I45B. Don't point your finger at the rainbow, C843.1. .11.12.16.18.-.29.31.32.34.38.43.46.-.49.52.60.-.63.65.66.68.72.
The finger pointing or gazing closely at the rainbow will become ill, or the finger pointed at will rot or dry out.
Ganda, Baule, Dogon, Germans, British, Watjoboluk, Bukavak, San Cristobal, Loyalty Islands, Marshall Islands, Tonga, Mangareva, Lakher, Lushi, Ao, Angami, Rengma, Sema, Karen, Baiga, Birkhor, Dusun, Toraja, Flores, Kedang, Sumba, Manobo, Tagaly, Atayal, Saisya, Bunun, Tsou, Chinese, Croats, Czechs, Ukrainians (Transcarpathia), Russians (Vladimir), Abkhazians, Megrelians, (Armenians), Finns, Livons , Estonians, Lithuanians, Udmurts, Mordovians, Khalkha Mongols, Inner Mongolia Mongols, Japanese, Puyallup, Klamath, Modok, Tolova, Teton, Chiroki, Seminoles, Shasta, Khupa, Chilula, Achomavi, Atsugevi, Vintu, Nisenan, Maidu, Yokutz, Kawaiisu, Panamint, Monache, Tubatulabal, Cahuilla, Cupeño, Luiseno, Northern Payut, Washo, Northern Shoshones, Bannock, Goshiyute, Yawapai, Chemeuwe, South Payut, Ute, Diegueño, Navajo, Western apachi, lipan, zunyi, hopi, teva, otomi, texitlateca, mixteki, sierra popoluca, tsotsil, chorti, tsutujil, kakchikel, imbabura, napo or canelo, desana, chikuna, katawishi, huanca, amuesha, kachinahua, paresi, toba.
Bantu-speaking Africa. Ganda [the Musoke rainbow is the patron saint of fishermen; if you point your finger at it, your finger will dry out (stiffen)]: Chaplin 1959:162; Werner 1933:232 (quoted in Kotlyar 2009, No. 111:103).
West Africa. Baule [rainbow is the breath of the red snake Woi; if it rains in the rainbow, it is Voi's saliva; it causes leprosy, so children are not allowed to go outside at this time; you should not point to the rainbow hand - leprosy wears off your hand, you can point with a nod of your head]: Himmelheber 1951b: 19-20 (trans. Himmelheber 1960:43; quoted in Kotlyar 2009, No. 112:103); Dogon (nanga) [rainbow - Nombo (aka Nommo, Griola's dieux de l'eau, one of its hypostases); N. lives in a river of uncertain sex, anthropomorphene, has long hair, is charmingly beautiful, the tongue is divided in two like a snake, drinks blood, can turn into a child, take children to a pond and drown there; the patron saint of the village, located near the reservoir where it lives; N. is many, each village has its own; N. can conflict with each other; the rainbow is fearful, you can't point at it, its appearance does not bring anything good]: Kirill Prokhorov, personal message, 08/01/2010.
Western Europe. Germans: Grohmann 1864:41, Wuttke 1869:13, Drechsler 1906 (2) :139 in Frazer 1924 (Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia) [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, it will rot and fall off]: 98; Grimm 1883 (Braunschweig ) [=Grimm 2019 (2): 206; you can't point your finger at the rainbow and stars]: 732; Germans (southern and northern) [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, otherwise God will punish (Harz), your finger will rot (Bohemia), lightning will kill (Bohemia)]: Wuttke 1900:14; Englishmen [pointing fingers at the rainbow is not good, bad luck or failure will befall]: Hole 1998:363
Australia. Watjobaluk [you can't point to the rainbow with your finger stretched out, it will become crooked; if necessary, your fingers should be placed one on top of the other]: Howitt 1904:431 (quoted in Frazer 1931:23).
