Motif family
Sacred Substance and Divine Intoxication
Sacred food, drink, plants, potions, and consciousness-altering substances used in ritual, myth, or mystical practice. Includes soma, the mead of poetry, wine, kykeon, manna, ambrosia, sacred honey, divine nectar, ritual feasting, and forbidden fruit as substance.
45 traditions
324 occurrences
319 mapped motifs
11 sub-families
- afro caribbean
- amazonian
- arctic inuit
- arthurian
- australian aboriginal
- biblical
- buddhist
- celtic irish
- celtic welsh
- christian apocrypha
- comparative
- confucian
- daoist
- egyptian
- estonian
- finnish karelian
- germanic
- gnostic
- greek
- greek roman
- hindu
- inuit
- islamic
- islamicate folklore
- japanese
- jewish christian
- jewish pseudepigrapha
- khoisan south african
- mesopotamian
- nahua
- nahua maya inca
- native american northwest coast
- native american plains
- native american southeast
- native american southwest
- navajo
- norse
- persian
- roman
- romanian
- shan
- slavic
- sufi
- zoroastrian
- zuni
Conserved neighbors: sacred knowledge · sacrifice · sacred exchange · mystical quest · death and transformation
Sub-families · the next landing down
Miraculous Provision and Abundance
13 motifs
- inexhaustible food supply 2 occurrences · 2 traditions
- japanese
- sufi
- cosmic abundance gathered to one place 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- miraculous abundance of sacred fruit 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- miraculous drink filling empty vessels 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Miraculous food and water provision 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- miraculous inexhaustible provider 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- Miraculous or divine provision of food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Miraculous provision for a wandering community 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Miraculous provision in wilderness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Pastoral abundance through honeyed waters and flowing milk 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- ritual abundance and communal feeding 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- rivers of blessed abundance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Wonder-animal as drink-provider 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
Divine Food, Nectar, Milk, and Immortality
10 motifs
- Cosmic nourishment by milk-giving animal 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- divine nectar 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hindu
- divine nourishment sustains a hero before battle 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Female provider sustains warriors with milk and healing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- heavenly banquet or food as sign 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- immortality substance withheld and destroyed 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- Paradisal food resembling earthly food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- rejuvenating food preserves divine youth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Unfailing otherworldly food and drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- youth-renewing divine food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
Banquets, Wedding Feasts, and Brewing
6 motifs
- Conjured banquet before feasting 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- failed trial ingredients before successful brewing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Feast drink prompting communal song 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- magical wedding-feast provisioning objects 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- moderate communal feast with hymns to the gods 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Origin of brewing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
Wine, Consolation, and Mortality
10 motifs
- drink wine in response to mortality 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- improvised intoxicating drink as relief during captivity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
- wine as answer to mortality and sorrow 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Wine as antidote to worldly grief 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Wine as consolation and challenge to piety 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- wine as consolation and contested sacred pleasure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- wine as present-tense spiritual or poetic focus 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Wine as relief from existential misery or memory 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- wine counsel in a transient world 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- wine-cup against grief over possession and lack 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Drinking, Social Disorder, and Religious Dispute
9 motifs
- ascetic discipline undone by pleasure and wine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- contested sacred wine imagery 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- demon obstructing communication and expelled by wine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- divine foreknowledge used to defend forbidden or disputed drinking 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Intoxicant as cause of social and ritual disorder 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- intoxicant as precious but reputation-damaging force 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Intoxication-mediated reconciliation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- mythic exemplum of drunken transgression and punishment 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- precious intoxicating goods beyond ordinary exchange 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Enchanted Foods and Potions Causing Binding, Sleep, and Forgetting
11 motifs
- ingestion transfers qualities of the consumed being 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- magic drink causing forgetfulness of a beloved 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- angelic bearer offers transformative drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- binding underworld food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Enchanted drink causing sleep at a feast 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Food of the otherworld binds the eater 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- hospitality as trap through enchanted food or drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- magic potion leading to unwanted marriage 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- ritual forgetting as cure for love and jealousy 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Sleep induced by sacred plant-bearing deity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- sorrow-banishing drug mixed into communal wine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
Healing, Antidotes, and Protective Substances
6 motifs
- divine helper provides protective antidote before magical trial 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- healing by costly magical ointment 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic welsh
- healing magic applied to battle wounds 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Healing substance as divine provision 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- protective magical plant supplied by a divine helper 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- ritualized healing with water, herbs, milk, washing, and wound extraction 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
