Mythological motifs

5,822 motifs · page 8 of 30

• Adders in hell. A671.2.1.1
• Rivers of blood in hell. A671.2.2
• Rivers of poison in hell. A671.2.2.1
• River in hell filled with weapons. A671.2.2.2
• Rivers of fire in hell. A671.2.2.3
• Rivers of black water in hell. A671.2.2.4
• Four (three) rivers in hell. A671.2.2.5
• Other rivers in hell. A671.2.2.6
• Tree in hell made of living heads of the dead. A671.2.3
• The fires of hell. A671.2.4
• Sea of fire in hell. A671.2.4.1
• Islands in sea of fire in hell. A671.2.4.2
• Fiery showers in hell. A671.2.4.3
• Burning plains in hell. A671.2.4.4
• Fiery glens in hell. A671.2.4.5
• Fiery wheels in hell. A671.2.4.6
• Fiery chains in hell. A671.2.4.7
• Fiery sticks in hell. A671.2.4.8
• Fiery stones in hell. A671.2.4.9
• Fiery nails in hell. A671.2.4.10
• Fiery columns in hell. A671.2.4.11
• Swift, flaming winds in hell. A671.2.4.12
• Four fires in hell. A671.2.4.13
• Dragons in hell. A671.2.5
• Wolf in hell. A671.2.6
• Gnats in hell. A671.2.7
• Toads in hell. A671.2.8
• Scorpions in hell. A671.2.9
• Griffins in hell. A671.2.10
• Birds made of iron in hell. A671.2.11
• Lions in hell. A671.2.12
• Scratching cats in hell. A671.2.13
• Tigers in hell. A671.2.14
• Frigidity of hell. A671.3
• Coldness in hell. A671.3.1
• Rugged, icy mountains in hell. A671.3.2
• Alternate heat and cold in hell. A671.3.3
• Well in hell (Hvergelmir). A671.4
• Gate around hell. A671.5
• Beings born in hell have long bodies and cling with long nails to walls. A671.6
• Stygian river. River in lower world. In Greek myth five such rivers in Hades, Styx (hate), Acheron (mourning), Kokytus (lamentation), Lethe (forgetfulness) and Pyrephlegethon (flame). A672
• Ferryman on river in lower world (Charon). A672.1
• Charon exacts fee to ferry souls across Styx. A672.1.1
• Maiden at the bridge to hell. A672.2
• Hound of hell. Cerberus (monstrous dog) guards the bridge to the lower world. A673
• Dogs in hell. A673.1
• Cock of hell. A673.2
• Judges in the lower world. A675
• Ship of hell. A676
• Workmen and tradesmen of hell. A677
• Smith of hell. A677.1
• Miller of hell. A677.2
• In other world one room contains the dead, another contains souls of the unborn waiting to enter the wombs of women, and a third contains all the evil spirits. A678
• Sun in the underworld. A681
• Hole to lower world up which people come. A682
• Nature of the lower world – miscellaneous. A689
• Dark puddles in hell. A689.1
• Foul odor in hell. A689.2
• Hunger in hell. A689.3
• Dogs incited to devour souls in hell. A689.3.1
• Miscellaneous worlds. A690
• Islands of the blest. A692
• Overseas otherworld in the west. A692.1
• Intermediate future world. Residence for those whose good and evil deeds exactly counterbalance. A693
• Christian paradise. A694
• Christian paradise (Terra Repromissionis) corresponding to pagan Celtic otherworld (Ireland). A694.1
• Moon as next world. (Cf. A750.) A695
• World of serpents. A696
• Various Buddhist otherworlds. A697
• Brahma world. A697.1
• Tusita world. A697.2
• Years are days in Tusita world. A697.2.1
• Deva world. A697.3
• Creation of the heavenly bodies. A700
• Heavenly bodies from objects thrown into sky. The Christ Child throws mud pies into the sky and creates sun, moon, and stars. A700.1
• Heavenly bodies vomited up by creator. A700.2
• A woman has four children: sun, moon, fire, and water. A700.3
• Heavenly bodies created after the plant world. A700.4
• Sun, moon, and stars forged by smith. A700.5
• Sun and moon purchased. A700.6
• Sun, moon, and stars nourished on fire. A700.7
• Sun, moon, and darkness as god's three children. A700.8
• Creation of the sky. A701
• Creation of firmament. A701.0.1
• Origin of sky from egg brought from primeval water. A701.1
• Origin of sky from Ymir's skull. A701.2
• Nature of the sky. A702
• Sky of water. The sky consists of water. A702.1
• Sky as solid vault (tent). A702.2
• Sky supported by north star ("nail of the north") around which it revolves. (Cf. A665, A774.) A702.3
• Celestial bodies attached to a wheel in heaven around which they move. A702.3.1
• Why the sky is blue. A702.4
• Marriage of earth and sky. A702.5
• Sky measured by bird. A702.6
• Clouds as props of the sky. A702.7
• Sky is black because once raised by means of dirty stick. A702.8
• Sky immortal, changing skin like a snake. A702.9
• Angels arrange course of heavenly bodies. A703
• Origin and nature of clouds. A705
• Origin of clouds. A705.1
• Creator makes clouds from own vitals. A705.1.1
• Clouds as tapa beaten out by woman in moon. A705.1.2
• Nature of clouds (covered with skin). (Cf. A702.9.) A705.2
• Creation of the sun. A710
• Sun as man who left earth. Man, usually of supernatural birth, ascends to the sky and becomes the sun. A711
• Sun and moon as uncle and nephew who ascended to the sky. A711.1
• Sun as a cannibal. A711.2
• Originally a moon but no sun. A711.3
• Originally no sun. A711.4
• Sun as fire rekindled every morning. A712
• Moon from light, sun from fire. A712.1
• Sun and moon from cave. A713
• Sun and moon from belly of a fish. A713.1
• Sun from object thrown into sky. A714
• Sun and moon placed for eyes in the sky. A714.1
• Sun and moon placed in top of tree. Hero makes the sun and moon and fastens them to the top of the "World Tree" (cf. A652), but they give no light at first. A714.2
