Motif-Index of Folk-Literature/Volume 1/B/800

by Stith Thompson

B800—B899. Miscellaneous animal motifs.

B800. Miscellaneous animal motifs.

B801. Elephants in folktales. *Penzer I 134.

B802. Horses in tales and legends. (Cf. B41.1, B41.2, B103, B133, B149.1, B151, B181, B811.1.) — **Howey Horse in Magic and Myth passim; *Malten Jahrb. d. Kaiserl. deutschen archäologischen Inst. XXIX (1914) 179ff.

A132.3. Horse deity. F343.9.1. Horses as fairy gifts. K2383. Tying cat to balky horse's tall to make him move. Q589.1. Horses fail when owner refuses load to saint.

B811. Sacred animals. Egyptian: Müller 159ff.; Icel.: Boberg.

A132. God in animal form. A155. Animals of the gods. B11.10.0.1. Sacrifice of animals to dragon. B100. Treasure animals. C65. Tabu: offending sacred animals. C92. Tabu: killing sacred being. Q228. Punishment for trying to harm sacred animal. V1.3. Animal worship. V10. Religious sacrifices. V134.3. Fish in water from certain well: water refuses to boil till fish are returned to well.

B811.1. Sacred horse. (Cf. B802.) — Penzer II 57 n. 1.

A132.3. Horse deity. B181. Magic horse.

B811.1.1. Helpful horses descended from heaven. India: Thompson-Balys.

B811.2. Sacred armadillo. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3). 484.

B811.3. Sacred animal: cow. India: *Thompson-Balys.

C2211.1.1.1. Tabu: killing and cooking sacred cow.

B811.3.1. Sacred buffalo. India: Thompson-Balys.

B811.3.2. Sacred bull. Jewish: Neuman.

B811.3.3. Sacred cattle of sun god. Greek myth: Grote I 313.

B811.4. Sacred cat. India: Thompson-Balys.

B811.5. Sacred swan. India: Thompson-Balys.

B811.6. Sacred fox. S. A. Indian (Chiriguano): Métraux BBAE CXLIII (3) 484.

B831. Animals try in vain to repair sleigh. They get unsatisfactory materials. — Type 158.

B841. Long-lived animals. — Frazer Pausanias IV 217; **Wesselski Archiv Orientalni IV 1ff.

A1881.0.1. Horse lives from time of Adam on. A1904. The oldest kind. B37. Immortal bird. B124.1. Salmon as oldest and wisest of animals. D1345. Magic object gives longevity. D1857. Magic longevity.

B841.1. Animals debate as to which is the elder. **Wesselski Archiv Orientalni IV 1ff.; *Baum JAFL XXX 378 ff.; India: Thompson-Balys; Korean: Zong in-Sob XXXIII No. 17; Japanese: Ikeda. — Africa (Benga): Nassau 95, 109 Nos. 5, 10, (Fang): Nassau 239 No. 7.

F571.2. Sending to the older. Old person refers inquirer to his father, who refers to his father, and so on for several generations.

B841.2. Ages of animals (birds, fish) compared with age of human beings. Irish myth: Cross.

B841.2.1. Crow lives nine generations of men, deer 36, raven 108, phoenix 972, nymphs 9720. — Frazer Pausanias IV 217.

B841.3. Dog so old his head is skinless. Eskimo (Greenland): Holm 80.

B841.4. Stags live one thousand years. Tupper and Ogle Map 4.

B842. Faithful old dog to be killed. *Type 101.

B842.1. Faithful old horse to be abandoned. German: Grimm No. 132.

B843. Immortal animals. Jewish: Neuman.

B37. Immortal bird. D1850. Immortality.

B843.1. Immortal serpent. Gaster Oldest Stories 81.

B843.2. Immortal donkey. Jewish: Neuman.

B845. Wild animals herded. *Fb "hare" IV 201a; *Type 570; Irish myth: Cross.

B575.1. Wild animals kept as dogs. D1444. Magic object catches animal. H1112. Task: herding rabbits. H1154. Task: capturing animals.

B845.1. Wild pigs kept by demigod as if domesticated. India: Thompson-Balys.

B845.2. Animals chained in couples. Irish myth: Cross.

B172.7. Magic birds chained in couples.

B846. Monkeys construct a bridge across the ocean. Penzer II 84 n. 1, 85 n.

