Motif-Index of Folk-Literature/Volume 1/C/500

by Stith Thompson

C500—C549. Tabu: touching.

C500. Tabu: touching. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "toucher". — Missouri French: Carrière; India: Thompson-Balys.

A1731. Creation of animals as punishment for beating forbidden drum. C32.4. Tabu: not to touch supernatural husband on visit too soon. C145. Tabu: not to touch cooking pots during menses. C181.1. Tabu: women not to touch husband's magic drum. C855.2. Tabu: allowing spear-head to touch stone. C916.2. Animals produced when forbidden drum is beaten. D565. Transformation by touching. M172. Vow never to touch money.

C501. Tabu: contact with things belonging to a king. *Frazer Golden Bough³ III passim. — Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 95, 98.

P14.7. None permitted to enter hall of king unless he possesses an art.

C510. Tabu: touching tree (plant). Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "arbres". — Jewish: Neuman; Chatham Islands: Beckwith Myth 19, Notes 10, 11, 12.

D950. Magic tree. V1.1.1. Sacred tree.

C511. Tabu: touching leaves (of tree). Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "feuilles".

D955. Magic leaves.

C512. Tabu: plucking ear of grain. Gold Coast: Barker and Sinclair 181 No. 36.

C513. Tabu: breaking twig. BP III 62f.; Hdwb. d. Märchens s.v. "Baum".

C513.1. Tabu: cutting branches of tree. Jewish: Neuman.

C514. Tabu: burning saja wood (terminalia tomentosa). — India: Thompson-Balys.

C515. Tabu: touching (plucking) flowers. Type 451; Hartland Science 200. — English-Scottish: Child I 360 n.; Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 17.

D515. Transformation by plucking flowers in enchanted garden. F301.1.1.2. Girl summons fairy lover by plucking flowers. T532.1. Conception from plucking flower.

C516. Tabu: lying under tree. Girl who does so carried off by fairies. (Cf. C520.) — English-Scottish: Child V 499 s.v. "trees" — Irish myth: Cross.

F301.1.1.3. Girl summons fairy lover by lying under tree. F320. Fairies carry people away to fairyland.

C517. Tabu: pulling nuts. English-Scottish: Child I 360 n.

F301.1.1.4. Girl summons fairy lover by pulling nuts.

C518. Tabu: cutting down tree. Jewish: Neuman; Maori: Clark 95; Tuamotu: Stimson MS (z—G 3/1174).

C518.1. Cutting elder tree fatal to man. (See C920.) — England: Baughman.

C518.2. Cutting white thorn tree fatal to man who cuts it. (Cf. C920.) Ireland: Baughman; Danish: Kristensen Danske Sagn I No. 311, Fb "hvidtjørn" I 703 a.

C519. Tabu: touching tree (plant) — miscellaneous.

C519.1. Tabu: harming tree in any way before burning it. India: Thompson-Balys.

C520. Tabu: touching ground. (Cf. C516.) Hartland Science 197. — Irish myth: Cross; Tahiti: Beckwith Myth 246; Africa (Zulu): Callaway 303.

C521. Tabu: dismounting from horse. Hartland Science 199; Irish myth: Cross.

F378.1. Tabu: touching ground on return from fairyland.

C521.1. Tabu: dismounting from magic sack. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.

C522. Tabu: plowing in certain place. Fb "plove" II 849b, "höj" I 741b. — Africa (Kaffir): Theal 30 No. 1, 41 No. 2, (Basuto): Jacottet 100 No. 15, (Zulu): Callaway 99, (Yoruba): Ellis 253 No. 4.

C523. Tabu: digging. (Cf. C522.) — N. A. Indian: Thompson Tales 332 n. 197.

C93.3. Tabu: digging in churchyard. F56.1. Sky window from digging or uprooting plant (tree) in upper world.

C523.1. Tabu: digging up certain stones. India: Thompson-Balys.

C523.2. Tabu: digging in fairy ring. England: Baughman.

F261.1. Fairy rings on grass.

C524. Tabu: disembarking from boat on return from other world. Irish myth: Cross.

F378.1. Tabu: touching ground on return from fairyland.

C525. Tabu: picking up card fallen to ground. Breton: Sébillot Incidents s.v. "cartes".

C526. Tabu: touching sacred mountain. Jewish: Neuman.

C530. Tabu: touching (miscellaneous).

