C24. The world is in danger of falling. .14.27.46.66.68.70.
Someone gnaws or cuts the support of heaven or earth; some creatures try to break the barrier that separates their world from the human world; if the work is finished, people will die.
Moroccan Berbers (Reef), Kabilas, Egyptian Arabs, Greeks, Macedonians, Romanians, Sheyens, Kashinahua, Kayabi, Kayapo, Apinaye.
North Africa. The Berbers of Morocco (Reef): Coon 1931:155-156 [Dwarfs as tall as two years old live underground, old from birth, naked, humpback; they dig access to earth every day to destroy people and live on earth instead of them; every night they say that there is not much left, they must rest; during the night, the move falls asleep with earth; this is because they don't say In sh'a Allah; if they guess to say, they'll finish the work, will destroy people], 156 [these hajuj u majuj dwarfs live in the east behind an iron wall; if they break into our world, they will destroy people]; kabila [the earth rests on the horns of a bull, if it moves, the world will die; there are 7 layers of earth and 7 heavens; our layer is fifth from below, there are two more above; on the lower layer there are tiny creatures hatching from ant larvae; they are angrier and smarter than even ants; they grow there the tree, if it falls, these creatures will crawl to the ground and everything will die; they gnaw on the tree and almost gnaw through the trunk in the evening, but go to rest, and during the night the trunk becomes intact again]: Frobenius 1921a, No. 13: 83-84; Egyptian Arabs: El-Shamy 1980, No. 24:139 [Alexander built a wall against Gog and Magog; they lick it at night to make a hole, but after sunrise the wall is restored], 273 [ the wall is restored weekly after Friday prayers].
The Balkans. Greeks: El-Shamy 1980 (written by a 20-year-old student in Egypt who heard this from his Greek mother on Fr. Leros; there is no such story in Egypt) [the earth rests on a huge tree trunk; small evil creatures Kalikanzaroi try to cut it down all year to laugh at how the earth will fall; but every year before Christmas they go out to the ground to have fun, at which time the felling overgrows]: 273; Krappe 1938 [callicantzari demons chew on a pole or tree; by the end of the year, the pole is almost ready to fall, but demons are summoned to the ground for 12 days (from Christmas to King's Day); during which time the trunk is restored]: 267; Macedonians [the earth rests on a pole for which an ox or buffalo is tied; when it it itches, earthquakes occur; the ox licks the pole, it becomes thinner, but blacksmiths hit the anvil on Spiriden and the pole recovers again]: Tsenev 2004:23; Romanians: Ciauşanu 2001 [earth support three iron, wooden or wax pillars; eagle-zgripţuroaică (zgripţuroaică - "witch") constantly gnaws at them, which leads to an earthquake; it feeds only ( millet or corn) wholemeal flour and water; after the woman has sifted the flour, she hits both sides of the dough trough with her hands and, shaking off the flour from it, says that it is eagle flour; before filling the buckets with water from the well, women pour some water into them to rinse, and then pour it out - this is water for the eagle; others put Judas Iscariot in the place of the eagle; in Valcea ( Oltenia - southwestern Romania), an angry and irritable woman is called "Judas of the Earth", Iuda Pământului; they also believe that the earth rests on fork-shaped pillars, such as barns, sheds, grain sheds, etc.]: 20-21; Rusu 2009 [water is below the ground, but the earth does not sink, because it rests on four pillars on four cardinal points; these pillars are associated with bright stars on either side horizon, you can't see all four at once; an old witch gnaws on supports, so earthquakes happen; when women wake up flour or drain the water they washed the bucket with after washing, they feed and water witch]: 89.
Plains. Sheena [in the north the ground is supported by a pole; a beaver gnaws on it; when it gnaws, the ground will fall]: Kroeber 1900, No. 8:164-165.
Montagna - Jurua. Kashinahua: Ans 1975 [heavenly people cut down tree-sky; termites heal felling; if a tree falls we will die]: 93-94; Capistrano de Abreu: 429 in Metraux 1944 [dwarfs in the sky cut down a tree -sky; thunder is the sound of their axes; ants heal felling]: 133-134.
Southern Amazon. Kayabi [brothers cut down a tree in the sky; if it falls, it would crush the ground; the deity heals the felling; after breaking the axe, the brothers throw to cut]: Pereira 1995, No. 3:39-40.
Eastern Brazil. Kayapo: Wilbert 1978, No. 1 [the tapir gnawed on the support of the sky; the gnawed one healed during the night; when it began to gnaw and at night, the support fell, a vault of heaven was formed], 2 [where there is a huge tree supports the sky, all kinds of demons and monsters live; the tapir gnaws at the trunk, the gnawed one overgrows, but people are afraid that the sky will fall someday], 144:29, 29-31, 346; apinaye [on in the east, where the sun rises, there are red-haired people; because the sun burns them, they shoot arrows at it in the morning, but turn away so that it does not burn them, so they miss; then they decided to cut down A pillar that supports the sky so that the sky collapses and the sun cannot rise; when they take a break, the felling overgrows and they start all over again]: Wilbert 1978, No. 3:31-32.