Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

landscape stones as transformed beings

landscape_stones_as_transformed_beings

A motif of the Shapeshifter and Transformation family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

2 traditions

guiana amerindian (1) · native american northwest coast (1)


guiana amerindian

  • The Central Caribs GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT / THE MACUSIS1 / MATERIAL CULTURE / ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS, VOL. X; lines 2790-2892 confidence: high

    In the beginning the world was full of bad men; two brothers, Entcekerang the elder and Anike the jester, saw their evil and turned them into stones now seen on the savannah and in the mountains.

    The stones scattered on savannah and mountains are said to be the bad men transformed by the brothers.

    read in the book

native american northwest coast

  • Tsimshian Mythology Tsimshian Mythology; lines 2029-2128 confidence: high

    After returning from the north in the old raven garment, TxamsEm hosts a potlatch for monsters at a carved house, addresses them, asks them to become rocks, and says he too will become a rock; the devilfish dives away.

    The island is said to contain stones shaped like many monsters, and the raven-shaped stone of TxamsEm stands before his carved house.

    read in the book