Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 7 of 30

• Culture hero establishes social system. A546
• Culture hero dispenses food and hospitality. A547
• Culture hero's (demigod's) departure. A560
• Divinity's departure for west. A561
• Divinity's departure for east. A562
• Remarkable longevity of culture heroes. A564
• Dying culture hero. The culture hero teaches people how to die by dying himself. A565
• Culture hero returns to upper world. A566
• Return of mortal reincarnation of celestial being to the country of the gods after his mission has been accomplished on earth. A566.1
• Culture hero ascends to heaven guided by blind ancestress. A566.2
• Divinity retires to the end of the world. A567
• Culture hero still lives. A570
• Culture hero asleep in mountain. A571
• Culture hero still alive in hollow hill. A571.1
• Culture hero still alive on mysterious island. A571.2
• Culture hero still keeps watch over earth. A572
• Culture hero still resides in the zenith. A572.1
• Departed deity grants requests to visitors. A575
• Culture hero's (divinity's) expected return. Divinity or hero is expected to return at the proper time and rescue his people from their misfortunes. Often joined with A571. A580
• Culture hero (divinity) returns. A581
• Culture hero returns and assists mortals. A581.1
• Culture hero returns and aids followers in battle. A581.2
• Culture hero returns to prove power of saint. A581.3
• Demigods and culture heroes – miscellaneous. A590
• Semi-divine hero granted free access to men's wives. A591
• Culture heroes and descendants. A592
• Demigod and witch woman of upper world have son. A592.1
• Virgin daughter of culture hero. A592.2
• Daughter of culture hero gives birth to boy. A592.2.1
• Creation of the universe. A600
• Universe created in specified time and order. A601
• Universe created in five periods of time. A601.1
• Universe created in six days. A601.2
• Primeval chaos. A605
• Primeval darkness. A605.1
• Primeval cold. A605.2
• Creation of universe by creator. The creator is existing before all things. A610
• All things created in pairs (heaven and earth, etc.). A610.1
• Creation of heaven, earth, and hell. A610.2
• Fiat creation. Universe is created at command of creator. A611
• Creator uses particular formula (letters) to create universe. A611.0.1
• Druids as creators. A611.1
• Creation: materialization of creator's thinking. Creator "thinks outward in space" and thus produces the universe. A612
• World-soul. The universe a manifestation of the creator. A612.1
• Creation from creator's tears. A613
• Universe from parts of creator's body. Ymir makes the world from his members – mountains from bones, cliffs from teeth, heavens from skull, etc. A614
• Universe from parts of man's body. (Cf. A831.2) A614.1
• Universe as offspring of creator. The Sky Father begets various parts of the universe by his various wives. A615
• Universe from creator's masturbation with water, with stone, and with earth. (Cf. A1216.1). A615.1
• Universe from copulation of various objects to produce others. A615.2
• Creation of universe from clam-shell on primeval water by creator. A617
• Creation of universe from clay pot set afloat on primeval waters. A617.1
• Creation of universe from calabash. A617.2
• Universe created by various activities of creator. A618
• Universe coughed into being. A618.1
• Universe created by spitting. A618.2
• Spontaneous creation of universe. A620
• Spontaneous creation – evolutionary type. From primeval chaos gradually arise worlds and life. A620.1
• Spontaneous encroachment of heavens and earth checked by creator. A620.2
• Universe from congealed vapor. A621
• Creation from vapor-produced primeval giant. Vapors from half-frozen primeval river origin of giant Ymir, from whom universe is created. A621.1
• Universe created out of fire world. A622
• Universe created out of ice and mist. A623
• World parents: sky-father and earth-mother as parents of the universe. The sky-father descends upon the earth-mother and begets the world. A625
