Motif family
Death, Rebirth, and Transformation
The pattern of death followed by return, renewal, or transformation into a new state. Includes literal resurrection, symbolic rebirth, dying-and-rising figures, and metamorphosis through death.
107 traditions
9,284 occurrences
487 mapped motifs
- aboriginal australian
- african akan
- african bantu
- afro caribbean
- ainu
- akan
- amazonian
- andamanese
- arctic inuit
- armenian
- arthurian
- australian aboriginal
- basque
- bavili
- biblical
- buddhist
- burmese
- buryat mongol
- caucasian
- celtic
- celtic irish
- celtic welsh
- chaco amerindian
- christian
- christian apocrypha
- comparative
- confucian
- daoist
- egyptian
- ekoi
- estonian
- ethiopian christian
- fijian
- filipino
- finnic
- finnish karelian
- fjort
- ganda
- georgian
- germanic
- gnostic
- greek
- greek roman
- guiana amerindian
- hausa
- hawaiian
- hermetic
- hindu
- hopi
- inca
- indigenous australian
- inuit
- islamic
- islamicate folklore
- jain
- japanese
- jewish christian
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- khoekhoe
- khoisan south african
- kikuyu
- kimbundu
- korean
- malagasy
- malay
- mangaian
- maori
- maya
- maya quiche
- melanesian
- mesopotamian
- micronesian
- mongol
- nahua
- nahua maya inca
- native american california
- native american great lakes
- native american northeast woodlands
- native american northwest coast
- native american plains
- native american plateau
- native american southeast
- native american southwest
- navajo
- norse
- oceanic
- persian
- roman
- romanian
- samoan
- san
- shan
- shinto
- siberian
- sikh
- slavic
- sufi
- taoist
- temne
- tibetan buddhist
- tongan
- vietnamese
- xhosa
- yoruba
- zoroastrian
- zulu
- zuni
Conserved neighbors: descent · sacrifice · initiation · flood and renewal · restless dead haunting vengeance · sacred substance
This family has not yet been binned into sub-families; its mapped motifs are listed directly, most widespread first.
Mapped motifs
487 motifs, showing the 60 most attested
- Death And Rebirth 5,315 occurrences · 106 traditions
- aboriginal australian
- african akan
- african bantu
- afro caribbean
- ainu
- akan
- amazonian
- andamanese
- +98 more
- Resurrection 3,174 occurrences · 104 traditions
- aboriginal australian
- african bantu
- afro caribbean
- ainu
- akan
- andamanese
- arctic inuit
- armenian
- +96 more
- Death And Return 291 occurrences · 50 traditions
- african bantu
- andamanese
- arctic inuit
- australian aboriginal
- buddhist
- caucasian
- celtic
- celtic irish
- +42 more
- origin of death 7 occurrences · 5 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- indigenous australian
- khoekhoe
- melanesian
- native american plains
- Jataka birth-identification closure 4 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- former-birth identification of present figures 3 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- Heroic death rewarded in heaven 3 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Blessed immortality of righteous souls 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- zoroastrian
- Body part transformed into a star 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- germanic
- norse
- Death as sleep 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- germanic
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- death as transformation and rest 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- daoist
- taoist
- No return from death 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- egyptian
- germanic
- Banquet memento mori object 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- bleeding or blood-distilling plant 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Adamic dust reused by the potter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Adversary dissolved into sand and burned 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Afflicted community rebuilt with precious stones 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- biblical
- Afflicted righteous transformed into light and enthroned 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- age renewal through Medea's arts 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- ancestor transformed into stone or animal-bird form 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- nahua maya inca
- Ancestors or dead persons embodied in trees 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Ancestral origin remembered before restoration of wasteland 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- biblical
- ancient body overgrown with trees 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Animal messenger determines human mortality 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- khoisan south african
- animals originate from transformed ancestors 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- andamanese
- anticipation of future life 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Apotheosis and admission among immortals 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- apparent death after ordeal followed by renewed resistance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- apparent death followed by signs of life 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- apparent death of heroes followed by lament and signs of life 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Appeal to death by fire after disgrace 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Appeal to mother for rescue from death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- armor remains after divine transformation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Aromatic nest of the Phoenix 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- ascetic austerity explained as former-birth karma 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- Astral remnant of a beheaded deer 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- avenger from the dead person's dust 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Awakening an enchanted armored woman 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- beings return to dust and clay 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- bereaved mother petrified into a grieving rock 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- bestowal of immortality 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- birth of avengers from wounded divine blood 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- birth or generation as access to immortality 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Bleeding plant reveals a murdered dead person 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Bleeding tree reveals murdered dead 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blessed immortality after death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- Blood as cause of natural color change 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood causing transformation of a tree's fruit color 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood causing transformation or generation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood changes a plant's color 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood changes the color of a tree's fruit 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- blood etiologically changes a tree's fruit color 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood-exuding plant 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Blood-generated avenging or armed beings 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- blood gives rise to beings or substances 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Blood of bound monster becomes river 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Blood of slain magician makes red medicine tree 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southeast
- Blood of the slain god marked in landscape and flower 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- bodily restoration after injury 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- bodily return to earth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Each motif link opens its evidence page: every tagged passage with its quote, and a path into the book where the passage lives.