M37. Shattered with an axe .46.47.49.50.

Although the character's head or entire body is cut in two with an ax or split with a stick, the character remains unharmed. Cf. motive J22.

Plains. Arapaho [Nihansan visits a friend; he combs his wife's head, paints the parting red, splits his head with an ax, extracts the brain, turning it into bone fat, treats it N.; wife remains unharmed; N. invites a friend to her place, tries to repeat the trick, kills his wife; a friend resurrects her]: Dorsey, Kroeber 1903, No. 60:118-119.

Southeast USA. The young man asks his wife to parting her hair, cuts her with an ax, two wives appear; imitating the hero, the Rabbit kills his wife. Natchez: Swanton 1929, No. 8 [old woman turns into two young wives], 9 [like screaming]: 233, 236; screams [splits wife]: Swanton 1929, No. 6:12; alabama [like screaming]: Martin 1977:73; Swanton 1929, No. 18:136; koasati [yelling]: Swanton 1929, #15:180; Seminoles [see motive 56; people agree to give Rabbit a wife if he kills a Crocodile; a rattlesnake; will cut down a thick tree; with the help of a trick he does all the tasks; gets a wife; he is advised to comb her hair parting, hit her with an ax right in the parting, there will be two wives; Rabbit misses, girl dies; Rabbit runs into the forest]: Greenlee 1945:144.

Big Pool. Southern Payut [Pigeon asks his grandmother to hit him in the middle of his head; splits into two twins]: Lowie 1924, No. 10 (Shivwitz), 20 (Moapa): 122, 189.

The Great Southwest. Teva (San Juan) [Yellow Corn rejects grooms, gives birth to a boy from the sunlight; grandmother tells him who his father is; he meets a Sun man; he tells his grandmother to cover him with a blanket, hit them with a stick; two come out of one young man; the sun bathes them in a spring, adorns them with parrot tail feathers, turquoise and quartz beads; the eldest becomes the summer Sun, walks slowly; the youngest is summer, walks fast]: Parsons 1926, No. 30:99-102.