• Heaven-mother – earth-father. A625.1
• Raising of the sky. Originally the sky is near the earth (usually because of the conjunction of the sky-father and earth-mother). It is raised to its present place. A625.2
• Heaven and earth originally connected by navel string. Navel string cut. A625.2.1
• Why the sky receded upward: it was struck by a woman's pestle. A625.2.2
• Raising the sky: striking with broom. Old woman's hump strikes clouds as she sweeps. She strikes at sky with broom and thus raises it. A625.2.3
• Deity clothes his father the sky after he has separated him from earth. A625.2.4
• After sky is lifted, plants and shrubs begin to grow. A625.2.5
• Series of creations. The present universe is the last of a succession of creations. A630
• Pre-existing world of gods above. Such a world is assumed before the real creation of the universe. Though this belief is not explicitly set forth in many mythologies, it seems to be implied in most of the North American Indian systems. See, for example, motif A31, Creator's grandmother. A631
• Succession of creations and cataclysms. From the ruins of each earlier creation a new one is raised. A632
• Earlier universe opposite of present. Everything in the earlier world was the reverse of the present world. Cf. A855. A633
• New creation shouted away. It is unstable and therefore unsatisfactory. A636
• Other means of creating the universe. A640
• Cosmic egg. The universe brought forth from an egg. A641
• Heaven and earth from egg. They are the two halves of an egg shell. Eros escapes as they are separated. A641.1
• Creation from duck's eggs. Upper vault from half shell, lower vault from half shell, moonbeams from whites, sunshine from yellows, starlight from motley parts, clouds from dark parts. A641.2
• Universe from body of slain giant. Ymir. (Cf. A621.1.) A642
• Primeval woman cut in pieces: houses, etc., made from her body. A642.1
• Universe from pre-existing rocks. Originally rocks are assumed and everything is made from them. A644
• Creation of universe: genealogical type. A begets B, who begets C, etc. Finally the universe is brought forth in its present form. A645
• Universe from cosmic fowl. A647
• The universe as a whole. A650
• Hierarchy of worlds. A series of worlds, one above the other. A651
• Nine worlds. A651.0.1
• Four world systems. A651.0.2
• Series of upper worlds. A651.1
• Highest of celestial worlds consists of twenty heavens. A651.1.0.1
• Three heavens. A651.1.1
• Third sky above prevents earth being burned by sun. A651.1.1.1
• Region above the three worlds. A651.1.1.2
• Four heavens. A651.1.2
• Five heavens. A651.1.3
• Seven heavens. A series of seven upper worlds. A651.1.4
• Eight heavens. A651.1.5
• Nine heavens. A651.1.6
• The nine ranks (orders) of heaven. A651.1.6.1
• Ten heavens. A651.1.7
• Series of upper worlds – miscellaneous. A651.1.8
• Seventeen-storied heaven. A651.1.8.1
• Series of lower worlds. A651.2
• Creator lives in lowest sky beneath us. A651.2.0.1
• Two lower worlds. A651.2.1
• Three lower worlds. A651.2.2
• Seven lower worlds. A651.2.3
• Worlds above and below. A651.3
• Seven worlds above and below. An angel upholds the seven worlds on his shoulders. Under him in turn are: rock, bull, fish, vast sea, air, fire, and serpent. A651.3.1
• Worlds above and below – miscellaneous. A651.3.2
• World-tree. Tree extending from lowest to highest world. (Cf. A878.) A652
• Tree to heaven. A652.1
• Tree to heaven from goddess' necklace which she hangs on branch. A652.1.1
• Tree hanging from sky. A tree hangs upside down in the sky. By its branches men pass back and forth to the upper world. A652.2
• Tree in upper world. A652.3
• Sky as overshadowing tree. Shadowing the earth. A652.4
• Earth under umbrella. A653
• Primary elements of universe. (Earth, air, fire, water, etc.) A654
• World as egg. The two halves are heaven and earth. A655
