Motif family
Curse, Blessing, and Performative Sacred Speech
Curses, blessings, oaths, vows, geasa, taboo pronouncements, adjurations, and spoken words that bind or transform through their utterance. Distinct from storytelling_as_power because the power is in the single speech act, not the narrative.
49 traditions
580 occurrences
576 mapped motifs
13 sub-families
- afro caribbean
- akan
- amazonian
- andamanese
- arctic inuit
- arthurian
- australian aboriginal
- biblical
- buddhist
- celtic irish
- celtic welsh
- christian apocrypha
- comparative
- confucian
- egyptian
- estonian
- filipino
- finnish karelian
- germanic
- gnostic
- greek
- greek roman
- hawaiian
- hindu
- hopi
- indigenous australian
- inuit
- islamic
- islamicate folklore
- japanese
- jewish christian
- khoisan south african
- mesopotamian
- native american great lakes
- native american northwest coast
- native american plains
- native american southeast
- native american southwest
- navajo
- norse
- persian
- roman
- romanian
- shan
- slavic
- sufi
- zoroastrian
- zulu
- zuni
Conserved neighbors: storytelling as power · sacred law · covenant · divine judgment
Sub-families · the next landing down
Battle, Heroic, and Trophy Vows
10 motifs
- Battle-horse oath imagery 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Battlefield vow restores heroic action 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- boastful vow to kill before sunset 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- head-taking vow as battle trophy 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- hyperbolic battle oath of bodily destruction 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- martial vow to return only with enemy's head and regalia 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Oath-bound heroic combat 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- public heroic vow before future deed 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- pursuit vow requiring immediate bloodshed 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Vow and counter-vow over a king's capture 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
Vengeance and Retribution Oaths
7 motifs
- armed vow to destroy the ally's oppressor 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- oath of revenge after loss 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- posthumous haunting and vengeance oath 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- revenge oath after kin slaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- vengeance vow after kin loss 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Vow-bound vengeance before sunset 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Vow of vengeance for a fallen king/hero 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
Fidelity, Obedience, and Secrecy Vows
11 motifs
- beloved's vow of exclusive attachment 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- binding injunction or prohibition by honour 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- broken oath and friendship before duel 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- False oath versus required obedience 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- irrevocable oath compels destructive compliance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Oath-protected secret identity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- secrecy oath under threat in household crisis 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- truth-bound promise as moral constraint 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- vow-bound hero observing paternal command 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- vow of silence until love is returned 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- widowed or bereaved vow not to remarry 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
Truce, Clemency, and Protective Service Vows
6 motifs
- champion's protection vow 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- clemency toward defeated enemies secured by oath 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- conditional cessation oath between opponents 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- oath and friendship invoked to avert combat 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Oath-bound ally promises single-shot deliverance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- protector’s vow to defend forest ascetics 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
Witness, Proof, Ordeal, and Cosmic Oaths
10 motifs
- adultery ordeal by ritual drink and oath 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- cosmic-bounds oath formula 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- cosmic oath by celestial and terrestrial signs 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- divine adjuration in a philosophical contest 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- legal failure through lack of witnesses and reliance on oath 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
- oath as decisive proof when material evidence is absent 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- oath before divine witness to test fairness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- oath witnessed by an underworld deity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Sacred waters as contest stake and oath medium 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Solemn mutual invocation to expose liars 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
Retributive and Dying Curses
7 motifs
- Bereaved mother's dying curse 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- indigenous australian
- Curse of reciprocal bereavement 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- curse placed after kin-slaying in animal form 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Ritual authority pronounces a curse for sacrilege 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- indigenous australian
- sacred-space violence and dying curse 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- slighted woman’s curse and revenge 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Wrathful sage’s curse threatened after injury 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
Lineage-Origin Curses
2 motifs
- curse producing peoples or lineages 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- dying curse creates hereditary enmity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
Taboos, Geasa, and Curse-Bound Boundaries
10 motifs
- ancestral objects triggering curse 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- challenge imposed by taboo or geis 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- curse establishes a forbidden boundary 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- cursed exile after filial or household offense 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- divine sign animal with taboo against harm 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Protected refuge created by a curse-bound boundary 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Ritual speech taboo delaying response to crisis 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Sea monster released after vow of non-return 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- social exile through touch taboo 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- taboo against touching the ground during return 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
Transformation and Reversal Curses
2 motifs
- curse transformation and delayed release 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- curse transformed into blessing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
Afflictive Curses of Mind, Fertility, and Weather
3 motifs
- cursed poetic work causing madness in readers 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- magical curse of barrenness and failed ripening 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- withheld food leads to hostile weather magic 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- indigenous australian