C531. Tabu: touching with iron. *MacCulloch Childhood 339; Hartland Science 163f.; Fb "jærn" II 61a. — Irish myth: Cross; Jewish: Neuman; India: Thompson-Balys; Eskimo (Greenland): Holm 93.

E415.1.1. Ghost unlaid until iron he hid in life is found. F384.3. Iron powerful against fairies. F408.1. Demon occupies lance (sword). Z312.2. Giant ogre can be killed only with iron club he carries.

C531.1. Umbilical cord not to be cut with iron. India: Thompson-Balys.

C150. Tabu connected with childbirth.

C532. Tabu: touching water. Irish myth: Cross.

D877.1. Magic wishing-ring loses power by touching water.

C533. Tabu: touching box. Eskimo (Cumberland Sound): Boas BAM XV 203.

C533.1. Tabu: touching magic box. (Cf. D1174.) Africa (Ekoi): Talbot 18, 178, (Vai): Ellis 187 No. 3, (Basuto): Jacottet 220 No. 33.

C535. Tabu: stepping on bread (or otherwise misusing it). *Fb "brød" IV 74a.

C55.1. Tabu: stepping on sacred bread. C851.1. Tabu: wiping children with bread.

C536. Tabu: not to clean houses with cow-dung. India: Thompson-Balys.

C537. Tabu: touching certain animals.

C537.1. Tabu: touching camel after he has retired from work. Cyprus: Hadjioannou Kypriakoi Mythoi (Leukosia, 1948) No. 22.

C537.2. Tabu: touching hairless dog. Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 343.

C537.3. Tabu: touching horse or moving dead cat or dog. India: Thompson-Balys.

C541. Tabu: contact with the dead. Jewish: *Neuman; Eskimo (Greenland): Rink 341, 452, Rasmussen III 104.

C319.2. Tabu: seeing dead man not killed by weapons.

C541.1. Tabu: dead body not to be on ship. English-Scottish: Child I 245 n.

C541.2. Head of slain man must not be moved. Fb "hoved" I 655a.

C541.3. Tabu: touching bones of murdered person. India: Thompson-Balys.

C541.4. Tabu: lying on ancestors' bones. Lithuanian: Balys Index No. 3541.

C541.5. Tabu: taking down corpse of hanged man. India: Thompson-Balys.

C541.6. Tabu: embalming. Jewish: Neuman.

C542. Tabu: touching treasures of other world. *Krappe Balor 125 n. 17. — Icel.: Herrmann Saxo II 589; MacCulloch Eddic 321, *Boberg.

C710. Tabus connected with otherworld Journeys. F0. Otherworld Journeys. F378. Tabus connected with trip to fairyland.

C542.1. Tabu: contact with things on journey to hell. Irish myth: Cross; India: Thompson-Balys.

E391. Dead returns to life and tells of Journey to land of dead. E721.7. Soul leaves body to visit hell. F81. Descent to lower world of dead (Hell, Hades). V522. Sinner reformed after visit to heaven and hell.

C542.2. Tabu: touching fire in other world. S. Am. Indian (Toba): Métraux MAFLS XL 45.

C543. Tabu: picking up comb from ground. It belongs to fairy (witch) who will avenge insult. Scottish: Campbell-McKay No. 22 note. — Cheremis: Sebeok-Nyerges.

C544. Tabu: crushing eggs.

C544.1. Tabu: crushing lizard's eggs. Hawaii: Beckwith Myth 127.

C545. Tabu: touching certain clothes.

C545.1. Tabu: touching old clothes. (Abandoned clothes should be thrown away.) — Tahiti: Henry 143.

C545.2. Tabu: touching clothes of certain person. Eskimo (Mackenzie Area): Jenness 58.

C545.3. Tabu: touching dress. French Canadian: Sister Marie Ursule.

C546. Tabu: striking certain rock. Samoa: Beckwith Myth 19, notes 10—12.

C549. Tabu: touching (miscellaneous).

C549.1. Tabu: tiger and lion after having killed a man not to touch certain animals: cow, buffalo, pig, deer, wild goat. India: Thompson-Balys.

C549.1.1. Tabu: touching a horse or moving a dead cat or dog. India: Thompson-Balys.

C549.2. Tabu: touching soldiers of enchanted (sleeping) army and their horses. Lithuanian: Balys Historical.

E502. The sleeping army.