Motif
myth explaining a ritual or dietary custom
myth_explaining_a_ritual_or_dietary_custom
A motif of the Sacred Law and Social Order family, within the sub-family Taboo and Ritual Restriction. 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. 2 of 2) The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) / CONTENTS; lines 2971-3035 confidence: high
During the long struggle the kind giant tells the man to cut the sinew of the leg; the man cuts it, and the wicked giant falls and is slain. This is given as the reason the Indians do not eat the leg sinew.
The passage states that the sacred story explains why the Indians do not eat the leg sinew and then argues that such myths are invented to explain pre-existing customs.
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