Motif
life bound to a vulnerable external object
life_bound_to_a_vulnerable_external_object
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
norse
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Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas CHAPTER XIV: HERMOD / CHAPTER XV: VIDAR / CHAPTER XVI: VALI / CHAPTER XVII: THE NORNS; lines 6291-6393 confidence: high
Skuld decrees that the child will live only as long as the bedside taper; the eldest Norn extinguishes the taper and gives the stump to the mother with instructions not to light it until her son is weary of life.
Nornagesta’s lifespan is linked to a taper; preservation delays death, and relighting it leads directly to his death when the flame goes out.
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