Motif
Human-animal differentiation through possession or loss of fire
human_animal_differentiation_through_possession_or_loss_of_fire
A motif of the Culture Hero and Founder family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
andamanese
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The Andaman Islanders: A Study in Social Anthropology CHAPTER V / THE INTERPRETATION OF ANDAMANESE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS: CEREMONIAL / CHAPTER VI / THE INTERPRETATION OF ANDAMANESE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS: MYTHS AND LEGENDS; lines 11157-11241 confidence: high
The story says animals and humans were originally not distinguished; after fire was discovered, some ancestors fled or were burned and became birds, beasts, and fishes, while human society formed around fire.
The stories describe an initial lack of distinction between humans and animals, followed by ancestors becoming animals when they flee, lack, or lose fire, while human society remains organized around fire.
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