Yu.E. Berezkin, E.N. Duvakin

Thematic classification and distribution of folklore and mythological motifs by area

Analytical catalogue

Introduction
Bibliography
Ethnicities and habitats

D4D. The opossum produces fire. 47.48.51.52.

The

opossum makes fire for humans. See D4A motif.

Southeast USA. Choctaw [when the first people come out of the ground, they're like they're wearing cocoons; the Great Spirit sends someone to unfold them, straighten their dicks; someone in the east owns the fire; the possum comes and sets fire his fluffy tail; he is caught, his tail becomes naked; the same is with Vulture; he put coals on his head, bald, his skin turned red; the raven tried on by the fire for a long time, turned black, hoarsened with smoke; Spider Grandmother brought fire in a clay vessel; the bear wanted to take it for himself, burned his paws; people took the fire, began to decorate their homes with ornaments denoting spider legs and fire]: Cushman? (http://www/earthbow/com/native/choctaw/spider.htm).

California. Salinan: Mason 1918:83 [there was no fire; Opossum ran to its owners, set fire to his fluffy tail, brought fire; the tail remained naked], 107 [Falcon's mother-in-law wants to destroy him, brings the sea; it starts to rain, it gets dark; the Falcon asks Martin to fly higher, he sees fire in the distance; the Opossum goes there, sets fire to the tail, runs, the fire goes out; the plantain cuckoo (Roadrunner) brings fire , putting it by the cheek, but eating it; Martin brings fire in his beak].

NW Mexico. Huichol; bark [Iguana man owned fire; brought little meat from hunting, so his wife (daughter of the Sun) and mother-in-law (Earth) drove him away; he rose to heaven, became the Morning Star, took him away fire; the first ancestors sent the Raven, then the Hummingbird, they did not get fire; the Opossum stole the fire while the Star was sleeping, threw it on the ground; the Star nailed it with a stick, but the Opossum came to life; the grass caught fire, the world began fire; the goddess of Earth filled it with her milk, the fire became tame]: Preuss 1912:271-272 (retelling in Munn 1984:29-30).

Mesoamerica Tepehua; Totonaki; Nahuat (northern Puebla): Reynoso Rábago 2003, No. R20 [there was no fire, it was owned by an old devil (amokualilamatsin); did not give it to anyone; people asked the opossum bring fire; to do this, pour water and ask permission to dry by the fire, then bring fire on the tail; when the devil dozed off, the opossum set fire to its tail and ran back; so on the ground there was fire and the tail of the possum has since been naked]: 211-212; Taggart 1983 [our Little Mother told her father that his clothes were dirty and went to the river to wash them; St. Joseph invited her to go with her and leave St. Peter, who has a very big beard; she agreed, but first went to deliver her washed clothes to her father; our Little Mother and St. Joseph set off and had a baby; they were not allowed into the house, it was very cold; St. Joseph asked the opossum to get fire; a woman who lived far away had fire; the opossum came and asked for permission to warm up; wrapped his tail around the hot coal and brought it to Jesus; since then, the tail of the opossum had been bald; our Little Mother asked the opossum to bring more chicken; he brought it; but when she sent it again, the opossum was caught and killed]: 103-104; South Veracruz Nahuatl; Portal 1986:56-57 [the fire was at cannibal women; all the animals came to her party, only the rabbit refused; the month was more stupid than the sun and was eaten at the festival; the dog stole the bones, gave it to the sun; the head of the month was in a pot; the animals tried to force the woman to dance, but she did not want to, afraid that a month would be stolen from her; but the possum amused her so much that she started dancing and the dog took the pot away from months; and the opossum reached fire and carried away the fire on its tail; since then his tail is bald; the month and the sun are brothers; the sun has revived the months, but a piece of bone is gone, so the moon is pale; the month used to be brighter than the sun, but now the sun has become brighter; the cannibal chases the sun to take a month; sometimes she catches, but the sun slowly gets away from her], 57 [when the fire first fell from some stars, one woman hid it; everyone came to ask her for fire, but she did not let her; the opossum ran to get fire if others did not eat its meat; no one believed him; in the evening he came to that woman and asked permission to warm up by the fire - he very cold; he slowly began to move towards the fire, put his tail and carried away the fire on his tail; since then, the tail of the possum has been bare]; chatino [the gods did not have fire, and the sounds of fun could be heard from the demon house; the opossum promised to get what the demons owned; he came to the demons, sat in the corner; they decided to give the poor old man a drink; he replied that he would not get drunk quickly, and did not feed himself, but poured the mezcal into his bag, there But he put together the cigars that were given to him; when he left, he pretended to be dead drunk, began to stagger and fell into the fire, and then ran away; on the way he left fire in a dry tree; since then at the opossum bare ears and tail; since then, the fire has been burning during the holidays, and the crowd has been drinking and treating visitors with cigars and alcohol]: Bartolomé 1979:28; triques; zapotecs.