Motif family
Soul Loss and Restoration
A soul, life-force, or vital double is lost, stolen, wandering, or displaced and must be found, hunted, recalled, or ritually restored to heal or revive a person.
19 traditions
78 occurrences
78 mapped motifs
7 sub-families
- amazonian
- andamanese
- arctic inuit
- australian aboriginal
- comparative
- confucian
- daoist
- estonian
- gnostic
- greek
- greek roman
- hawaiian
- islamic
- native american northwest coast
- native american plains
- navajo
- shan
- sufi
- zuni
Conserved neighbors: afterlife passage · shapeshifter · sacred knowledge · death and transformation · divine intervention
Sub-families · the next landing down
Dream and Sleep Soul Departure
4 motifs
- detained sleeper’s soul causing illness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Dream-spirit loss, capture, and recovery 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- Sleep as temporary taking of the soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
Death-Linked Soul Taking and Fatal Loss
4 motifs
- Capture or loss of personal spirit causing death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- Death-sleep custody of souls 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- Soul-taking at night and at death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
- treasure quest threatens death or soul-loss 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
Hostile Soul Seizure, Detention, and Release
5 motifs
- demonic robbery of souls 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- gnostic
- release of bound soul powers by divine aid 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- gnostic
- Servitor spirit sent to seize a personal spirit 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- Soul abduction or loss caused by spirits 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul trapped or detained by hostile beings or human specialists 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
Soul Loss as Illness and Therapeutic Restoration
5 motifs
- healing of the fallen soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- Restoration of body, mind, voice, senses, and movement 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- navajo
- spirit-agent illness and ritual extraction cure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- stolen soul used as substitute cure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Sudden bodily affliction in a liminal tomb setting 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- daoist
Soul Recall, Retrieval, and Return to the Body
7 motifs
- Hunting and restoring a lost soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- near-death threshold and recall of the spirit 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- recall and recovery of lost soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- re-entry into the body through an extremity 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hawaiian
- ritual detention or recovery of a departing soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Ritual retrieval and return of the missing soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Ritual specialist returns soul to body through head, forehead, mouth, or heart 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
Soul Transfer, Possession, and Transmigration
3 motifs
- soul departure and body possession 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- zuni
- Soul transfer into another body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Transmigration of an ancient law-giver’s soul into a later leader 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- sufi
Material, Object, and Tree-Mediated Soul Restoration
3 motifs
- deprivation and restoration of a shared sense-object 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek roman
- Lost soul recovered in visible or material form 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Tree as site or medium of soul detention and restoration 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
Not yet placed in a sub-family
48 motifs
- Abduction or hiding of a separable soul by spirits 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Absent spirit explaining madness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- Bird-soul lured or detained by food 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Body made of elements with a wandering seat of life 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- shan
- calling back and naming the dead 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Calling back the departed spirit 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- calling back the soul after death 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Calling back the soul from a dark region 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- calling back the soul with personal or rank-specific clothing 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- calling back the soul with the deceased's garment 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Calling back the spirits of the dead with arrows 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- capture of the soul as a fortified citadel 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- greek
- dream as soul departure 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- andamanese
- Dream-soul departure through the mouth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- Dream-soul or double leaves the body 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- andamanese
- elevated and directional soul-calling 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Externalized soul travels while body remains 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american northwest coast
- Hunting souls 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Illness caused by dream or soul absence 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- andamanese
- illness or death caused by absence of the soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Loss and recovery of self 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american plains
- Lost soul sought and restored to a sick person 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Proper place for recalling the spirit after death away from home 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- Protection of a captured soul during ritual transport 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Replacement familiar restores health 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- australian aboriginal
- Ritual prevention of soul escape 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- ritual recovery and reintegration of a lost soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Ritual recovery or recall of a patient’s soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- ritual specialist controls transfer of a dead person's soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- shamanic diagnosis and removal of soul attachments 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- Sleep or dream as risky soul projection 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Sneezing as dangerous soul escape 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- amazonian
- soul-abduction, recall, transmigration, and external soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul-calling after death on official mission 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- confucian
- soul capture by offended animal people 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american northwest coast
- soul capture or detention by spirits and sorcerers 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul captured, detained, or lured by the dead or spirits 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul detention by spirits causing illness 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul leaving the body in animal or insect form 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Soul restoration followed by dismissal 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- soul-stealing murderer 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- Soul theft causing death unless magically reversed 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- soul theft causing illness and recoverable by a magician 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- arctic inuit
- spirit capture by nets 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- andamanese
- Suspected soul swallower inverted to release the soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- tree-associated soul custody and restoration 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- visible or tangible lost soul 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- comparative
- Water as possible carrier of a missing soul 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.