight between gods. A964.1
• Mountains fight each other: cause of their present shape. A964.2
• Mountains fight each other for honor of being the spot for the revelation. A964.2.1
• Battle of demons: hills torn up. A964.3
• Origin of mountain chain. A965
• One mountain in love with another stretches leg out to meet her: origin of a mountain chain. A965.1
• Origin of volcanoes. A966
• Origin of mounds. A967
• Mounds from horns cast by cattle. A967.1
• Origin of cliffs. A968
• Cliffs become hard. Were formerly soft but become hard by God's order. (Cf. A975.) A968.1
• Cliff from lovers' leap. Lovers in despair throw themselves from a high place. This becomes a cliff. A968.2
• Creation of mountains and hills – miscellaneous. A969
• Mountain from buried giant. A969.1
• Cloud on lofty male mountain induced by a beautiful female mountain to bow to her feet: hence their present shape. A969.2
• Mountains and valleys formed from great fire. A969.3
• Hills because sky asked earth to wrinkle up its feet. A969.4
• Water freezes and forms mountains. A969.5
• Hill brought to country as adopted child. A969.6
• Origin of mountains as punishment. A969.7
• Origin of crevasse. A969.8
• Mountain or hills from actions of the devil. A969.9
• Origin of rocks and stones. A970