Possession, Inspiration, and Revelry
5 motifs
- intoxication as spirit possession or inspiration 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- deity incarnate in the intoxicated votary 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Poetic inspiration mediated by divine beings and sacred water 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- sacred tree substance inducing inspiration 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- wild revelry in a god's retinue 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
Animal Helpers and Sacred Animal Parts
2 motifs
- Animal helper obtains magical ingredient 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Animal part as sacred food, luck object, divinatory object, or token 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
Alchemical, Saintly, and Posthumous Substance Transformations
3 motifs
- alchemical transformation through the grape 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- posthumous intoxication from buried remains 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Saintly transformation of harmful substance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Wine as Blood and Ruby
2 motifs
- wine as blood of divine enemies 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Wine or vine as ruby-like outpouring 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Not yet placed in a sub-family
242 motifs, showing the 60 most attested
- Enjoy life before death 2 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- agricultural fertility and sacred food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- nahua
- Alchemical transmutation by wine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- allegorical marriage to the vine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- persian
- Ambrosia conferring liberation from death and rebirth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- ambrosial divine nourishment restores vigor 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Angel as bearer of a darker drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- animal-body substances as remedies and charms 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- Animal-derived medicine enables ordeals 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american northwest coast
- Animated beer summons heroic drinkers 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- Banquet drink causing loss of speech and sleep 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- bewitching drink and induced sleep 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
- bird associated with obtaining or transmitting sacred drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- blood tasting to avert illness and death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- Breathing a divine power portion into the soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- gnostic
- captive wife secretly restores strength with forbidden drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
- carpe diem drinking before absence and death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Celestial steeds sustained by ambrosia 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- Cheek-held or inhaled substance producing endurance or bodily alteration 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- clan-linked origin or possession of tobacco 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american northwest coast
- Coercive burning threat to obtain a potent drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Collection and preservation of ritually charged substances 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american southwest
- communal feast song prompted by sacred or wondrous drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- finnish karelian
- communal transformation of wild seed into cakes 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- Compound preparation of plant stimulants or narcotics 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- Convivial enjoyment before the final draught 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Counter-food cure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Coveted concealed ointment more desired than treasure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
- Cup, lip, and heavenly wine imagery 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Cup or wine associated with loss 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- cup used to drown existential memory 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Curative and ceremonial use of psychoactive substances 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- Dangerous consumption producing madness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- dangerous divine intoxicant 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- nahua
- dangerous substance withheld from an unsafe recipient 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- afro caribbean
- deferred healing or salvation substance from a sacred tree 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- christian apocrypha
- Demonic origin of corn-brandy 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Destruction or obstruction of wine and joy 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- destructive by-product of churning a life substance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Destructive goddess restrained by intoxicating drink 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- Dionysian revel as poetic-divine inspiration 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- persian
- Dionysian reveling retinue 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- Divine bodily substance 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- divine body as source of life and fertility 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- divine body as sustaining grain and bread 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- Divine consecration of decisive ritual food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- Divine cup-bearer serving immortals 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- divine food as transformative reward 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- Divine nourishment of a sacred body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- buddhist
- divine nourishment replacing human need 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- daoist
- divine nourishment sustains a mortal hero before battle 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Divorce from faith and reason; marriage to the vine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Draught of forgetfulness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- drink causing forgetfulness of jealousy 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Drink followed by sleep and an overpowered encounter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- Drink-induced forgetfulness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- drink while alive because the dead do not return 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
- Eating animal flesh transmits animal nature or condition 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- Eating earth in ritual tasting of soil 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- nahua maya inca
- Eating or applying body parts to acquire qualities 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
Each motif link opens its evidence page: every tagged passage with its quote, and a path into the book where the passage lives.