Melanesia. Bukavak [you can't look at the rainbow or point your finger for a long time, otherwise your vision will be impaired or there will be abscesses under your arm]: Lehner 1931b:110; San Cristobal: Fox 1924 [if you point your finger at the rainbow, the finger will bend and remain crooked]: 124-125; Coombe 1911 [same]: 241; Loyalty Islands (Lifou) [you can't point at the rainbow with your finger, otherwise your mother will die]: Hadfield 1920:113.
Micronesia-Polynesia. Marshall Islands [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, it becomes crooked]: A. Erdland 1914 (Die Marshall-Insulaner: 340 in Frazer 1924:98; Tonga [if you point your finger at the rainbow or at the setting sun, elephant disease will appear on your hand; you can look at the rainbow]: Gifford 1929:341; Mangareva [you can't point your finger at the rainbow or you'll die]: Buck 1938:422.
Tibet is the Northeast of India. Lakher [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, misfortune will happen and this finger will be cut off with sharp bamboo; if the boy accidentally points, he must immediately put his finger in his ass]: Parry 1932:499; best [the finger pointing to the rainbow will rot; to prevent this from happening, you must immediately point to the chicken basket]: Parry 1932:499-500; angami, ao, sema [you can't go to the rainbow point your finger]: Hutton 1925:121; ao [if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will curl]: Mills 1926:305; rengma [you can't point your finger at the rainbow; Western rengma: you'll get sick; oriental: a baby with two fingers fused together will be born; to avoid this, you must bite the sharpener right away]: Mills 1937:245.
Burma - Indochina. Karen [ban on pointing at the rainbow with your finger]: Mills 1926:305.
South Asia. Baiga [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, it will become crooked; therefore, the rainbow is only shown with a clenched fist]: Elwin 1939:336; Birkhor [like a baig]: Elwin 1939:336 (note 3, according to Roy, the Birhors, p.380).
Malaysia-Indonesia. Dusun [no finger pointing to the rainbow]: Hutton in Parry 1932:499; Eastern Torajas [you can't point your finger at the rainbow; your finger will rot like leprosy, or your whole hand will become inflamed]: Adriani, Kruyt 1950, No. 36:407; Western Torajas [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, you can get sick, your hand will become numb, your finger will be crooked, the shaman won't help]: Kruyt 1938, No. 12:360; Flores [on You can't point the rainbow with your finger, otherwise babies with a short finger will be born, or your finger will become stiff or fall off; the same is true throughout eastern Indonesia]: Bader 1971:953; kedang [rainbow associated with gold, springs, snakes; in a spring on a mountain, a woman must not wash her hair or wet her clothes, otherwise the spirit will deprive her of her mind; the spirit appears as a snake or a rainbow; if this snake spirit opens her mouth, gold inside it comes out in the form of a rainbow; if you point your finger at the rainbow, your finger will twist; nor can you point your finger at the Big Dipper (which is visible in the shape of a boat) and at a small unripe pumpkin - this will kill her]: Barnes 1973:611-612; Sumba [if you put your finger in your mouth first and drool it, then it's not dangerous to show it]: Bader 1971:953.
Taiwan - Philippines. Manobo [at one end of the rainbow is the head of a huge turtle; the appearance of the rainbow is a sign that the gods of war are looking for blood, that bloodshed is happening; if you point to the rainbow with your finger, it will become crooked]: Eugenio 1994, No. 149:263; Tagals [Bathala lived on earth, decided to visit the sky; rides a horse capable of jumping over mountains; a rainbow bridge appears; B. warned that those who saw him should not point at it; those who point to the rainbow with their finger have a crooked finger; children are not told to point to the rainbow - their finger will become crooked]: Eugenio 1994, № 140a: 253-254; atayal, saisha , bunun, tsoo [no finger pointing at the rainbow]: Obayashi 1999 in Yamada 2002:67-68
China - Korea. Chinese [ban on pointing at the rainbow with a finger]: Hutton in Parry 1932:499.