B549.3. Dragon makes bridge across stream for holy man.

B847. Lions placed in city to prevent entrance. Penzer I 108 n. 3.

B848. Man unharmed in den of animals (Cf. B771.2.1.) — Type 403; Spanish Exempla: Keller; Jewish: *Neuman.

B848.1. The musician in the wolf-trap: meets wolf a1ready trapped, and saves himself by playing music. (Cf. K551.3.1.) — Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *168; Estonian: Aarne in FFC XXV No. 2002.

B767. Animal attracted by music.

B848.2. Girl removes dog from lion's claws without being harmed. Italian Novella: Rotunda.

B771. Animal tamed by maiden's beauty.

B852. When cow calls her calf, all cattle graze. Irish myth: Cross.

B182. Magic cow (ox. bull).

B853. Birds perch on ears of cows. Irish myth: Cross.

B854. Each of grazing herd of cows eats same amount. Irish myth: Cross.

B855. Man and bear in the rick of hay. The bear, persecuted by wolves, runs onto the hay-rick where the man was hidden, and defends himself from the wolves with bunches of hay. — Lithuanian: Balys Index No. *167.

B857. Animal avenges injury. Chinese: Eberhard FFC CXX 18 No. 9; Africa (Fang): Tessman 117f.

N261. Train of troubles for sparrow's vengence. Q211.6. Killing an animal avenged.

B870. Giant animals. (Cf. B16.1, B16.4, B15.7.12) — Coulter Trans. Am. Philological Association LVII 32ff.

B11.2.12. Dragon of enormous size. B15.3.3. Deer with giant antler. B31. Giant bird. B81.2.4. Giant mermaid cast ashore. F234.1.0.1. Fairy in form of giant animal. F531. Giant. A person of enormous size. F989.11. Animal as mighty drinker. X1200. Lie: the great animal.

B870.1. Animal extraordinarily heavy for size. Irish myth: Cross.

B871. Giant beasts.

B871.1. Giant domestic beasts.

B871.1.1. Giant cow. Irish myth: Cross.

B871.1.1.1. Giant ox. Persia: Carnoy 289; Japanese: Ikeda.

A1791. Giant ox ancestor of all animals. B182.2. Magic ox. X1237. Lie: remarkable ox or steer.

B871.1.1.1.1. Gigantic ox-rib (in otherworld). Irish myth: Cross.

F343.16. Gigantic ox-rib as gift from fairies.

B871.1.1.2. Giant bull. Irish myth: Cross; *Loomis White Magic 82.

B871.1.1.3. Giant buffalo.

G357.1. Hero overcomes devastating animal (buffalo).

B871.1.2. Giant boar. Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys.

B871.1.2.0.1. Giant boar with hinder part as large as can be carried by nine men. Irish myth: Cross.

B164. Giant devastating boar (pig).

B871.1.2.1. Giant hog. Fb "svin" III 676a.; India: Thompson-Balys; Irish myth: Cross.

B871.1.2.1.1. Gigantic hoo-rib (in otherworld). Irish myth: Cross.

F343.16. Gigantic ox-rib as gift from fairies.

B871.1.3. Giant sheep. Irish myth: Cross.

B871.1.4. Giant goat. Africa (Benga): Nassau 202 No. 32.

B871.1.5. Giant horse: hair from the tail is seven yards. Nornagests þ. ch. 7 p. 67.

B871.1.6. Giant cat. Irish myth: Cross.

B161. Monster cat devastates country.

B871.1.7. Giant dog (hound). Irish myth: Cross; Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 114, Holm 24.

B871.2. Giant wild beasts.

B871.2.1. Giant elephant. Icel.: *Boberg; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 737, II 409; Africa (Mpongwe): Nassau 37 No. 5.

B871.2.2. Giant tiger. *Chauvin VII 86 n. 7.

B871.2.3. Giant panther. *Chauvin VII 86 n. 6.

B871.2.4. Giant hippopotamus. Chauvin VII 86 n. 5.

B871.2.5. Giant lion. Malone PMLA XLIII 402f.; Irish myth: Cross.

B871.2.6. Giant walrus. Irish myth: Cross.

B871.2.7. Giant mice. Irish myth: Cross.

B16.21. Giant man-eating mice.

B871.2.8. Giant hare. Icel.: Boberg.

B871.2.9. Giant armadillo. S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 71.

