Motif
Life bound to a combustible token
life_bound_to_a_combustible_token
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.
2 occurrences
2 traditions
greek
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The House of Atreus; Being the Agamemnon, the Libation Bearers, and the Furies AGAMEMNON / DRAMATIS PERSONAE / THE LIBATION-BEARERS / DRAMATIS PERSONAE; lines 3586-3728 confidence: high
The chorus cites Althea, who rekindled the brand linked by the Fates to the life and death of her son from the time of his birth.
Althea’s son is said to share life and death with a brand whose burning was interrupted at his birth and later rekindled.
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roman
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The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV BOOK THE EIGHTH. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 899-983 confidence: high
The fable summary states that Diana, offended by Oeneus' neglect, sends a boar; Meleager leads the chase, kills it, gives its head to Atalanta, kills his uncles over the trophy, dies when Althaea burns the fate-linked torch, and his sisters are changed into birds.
Meleager's life depends on a torch received from the Fates at birth, and he dies when Althaea burns it.
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