• River connecting earth and upper and lower worlds. A657
• Bridge connecting earth and heaven. A657.1
• Heaven and earth touch each other at east, west, and south. A657.2
• Size and distances of the universe. A658
• Nine days' fall from heaven to earth; the same from earth to hell. A658.1
• Nine nights' riding from heaven (or earth) to hell. A658.1.1
• Five hundred years travel across universe. A658.2
• The universe as a whole – miscellaneous. A659
• Music of the spheres. A659.1
• Big lake under the earth. A659.2
• River's source where sky and earth meet. A659.3
• Each world corresponds to different color. A659.4
• Nature of the upper world. A660
• Heaven. A blissful upper world. A661
• Gate of heaven. A661.0.1
• Gate of heaven guarded by clap of thunder and mysterious sword. A661.0.1.1
• Doors of heaven guarded by rivers of fire. A661.0.1.1.1
• Veils of fire and ice before chief door of heaven. A661.0.1.1.2
• Saint Peter as porter of heaven. A661.0.1.2
• Archangels Michael and Ariel as porters of two of the doors of heaven. A661.0.1.3
• Abersetus as guardian of river of fire at one of the doors of heaven. A661.0.1.4
• Virgins with iron rods as guardians of two of the doors in heaven. A661.0.1.5
• Music in heaven. A661.0.2
• Heavenly music caused by four columns under Lord's chair. A661.0.2.1
• Music produced by precious stones in heaven. A661.0.2.2
• Chairs in heaven. A661.0.3
• Cleansing fountain in heaven. A661.0.4
• Bridge of heaven. A661.0.5
• Soul-bridge: easy for righteous to cross, more difficult for others. A661.0.5.1
• Windows in heaven: sixty-six (seventy-two) windows in the firmament. A661.0.6
• Self-illuminating precious stones in heaven. A661.0.7
• Sweet odor in heaven. A661.0.8
• Heaven surrounded by seven walls. A661.0.9
• Land of the saints surrounded by fiery circle. A661.0.10
• Valhalla. The hall of warriors who go to Odin. They die and are resurrected daily. A661.1
• Valhalla has five hundred and forty doors. A661.1.0.1
• Goat (Heidrún) in Valhalla gives mead. A661.1.0.2
• Hog (Soehrímnir) in Valhalla gives meat. A661.1.0.3
• Deer (Eikthyrnir) in Valhalla fills the fountain Hvergelmir. A661.1.0.4
• Cock in Valhalla awakens the gods. Icel: Boberg. A661.1.0.5
• Inhabitants of heaven divided into companies. A661.1.1
• Saint sees vision of three cities in heaven: a city of gold, a city of silver, a city of glass. A661.1.2
• The eight paradises. A661.2
• Five trees of paradise. A661.3
• Girls dancing in heaven. A661.4
• Upper world (heaven) as a mountain. The sky is the hollowed under side of the mountain. A662
• The plains of heaven. A663
• Support of the sky. A665
• God stabilizes the sky. A665.0.1
• God of space upholds sky. A665.1
• Pillar supporting sky. A665.2
• Pillars supporting sky. A665.2.0.1
• Four sky-columns. Four columns support the sky. A665.2.1
• Four gods at world-quarters support the sky. A665.2.1.1
• Four dwarfs support the sky. A665.2.1.2
• Sky extended by means of pillars. A665.2.1.3
• Mountain supports sky. A665.3
• Four mountains support sky. A665.3.1
• Tree supports sky. (Cf. A652.1.) A665.4
• Sky held against earth by great octopus. A665.5
• Serpent supports sky. A665.6
• Ladder to heaven (applied to saint). A666
• Eight (symbolical) steps of the ladder of heaven. A666.1
• Rodent gnaws away ladder to other world and thus ghosts remain on earth. A666.2
• Language of heaven. A667
• Nature of the upper world – miscellaneous. A669
• Judges in the upper world. A669.1
• Sky of solid substance. A669.2
• Nature of the lower world. A670
• Hell. Lower world of torment. A671
• Hell located to the north. A671.0.1
• Other locations for hell. A671.0.1.1
• Creation of hell. A671.0.2
• Fire in hell. Christ created fire in hell from his blood; formerly hell was cold. A671.0.2.1
• Entrance to cave as gate to hell. A671.0.3
• Hell confused with fairy land. A671.0.4
• Size and arrangements of hell. A671.0.5
• Doorkeeper of hell. A671.1
• Horrible sights in hell. A671.2
• Serpents in hell. A671.2.1