The Balkans. Croats (p. Otok, Slavonia) [you can only pay attention to the rainbow by repeating special words; you can't point your finger - whoever points a finger may die in a year]: Tolstoy 1997:217, note 72.
Central Europe. Czechs [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, your finger will fall off]: Grohmann 2015, No. 250, 251:64 {Frazer 1924:98} seems to know about this from Gromann; Ukrainians (Transcarpathia): Belova 2009b [on the rainbow it is forbidden to point fingers]: 387; Tolstoy 1997 [there is a widespread ban on pointing to the rainbow with a finger (p. Skotarskoye - Kabaida, 1966, p. 92)]: 207; Russians (Vladimirskaya) [you can't point your finger at the rainbow - it will dry out, rot, bend or unbend]: Dobrovolskaya 2011a: 210.
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Abkhazians [a rainbow is a snake drinking water from the river; at this time you can't collect water from springs and show your teeth to the rainbow: they will fall out and turn yellow; curse: "For the rainbow to appear here" (or "hit here" ); if you swim in the water from where the rainbow drinks, your body will be stained; if you show your finger to the rainbow, it will dry out or your nails will turn black and fall off; if the boy, who is not yet sitting on a white horse, will show rainbow teeth, they will turn black; anyone who comes close to the rainbow will get sick and recover if he prays to her; (mainly data on]: Zukhba 2007:62 (=Zukhba 1995:51); megrels [who will go to the rainbow look with his mouth open, his teeth will hurt]: Stepanov 1903, No. 192:148.
Baltoscandia. Finns [if a person laughs at a rainbow or points a finger at it, his hand will dry out or the rainbow suck it]: Jauhiainen 1998, No. F311:222; Livons [you can't go to the sun, moon, rainbow point a finger whether it will rot or grow]: Loorits 1998 (1): 41; Estonians [whoever points at the rainbow with a finger will twist or rot]: Kõiva 2011:19; ERA (a lot of data from different districts); Livs, Estonians [you can't point your finger in the sun, moon and rainbow - it will dry out, turn crooked, rot, etc.]: Masing 1998:18; Lithuanians [person shows finger in the sun/moon/rainbow - Perkunas kills him/man dies]: Kerbelite 2001:458.
Volga - Perm. Udmurts [you can't point to the rainbow]: Vladykin 1994:77; Mordovians: Devyatkina 1998 [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, you'll get sick]: 251; Harva 1952 [to the rainbow ("an arc of rain, God, or thunder") point with your finger, your finger will dry out]: 159.
Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Khalkha-Mongols (Somon Khujirt, Uburkhangai aimag): Mongolian Expedition of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Western August 26, 2006, No. 30018 [you can point at the rainbow with your hand, but not with your finger; they stretch out their hand with respect, everyone four fingers straighten and point upwards]; western 24.08.2007 [you can't point your finger at the rainbow]; the Mongols of Inner Mongolia (Arukhorchins, Khoshun Ar Khorchin) [you can't point at the rainbow with your finger] : Todayeva 1981:56.
Japan. Japanese [don't point at the rainbow]: Obayashi 1999 in Yamada 2002:67-68.
The coast is the Plateau. Puyallup: Mooney 1900 [if you point your finger at the rainbow, your finger will dry out; J. Mooney heard this from a Puyallup Indian]: 442; Smith 1940 (puyallup-niscually) [one informant said the rainbow can only be pointed with a bent finger; if you point straight, it will twist forever; others informants did not know this sign]: 128; Klamath, Modoc [children are warned that if you point your finger at the rainbow, your finger will twist or fall off]: Voegelin 1942:147; tolova [if Point your finger at the rainbow whether it will get sick or fall off]: Driver 1939:343.
Plains. Teton [they are afraid to point at ruduga with their fingers, although they can point at it with their lips or elbow; if someone accidentally stretches a finger, they laugh at them and say, "When your finger is thumb and round, let us use it as a ball racket"]: Dorsey 1889:137; 1894:467.