B872. Giant birds.

B872.1. Giant eagle. India: Thompson-Balys.

B872.2. Giant gull. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 455, (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 195.

B872.3. Giant falcon. Eskimo (Greenland): Rasmussen III 207.

B872.4. Giant auk. Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 430.

B873. Giant insects.

B16.7. Giant man-eating ants.

B873.1. Giant louse. *Type 621; *BP III 483 (Gr. No. 212). See also all references to F983.2.

F983.2. Louse fattened. H522.1. Test: guessing origin of certain skin.

B873.2. Giant scorpion. *Chauvin VII 86 No. 373bis.; Jewish: *Neuman.

B873.3. Giant spider. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 347.

B873.4. Giant ant. Jewish: Neuman.

B874. Giant fish. *Chauvin VII 8 No. 373A n. 2; *Reinhard PMLA XXXVIII 447 n. 81; Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 40, 269f., 1014, II 29; Japanese: Ikeda. — Eskimo (Mackenzie Area): Jenness 78, (Central Eskimo): Boas RBAE VI 640, (West Hudson Bay): Boas BAM XV 539.

B11.2.1.3. Dragon as modified fish. B60. Mythical fish.

B874.1. Giant river catfish. Ladino: Conzemius BBAE CVI 130f.

B874.2. Giant eel. Irish myth: Cross.

B15.7.12. Eel with fiery mane.

B874.3. Giant whale. Irish myth: Cross; Marquesas: Handy 116.

B874.3.1. Whale cast ashore — three golden teeth and five ounces in each of these teeth. Irish myth: Cross.

B107.6. Monster (whale) with golden teeth.

B874.3.2. Giant whale cast ashore on the night of Christ's Nativity: "fifty men were on the upper parts of its head, and (there was) the limit of vision between each two of them. Such was the amount of ground which the animal occupied. Irish myth: Cross.

B81.2.4. Giant mermaid cast ashore.

B874.4. Giant salmon. Irish myth: Cross.

B874.5. Giant shark. Marquesas: Handy 110.

B874.6. Giant clam. Tahiti: Beckwith Myth 266.

B875. Giant reptiles.

B875.1. Giant serpent. *Chauvin VII 10 No. 373B n. 2; Jātaka Index s.v. "Nāga". — Icel.: MacCulloch Eddic 216f.; Norwegian: Solheim Register 17; India: *Thompson-Balys; Chinese: Werner 181; Irish myth: Cross; Missouri-French: Carrière; Jewish: Neuman; Japanese: Ikeda. — Eskimo (Greenland): Thalbitzer 5; Tonga: Gifford 178; Ladino: Conzemius BBAE CVI 169. — S. A. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 57, 59, 71.

A876. Midgard serpent. B11. Dragon. B61. Leviathan. B91.5. Sea serpent. D449.7. Transformation: brain to giant serpent. G308. Sea monster. X1321.1. The great snake.

B875.2. Giant crocodile. *Chauvin VII 86 No. 373bis n. 8; Jewish: *Neuman; Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 480. — Africa (Fang): Einstein 36f., Trilles 158.

B875.3. Giant turtle. *Chauvin VII 16 No. 373C n. 2.

B875.4. Giant tortoise. Jewish: Neuman; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 339.

B876. Giant amphibia and other animal forms.

B876.1. Giant frog. Jewish: *Neuman.

B876.2. Giant crustacean.

B876.2.1. Giant crab. Buddhist myth: Malalasekera I 249, 472; Chauvin VIII 83 No. 373bis n. 1.

B877. Giant mythical animals.

B877.1. Giant sea monster. Irish myth: Cross.

B16.9. Devastating (man-eating) sea-monster (serpent). B61. Leviathan. B91.5. Sea-serpent. G308. Sea-monster.

B877.1.1. Giant water monster attacks man. Irish myth: Cross.

B877.1.2. Giant sea monster overpowered by saint. Irish myth: Cross.

B11.11. Fight with dragon.

B877.2. Gigantic animal ("reem"). Jewish: *Neuman.

B877.3. Djun, gigantic and ferocious river animal. Africa (Fang): Trilles 186.

B878. Giant flock of animals (birds.)

B878.1. Giant flock of birds.

B878.1.1. Flock of birds so numerous that it shakes trees upon which it perches. Irish myth: Cross.