Linked Motifs

Motif	Name	Description
b36	Creatures acquire their physical traits	Birds, fish, reptiles, mammals intentionally or by chance are smeared with colorful substances or divide among themselves parts of somebody's body thus acquiring their present characteristics
b37	Creatures are made appear as they are now	Person decorates different birds (rare: fish), share fat between anomals. Since then, the corresponding species acquire present characteristics
b3a	Primeval waters	Water is the original element, the dry earth appears later
b4	The fished out earth	Islands or continent are fished out of the ocean or pulled to their present place by rope
b77	Primeval sky close to earth	Originally the sky was close to the earth, then it has risen up
b77a	Giant pushed the sky up	One or several (animal)-persons push sky up to its present height
d4a	Theft of fire	Fire is stolen from its original owner or brought back to the people from somebody who had stolen it before
e35	Webbed fingers	First people or people made by Creator's rival were imperfect, not completely anthropomorphic (often: had webbed fingers)
e5a	Mankind ascends from the underworld	The first people (or only the first men or the first women) are not created but come to earth from the underworld (from a cave) or from a small enclosure under the earth or on its surface (tree trunk, rock, gourd, etc.). Many people of both sexes and of different ages or people and different species of animals come out together
f45b	Conception from the Sun	A woman gives birth to a son after being impregnated by the sun(shine) or sun(beam)
f86	Conditional signal	Person summons with a certain signal a non-human being (usually his or her sexual partner or his or her protégé). Another person spies, uses the same signal or pronounces the same words and kills the being who comes to him (or uses this being sexually himself)
f86a	An eaten up pet	Person take care for a fish, crab or other small creature. Another person spies on him or her, kills the pet and eats it up or try to do it
h12	The alive person comes to the land of the dead after somebody’s death	The alive person comes to the land of the dead to bring back somebody who has recently died (besides stories about shamans who journey to the other world to bring back the soul of a sick person) or, having no particular aim, goes there in company of somebody who had recently died or following his or her tracks
h13	Dead person is returned and revives	Person comes to the land of the dead and brings back somebody who has recently died or brings his remains. The dead one becomes alive and lives normal life (for some time)
i35	Dragging a hide produces thunder	Thunder is produced by dragging behind a dry animal skin or (rare) a person (rare) or by shaking clothes
i36	Thunder and lightning are relatives, spouses or in-laws	Thunder and lightning (two thunders, two lightings) are close relatives, spouses or in-laws
i72	Stars are people	Stars are people, ghosts, anthropomorphic beings (interpretations of unique star objects like Venus or Polaris as persons not considered)
j23	A late son kills monsters	People (elder brothers, elder siblings, elder sister) disappear (one by one). A lonely woman has a baby or finds a baby or she becomes pregnant magically and gives birth to a boy or twins. The boy grows up, exterminates the antagonists, usually revives and releases those who had disappeared
j23c	Youngest brother kills monsters	People (elder brothers, elder siblings, elder sister) disappear (one by one). A lonely woman has a baby or finds a baby or she becomes pregnant magically and gives birth to a boy. The boy grows up, exterminates the antagonists, usually revives and releases those who had disappeared
j28a	Truth about father	Hero asks how one of his parents died and receives a series of false answers. Usually he successively exposes himself to the same dangers, survives and thus demonstrates that truth is still concealed from him
j57	Son of the Sun	A virgin girl is impregnated by the Sun and gives birth to a son or twin boys. When her son (or the twins) grows up, he (they) comes to his father
k10	Fight with the monstrous bird	Monstrous bird (giant bat) predates on humans. Heroes fight with it
k12	Woman is lost and returned	By trick or by force, a rival or adversary kidnaps hero's wife or bride. The man gets her back
k176	A man in search of the woman	A (young) man sets off to find or to return his bride or his wife
l42	Hero carried to ogre’s home	An ogre or ogress catches a person and brings him to his or her home where he or she plans to cook and eat him. The hero escapes
l52	Hero escapes from top of a tree	Hero hides in a tree from an ogre. Before the ogre gets to fell the tree, the hero flies away or a bird helps him to escape
l65b3	The escape on the tree	Persons climbs a tree and thanks to this escapes from a demon (who usually tries to fell the tree)
m39b1	Paddling in both directions	Persons sitting in a canoe paddle in opposite directions and the canoe does not move
m5a	Passengers of the sinking canoe	Small animals ride a canoe, it sinks, all try to save their lives in their own way
m5b	The ungrateful passenger	An animal (often the rat) who cannot swim well is brought to the shore by another one but pays him with ingratitude
m5c	The hairy octopus	The octopus or star-fish was covered with hair but the rat had eaten it up
m81d	Blind persons cured	A man comes across (often in the sky) one or two blind persons and cures their eyes

Similar traditions based on Cosmology and Etiology motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition: Tonga
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition: Samoa
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Tikopia, Bellona, Rennell, partly Aneytium, Futuna (=Erronan, not to be mixed with Futuna in Western Polynesia), Vaeaka-Taumato, incl Matema, Nifeloli, Nukapu, Nupani, Pileni
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), Nauru, Banaba (Ocean island)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Maori, Moriori (Chatam Islands)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Paresi
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Eastern Arunachal Pradesh: Abor (incl Minyong, Shimong, Padam, Pasi, Panggi), Apa Tani (Apatani), Bori, Bugun, Dafla (=Nyishi, Nisi, Nishing, incl Tagin), Gallong (=Galo, Adi), Mishmi
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: North Alaskan Inupiat
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Chacobo

Similar traditions based on Adventures and Tricks motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 8 Tradition: Tuvalu (Ellice)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 6 Tradition: Ulithi, Ngulu
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition: Ontong Java, Nukumanu, Takuu, Nukuria
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Samoa
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Southern Cook Islands: Mangaia, Rarotonga, Atiu, Iatutakim Pukapuka, Tubuai (=Austral Islands, incl Rapa)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition: Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), Nauru, Banaba (Ocean island)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Ponape, Ngaik, Mwoakil (Mokil), Kusaie (Kosrae)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Shipibo, Conibo, Setebo
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Bella Coola (Nuxalk)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Sechelt (incl Sisiatl), Squamish, Halcomelem