• Sun from fire flung into sky. A714.3
• Sun and moon metal mirrors in sky. A714.4
• Sun as grindstone full of fire. A714.5
• Sun and moon as spangle which falls from creator's forehead into his own urine. A714.6
• Sun and moon as eyes of Rama which he tore out after his brother's death. A714.7
• Wooden circles that were the sun and moon animated after human sacrifice of blood. A714.8
• Sun born of first couple. A715
• Sun and moon born from a woman. A715.1
• Sun and moon born from a goddess impregnated by the wind. A715.2
• Sun and moon born from an ogre. A715.3
• Sun and moon from breasts of mother earth. (Cf. A401.) A715.4
• Sun as offspring of moon. A715.5
• Sun and moon born of lizard. A715.6
• Dispute at creation of sun. God and devil discuss creation. God plans two suns; devil persuades him to create only one. A716
• Four suns at first: culture hero shoots three down. A716.1
• Hero makes sun and moon from tree and sends them alternately into sky. A717
• Hero makes sun and moon from tree and vivifies them with blood of creator's son. A717.1
• Sun from transformation. A718
• Sun from head of youth offered in sacrifice. A718.1
• Sun and moon as divine bodies of gods. A718.2
• Sun from fruit kernels thrown into water of flood. A718.3
• Sun from transformed maggots. A718.4
• Creation of sun – miscellaneous. A719
• Sun emerges from lake. A719.1
• After world catastrophe, new sun reappears and starts new epoch. A719.2
• Sun created on fourth day of creation. A719.3
• Nature and condition of the sun. A720
• Formerly seven suns. A720.1
• Formerly great heat of sun causes distress to mankind. A720.2
• Sun kept in box. A721
• Sun and moon kept in pots when they do not shine. A721.0.1
• Sun shut up in pit. A721.0.2
• Sun kept in a case. A721.0.3
• Theft of sun. The sun, which is kept by a monster, is stolen and brought to earth. A721.1
• Sun swallowed and spit out. In theft of sun, the raven (or devil) thus succeeds. A721.2
• Great darkness due to awk swallowing the sun. A721.2.1
• Stolen sun restored to sky. A721.3
• Pale sun made right again by using egg, yellow grass, etc. A721.4
• Sun falls but is lifted back to sky and tied to it. A721.5
• Sun's night journey. Around or under the earth. A722
• Sun's night journey in golden goblet. Helios' chariot is conveyed eastward at night in a golden goblet (or bed). A722.1
• Sun's night journey with reversed face. It returns from west to east by the same way that it came, but it turns its light side to the sky and leaves the earth in darkness. A722.2
• Sun's night journey: in land of dead. A722.3
• Sun at night closes doors. In evening goes home and shuts doors and windows. A722.4
• Sun at night lowers arm. The sun, a man, lies with arm uplifted. The shining comes from his armpits. When his arm is lowered the shining ceases. A722.5
• Sun bathes in stream of fire at night. A722.5.1
• Sun led through stream to cool off heat at night; otherwise might consume earth. A722.5.2
• Sun hidden at night because afraid to wander. A722.6
• Mountain where sun goes through. A722.7
• Sun at night enters fissure between sky and earth. A722.7.1
• Sun sits on back of a male buffalo. A722.8
• At dawn sun comes to play with the moon. A722.9
• Sun and moon to remain half their time in underworld. A722.10
• Sun worships God by night. A722.11
• Visible sun is the "pet" of real sun. A722.12
• Sun is man during day. A722.13
• Boat of the sun. A723
• Chariot of the sun. A724
• Charioteer of the sun. Sun drives his horses and chariot across sky. A724.1
• Coyote rides with sun. A724.1.0.1
• Phaëton. Sun entrusts his chariot to another (his son) and the horses run away. The world is almost burnt up. A724.1.1
• Chariot of sun accompanied by angels. A724.1.2
• The sun a golden bowl on the rim of which sits a peacock; both bowl and peacock are in a crystal box, which rests on a flying chariot. A724.2
• Man controls rising and setting of sun. A725
• Sun does not set for a year through power of saint. A725.1
• Daily course of sun across sky. A726
• Sun and moon make daily tour under direct orders of God. A726.1
• Wings of sun. A726.2
• Raising the sun. Originally low, it is raised little by little by conjurors. A727
• Sun originally so hot that it threatens all life. A727.1
• Sun caught in snare. A728
• Sun-snarer: burnt mantle. A boy is angered because the sun burned his mantle. He makes a snare and catches the sun and delays him so that everything is burning up. A mouse finally gnaws the snare in two. A728.1
• Sun-snarer: fast sun. The sun goes too fast to dry clothing. The hero snares the sun's legs with a rope as he is climbing up from the underworld. He releases the sun upon the promise to go more slowly. A728.2
• Sun visits earth in form of black bull, caught by man, thus causing night. A728.3
• Sun and moon carried through sky by animals. Speed depends upon hour and season. A728.4
• Sun as king of sky and earth. A731
• Sun sits on throne. A731.1
• Crown of the sun. A731.2
• The sun's animals. A732
• Cattle and sheep of the sun. 350 of each (= days and nights of the lunar year). A732.1
• Horse of the sun. A732.2
• Slave shoots arrow into leg of sun's horse. A732.2.1
• Heat and light of the sun. A733
• Why sunlight is so much stronger than moonlight. A733.1