Motif
Strength residing in hair
strength_residing_in_hair
A motif of the External Soul and Life-Token family, within the sub-family Hair Holding Life or Strength. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
2 occurrences
2 traditions
comparative (1) · greek (1)
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 7255-7309 confidence: high
Frazer states that in folk-tales a person’s soul or strength may be bound up with hair, and says that natives of Amboina used to think their strength was in their hair and would leave them if it were shorn.
The passage reports beliefs from Amboina, Ceram, and Zacynthus in which cutting hair removes, weakens, or diminishes strength.
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greek
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Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: A Study in Survivals INTRODUCTORY. / FOOTNOTES: / CHAPTER II. / THE SURVIVAL OF PAGAN DEITIES.; lines 3311-3387 confidence: high
The passage compares the strongest king with Aristomenes thrown into a pit and saved by eagles, notes strength residing in hair in relation to Scylla and Nisus, and identifies clay-fastened wings followed by a fall into the sea as Icarus-like.
The passage explicitly identifies the idea that a man’s strength resides in a certain hair or hairs and associates it with ancient mythology and the story of Scylla and Nisus.
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