Motif
Accidental death of a beloved child as origin event
accidental_death_of_a_beloved_child_as_origin_event
A motif of the Cosmic Origin and Creation family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
zuni
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Zuni Folk Tales THE COYOTE AND THE LOCUST / THE COYOTE AND THE RAVENS WHO RACED THEIR EYES / THE PRAIRIE-DOGS AND THEIR PRIEST, THE BURROWING-OWL / HOW THE RATTLESNAKES CAME TO BE WHAT THEY ARE; lines 8276-8375 confidence: high
The little girl runs toward an elder sister sliding down the sand-hill; the elder sister cannot stop and rolls over her, crushing her so that she dies.
A child’s accidental death during play triggers the mourning sequence that precedes the transformation of the community.
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