Southeast USA. Chirokee [the rainbow is the god Thunder's beautiful vestment; pointing your finger at the rainbow will dry out]: Mooney 1900:442; Seminoles [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, it won't bend anymore]: Gallagher 1994:92.
California. Shasta [when painted, the Sun sometimes washes and splashes out dirty water, so it turns into a rainbow; if you point your finger at it, your finger turns like a rainbow]: Holt 1946:327; hupa, chilula [if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will get sick or fall off]: Driver 1939:343; achomavi, atsugevi, vintu, nisenan, maidu [if you point your finger at the rainbow, the finger will twist or fall off; sometimes the child will get sick, children are particularly warned not to point to the rainbow]: Voegelin 1942:147; yokutz, kawaiisu, panamint, monach, tubatulabal [if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will rot or fall off]: Driver 1937, No. 1335:87; monach ["Don't point at the rainbow!" ; "Don't point at rainbows" (from example phrases)]: Bethel et al. 1993:161, 215; cahuilla, cupeño, luiseño [you can't point at the rainbow]: Drucker 1937a:26.
Big Pool. Northern Payutes: Driver 1937a, No. 1335 [if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will rot or fall off]: 87; Stewart 1941 [if you point your finger at the rainbow, your hand will dry out (less often: become crooked; the finger will rot)]: 418; washo [the person pointed his finger at the rainbow, the finger is inflamed, the person is left without a finger]: Lowie 1939:331; northern shoshoni, bunnock, goshiute [if point your finger at the rainbow, your finger will rot]: Steward 1943b:354; yavapai [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, the finger phalanx will fall off]: Gifford 1936:318; chemeueve [you can't point your finger at the rainbow]: Drucker 1937a:26; Utah, Southern Payutes [if you point your finger at the rainbow it will rot]: Stewart 1942:325.
The Great Southwest. Diegueño [you can't point your finger at the rainbow]: Drucker 1937a:26; Navajo [if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will rot]: Stewart 1942:325; Navajo, Western Apaches, lipan, zunyi, hopi (Valpi), teva (San Ildefonso) [you can't point at the rainbow with your finger]: Gifford 1940, No. 2287:60
Mesoamerica Mixtecs [a rainbow is a snake; if a pregnant woman looks at it, her baby will die; if she points her finger at the rainbow, her finger will rot; if she goes to the rainbow, she will move away, for the rainbow is a water snake]: Dyk 1959:170-171; otomi [if you point to the rainbow with your finger, your finger will rot]: Galinier 1990:513; tequistlatecs: Hasler 1979 [you can't point to the rainbow with your finger; if you have a machete in your hand, it's because of it will break; if a woman is rubbing corn at that moment, the grater will split]: 24; (cf. Carrasco 1960 [chontal (acculturated tequistlatecas in this case) is not familiar with the usual Mexican belief: if you point your finger at the rainbow, it will rot]: 107); Sierra Poluca [the rainbow is a path a huge snake crawling towards another snake, or a snake's breath; portends rain; if it doesn't need rain, you can cut it seven times with your hand - the rainbow will disappear, but your hand will hurt all day]: Foster 1945a: 187; tsotsil [rainbow is a female demon Chamula who steals grain souls, delays rain, and causes abdominal pain; to escape her persecution, you need to scatter chewed tobacco or urinate; the child should not point at her, otherwise his finger will rot and you should not look at it intently, otherwise the navel will rot]: Laughlin 1975:232; chorty [where the reflection is {?} rainbows, you can't point your finger, otherwise cancer will start on your finger; you can't go where the rainbow is reflected, because there's a nagual (ya que posee un nahual)]: Anónimo s.a.; tsutukhil [it's not good to point your finger to the rainbow; when a rainbow appears, you can talk about it with other people, but do not point at it; the rainbow is God's sign, if it's above the lake, then it will rain in two or three days, if over the mountain - it will rain by early summer; if the rainbow surrounds the sun in a ring, then the sun is sick]: Petrich 1997:271-272; kakchikel [children are not told to point their fingers at the rainbow, otherwise the hand will become crooked; also You can't walk between ravines, because the rainbow comes from there; the big snake in the cave produces a rainbow yawning, opening its mouth; if you are near, you can disappear, the rainbow will swallow you (jalará)]: Petrich 1997:126.
