Motif family
Primordial Sacrifice and Dismemberment
The cosmos created through the death, sacrifice, or dismemberment of a primordial being whose body becomes the world.
19 traditions
37 occurrences
37 mapped motifs
10 sub-families
- afro caribbean
- celtic irish
- celtic welsh
- christian apocrypha
- estonian
- finnish karelian
- greek
- hindu
- inuit
- islamic
- mesopotamian
- native american southeast
- native american southwest
- norse
- persian
- roman
- shan
- zoroastrian
- zuni
Conserved neighbors: cosmic origin · sacrifice · death and transformation
Sub-families · the next landing down
World Made from a Primordial Body
5 motifs
- cosmic person whose body is the world 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Cosmos fashioned from a primordial giant's body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- world fashioned from a primordial being's body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- world fashioned from a primordial body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- World fashioned from body of slain primordial giant 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
Celestial Features from a Divided Body
3 motifs
- celestial placement of a slain giant's eyes 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Creation of heaven from a divided slain body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- mesopotamian
- Dismembered demon body becomes celestial features 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- zuni
Bodies Altering Landscapes and Producing Vegetation
5 motifs
- Animal body transformed into landscape 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- Body altering the landscape 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- body as landscape shaper 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- landscape formed from transformed body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- vegetation growing from the body of an ancient figure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
Beings and Species from a Primordial Body
4 motifs
- beings emerge from a slain monster's body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Creation of a race from primordial body and earth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Generation of beings from a primordial body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Species origin from dismembered giant body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- zuni
Rivers and Cosmic Waters from Body Division
2 motifs
- Blood forming a river 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Containment of cosmic waters after body-division 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- mesopotamian
Marine Animals from Severed Body Parts
3 motifs
- Cutting hand or fingers releases or produces sea animals 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
- Origin of marine animals from severed body parts 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
- Origin of sea mammals from severed body parts 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
Human Beauty from a Destroyed Body's Remains
1 motifs
- Origin of human beauty from a destroyed body's remains 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- afro caribbean
Body Mark Memorializing a Primordial Condition
1 motifs
- body mark as memorial of primordial condition 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
Abraham as Primordial Monotheist Ancestor
1 motifs
- Abraham as primordial monotheist ancestor 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
Not yet placed in a sub-family
12 motifs
- Communal schism as dismemberment of a sacred body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- christian apocrypha
- cosmic body substance as creative material 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
- deity divided into multiple parts 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- earth created from the creator's bodily residue 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
- Earth made from bodily substance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
- Giants create or embody mountains and waterways 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Landscape formed from giant body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- Mother's body as source of staple crops, misread as witchcraft 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southeast
- Primordial life-source animal slain 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- zoroastrian
- Sawn dismemberment of the royal body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- persian
- Subterranean little people formed from a giant's body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- world formed from creator's bodily substance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
Each motif link opens its evidence page: every tagged passage with its quote, and a path into the book where the passage lives.