Curses with Deferred or Mediated Fulfillment
2 motifs
- prophetic curse of future harm to the hero 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Teacher’s curse or prayer fulfilled through disciple 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Blessings, Healing, and Protective Charms
9 motifs
- Blessing against widowhood before threatened death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Blessing of the wedding feast and community 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- deity invoked to enter and bless a song 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- healing through written sacred words dissolved in water 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- magic performed through water and spoken formula 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
- personified illness commanded to depart 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- protective cattle charm 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Protective formula after a sneeze averts a supernatural predator 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- Ritual restoration through plant, wand, and spoken formula 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
Invulnerability and Restrained Sacred Power
5 motifs
- ascetic power restrained to preserve merit 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Hidden strength caused by a curse 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- invulnerability through oaths with one omitted exception 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- nearly universal invulnerability with one overlooked exception 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- vow-bound hero made vulnerable by his own oath 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
Not yet placed in a sub-family
492 motifs, showing the 60 most attested
- boast and counter-warning before battle 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- celtic irish
- hindu
- Oath by sacred natural objects and places 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- abandoned ruler's curse on a departing hero 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Abandoning a hunt after frightening supernatural or unusual speech 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american plains
- Abducted daughter held by fiends after parental curse 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Accidental invocation through an exclamation-name 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Accursed war message consigned to water and destroyed 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- Act of Truth turns back destructive fire 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- All-seeing sun as oath witness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- Ancestral names transmitted through blessing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- jewish christian
- Anger and speech as world-burning fire 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- angry spoken spell causes immediate supernatural removal 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- animal adversary’s death-threat fulfilled 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- animal cursed by Sun 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- khoisan south african
- Annihilation or dissolution of hostile powers by sacred utterance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- gnostic
- anointed proclamation of liberation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- biblical
- Anti-poison incantation controlling stinging creatures 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- armed vow to defend against unjust judgement 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Ascetic curse as punitive transformation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Ascetic curse causing bodily and social transformation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Ascetic curse transforms landscape into wasteland 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Authoritative adjustment of ritual speech 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- authoritative ritual word compelling an object 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- authorized speech before a sacred assembly 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- avenger bound by a temporary taboo 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Avoidance names for dangerous prey animals 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- Battle attendant uses reproach and praise to intensify the hero 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Beast rebirth as oath penalty 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- Beauty-happiness blessing vocabulary 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- betrayed hero's deathbed speech 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- binding geis as obligation or prohibition 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Binding injunction or taboo-like prohibition 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Binding obligation by geasa during crisis 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Binding pledge and surety obligation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- binding royal oath imposes marriage to first beggar 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- Binding taboo or geis-like compulsion 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Blessing and prayer over Israel after sacred service 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- biblical
- Blessing breaks demonic musical materials 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Blessing conveyed by ritual gesture 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american great lakes
- Blessing in all directions with pollen-road homecoming 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- blessing-mediated prosperity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- jewish christian
- Blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- jewish christian
- Blessing of hair requested from a ruler 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- Blessing repels or excludes from Baba Yaga’s house 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- blessing versus curse under communal pressure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- christian apocrypha
- blood curse founding inherited enmity between peoples 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood demanding vengeance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- Blood-drinking revenge threat 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- blood-feud vengeance oath restrained and deferred 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- blood-runic curse placed on an object 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Blood-stanching incantation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- boast and counterboast before single combat 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- persian
- Broken verbal condition causes separation from beloved 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- Call-and-response ceremonial prayer recitation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- Call-and-response ritual prayer 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- captives immobilized by binding enchantment 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- celestial witness to oath-sincerity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Ceremonial prayer as song or chant 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southeast
- Charm uttered with accompanying hand gesture 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- child summoned for last sight and dying blessing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
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