Ecuador. Imbabura [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, it will rot or scab; the rainbow is a demonic creature]: Chávez 1989:183.
Western Amazon. Napo or Canelo [you can't point your finger at the rainbow or God will burn it]: Ortíz de Villalba 1989, No. 41:289
NW Amazon. Desana [it is forbidden to point at the rainbow; (the author explains this by saying that the rainbow, according to "some fragmentary data", is something like a space vagina, and the finger is a phallic symbol)]: Reichel- Dolmatoff 1971:98; chikuna [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, it will burn; newborns should not be shown to the rainbow - they'll get sick; the rainbow burns]: Pineda 1979:50; witoto [if you point your finger on the rainbow, the nails will fall out and never grow again]: San Román 1986:118; Wavrin 1932:138; 1937:549
Central Amazon. Katavishi (Lake Teffe): Tastevin 1925:183 and 190 [Bóyusú is a rainbow by day, a dark spot on the Milky Way at night; if you show him a finger, your finger will dry out], 191 [there are two rainbows - Mawali in the west and Tini in the east; after the Amazons left only men; brothers M. and T. destroyed people in a flood, leaving two girls as their wives; whoever looks at M. will be lazy, lose luck hunting and fishing fishing; whoever looks at T. will become clumsy, stumble, cut against sharp objects].
The Central Andes. Huanca [the rainbow is the god Tulumaña, appears after the rain, produces a bountiful harvest; makes women pregnant if they bathe when it arrives; if children point to the rainbow with their fingers, the finger will rot; dreaming of a rainbow is unfortunate]: Villanes Cairo 1978:52
Montagna - Jurua. Amuesha [Kanj and her brother Muenares, cannibal anacondas, catch and devour young men and pregnant women in the form of rainbows; the Sun sends Hummingbird and his sister Shotgun; K. raises them as grandchildren; they lie like jaguars are coming; anacondas ask them to be hidden in stone; hummingbirds and sister lock them there; if you point your finger at the rainbow, you will die]: Santos-Granero 1991, No. 7:77-78; kashinahua [Yobuë nawaboshka comes to her parallel cousin Buëran Tsai at night; she smears his face with a genipa; J. goes hunting in the morning, but his sister guesses who slept with her; J. goes with a relative Bótopa kill dwarfs, they kill him; hang his live head on a rope, arrange a party; B. depicts a ghost, smeared with a glowing mass received from fireflies, takes his head away; she asks drink, water spills through; the head does not lag behind B.; people hide behind a fence in the village; mother and sisters name objects that the head can turn into (tree, house, river, earth, sun, night, sky); he decides to become a month that does not exist yet; asks for threads, he is thrown six colorful balls, he throws them into the sky, a colorful road appears; warns that he himself will be in the sky in three days; I must say, "This is Y."; if they say "Month," the parrot will pierce the girls' genitals with its tail; you can't point your finger at the rainbow and say "Rainbow", otherwise people will die; a young girl says, "This is a month," she starts her period; when the rainbow first appears, someone points a finger at her and says "Rainbow", since then people die; spots on the month are still visible since]: Ans 1975:113-121.
Southern Amazon. Paresi [all relatives have died; his brother's soul in the guise of a maned wolf comes after him; they cross the river over the anaconda bridge, with a black snake as the railing; this bridge is visible to the west in rainbow shape; if you point your finger at it, you will die]: Pereira 1986, No. 21:305-308; kayabi [you can't point your finger at the rainbow, otherwise it hurts]: Pereira 1995:157 (note 309).
Chaco. Toba [don't point your finger at the rainbow, it'll turn crooked]: Wilbert, Simoneau 1982b, No. 186:354