Motif
breaking or burning the token causes death
breaking_or_burning_the_token_causes_death
A motif of the External Soul and Life-Token family, within the sub-family Fatal Attacks on External Life-Tokens and Life-Sites. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
comparative
-
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) / CONTENTS; lines 6928-6980 confidence: high
In a Norse tale, a giant says his heart is in an egg inside a duck in a well in a church on an island in a lake; the hero obtains and breaks the egg, and the giant bursts.
Eggs are broken or crushed to kill giants or beasts, while Gestr dies when the lifespan candle is kindled.
read in the book →