Motif
Child stolen by wood spirits and recovered in a tree
child_stolen_by_wood_spirits_and_recovered_in_a_tree
A motif of the Otherworld and Enchanted Realm family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
comparative
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The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) PREFACE. / J. G. FRAZER. / CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY.; lines 1685-1753 confidence: medium
Examples include Pelew Islanders conjuring a tree-spirit to leave and settle elsewhere; Pádams cutting trees to recover a child believed stolen by wood spirits; Katodis worshipping a same-kind tree before felling; Galeleze sparing the last tree until its spirit goes away; Mundaris leaving sacred groves; and Miris avoiding unnecessary tree cutting.
The Pádams example states that a lost child is thought to have been stolen by wood spirits and is recovered after pressure is put on the spirits by cutting down trees.
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