AWA Ancient Wisdom Atlas texts, motifs, patterns

Comparative mythology corpus

Soul Loss and Restoration

17 tagged occurrences across 6 traditions.

A soul, life-force, or vital double is lost, stolen, wandering, or displaced and must be found, hunted, recalled, or ritually restored to heal or revive a person.

17total occurrences
17child motifs
6traditions present
750 BCE to 632 CEknown era range
Strongest Child Motifs
Hunting And Restoring A Lost Soul 1 Lost Soul Recovered In Visible Or Material Form 1 Ritual Retrieval And Return Of The Missing Soul 1 Ritual Specialist Returns Soul To Body Through Head, Forehead, Mouth, Or Heart 1 Sleep As Temporary Taking Of The Soul 1 Soul Abduction Or Loss Caused By Spirits 1 Soul Transfer Into Another Body 1 Soul Trapped Or Detained By Hostile Beings Or Human Specialists 1 Sudden Bodily Affliction In A Liminal Tomb Setting 1 Transmigration Of An Ancient Law Giver’s Soul Into A Later Leader 1
Reading Note

These counts are generated from tagged extraction evidence. Similarity means structural or thematic recurrence unless a source record explicitly supports historical contact.

Child Motifs

Child MotifRelationshipOccurrencesTraditions
Hunting And Restoring A Lost Soul functional_variant 1 1
Lost Soul Recovered In Visible Or Material Form functional_variant 1 1
Ritual Retrieval And Return Of The Missing Soul ritual_variant 1 1
Ritual Specialist Returns Soul To Body Through Head, Forehead, Mouth, Or Heart ritual_variant 1 1
Sleep As Temporary Taking Of The Soul functional_variant 1 1
Soul Abduction Or Loss Caused By Spirits alias 1 1
Soul Transfer Into Another Body functional_variant 1 1
Soul Trapped Or Detained By Hostile Beings Or Human Specialists functional_variant 1 1
Sudden Bodily Affliction In A Liminal Tomb Setting uncertain 1 1
Transmigration Of An Ancient Law Giver’s Soul Into A Later Leader uncertain 1 1
Tree As Site Or Medium Of Soul Detention And Restoration functional_variant 1 1
Deprivation And Restoration Of A Shared Sense Object heuristic_family_name_match 1 1
Detained Sleeper’s Soul Causing Illness illness_variant 1 1
Healing Of The Fallen Soul healing_variant 1 1
Recall And Recovery Of Lost Soul alias 1 1
Ritual Detention Or Recovery Of A Departing Soul ritual_variant 1 1
Stolen Soul Used As Substitute Cure ritual_variant 1 1

Tradition Frequency

Relative bars compare traditions inside this family.
Comparative 12 Daoist 1 Greek 1 Greek/Roman 1 Islamic 1 Sufi 1

How Each Tradition Tells It

Evidence is collapsed by default so the page stays scannable.
Comparative

How This Tradition Tells It

12 occurrences

In Comparative, this family appears through Hunting And Restoring A Lost Soul (1), Lost Soul Recovered In Visible Or Material Form (1), Ritual Retrieval And Return Of The Missing Soul (1). The strongest concentration is currently in The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2). This is a deterministic summary of 12 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3112-3185 high Ritual Detention Or Recovery Of A Departing Soul record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3187-3263 high Soul Transfer Into Another Body record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3345-3421 high Ritual Retrieval And Return Of The Missing Soul record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3345-3421 high Soul Abduction Or Loss Caused By Spirits record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3423-3497 high Lost Soul Recovered In Visible Or Material Form record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3423-3497 high Ritual Specialist Returns Soul To Body Through Head, Forehead, Mouth, Or Heart record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3423-3497 high Soul Trapped Or Detained By Hostile Beings Or Human Specialists record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3423-3497 medium Tree As Site Or Medium Of Soul Detention And Restoration record
Show 4 more passages
TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3499-3538 high Recall And Recovery Of Lost Soul record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 3499-3538 high Stolen Soul Used As Substitute Cure record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE. / CHAPTER III. KILLING THE GOD. / FOOTNOTES; lines 10045-10211 high Detained Sleeper’s Soul Causing Illness record
The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE. / CHAPTER III. KILLING THE GOD. / FOOTNOTES; lines 10349-10471 high Hunting And Restoring A Lost Soul record
Daoist

How This Tradition Tells It

1 occurrences

In Daoist, this family appears through Sudden Bodily Affliction In A Liminal Tomb Setting (1). The strongest concentration is currently in Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer. This is a deterministic summary of 1 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
Chuang Tzu: Mystic, Moralist, and Social Reformer CHAPTER XVII. / AUTUMN FLOODS. / CHAPTER XVIII. / PERFECT HAPPINESS.; lines 7491-7622 medium Sudden Bodily Affliction In A Liminal Tomb Setting record
Greek

How This Tradition Tells It

1 occurrences

In Greek, this family appears through Healing Of The Fallen Soul (1). The strongest concentration is currently in The Republic. This is a deterministic summary of 1 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
The Republic BOOK VII. / BOOK VIII. / BOOK IX. / BOOK X.; lines 23653-23817 medium Healing Of The Fallen Soul record
Greek/Roman

How This Tradition Tells It

1 occurrences

In Greek/Roman, this family appears through Deprivation And Restoration Of A Shared Sense Object (1). The strongest concentration is currently in Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. This is a deterministic summary of 1 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome THANATOS (MORS) AND HYPNUS (SOMNUS). / MORPHEUS. / THE GORGONS. / GRAEAE.; lines 4663-4680 high Deprivation And Restoration Of A Shared Sense Object record
Islamic

How This Tradition Tells It

1 occurrences

In Islamic, this family appears through Sleep As Temporary Taking Of The Soul (1). The strongest concentration is currently in The Koran (Al-Qur'an). This is a deterministic summary of 1 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
The Koran (Al-Qur'an) ENTITLED, S.; REVEALED AT MECCA. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XXXIX. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 31893-31952 high Sleep As Temporary Taking Of The Soul record
Sufi

How This Tradition Tells It

1 occurrences

In Sufi, this family appears through Transmigration Of An Ancient Law Giver’s Soul Into A Later Leader (1). The strongest concentration is currently in Mystics and Saints of Islam. This is a deterministic summary of 1 tagged motif occurrences, not a claim of historical transmission.

TextLine RangeConfidenceChild MotifExtraction
Mystics and Saints of Islam PREFACE / CHAPTER I / I.--THE IMPORT OF ISLAMIC MYSTICISM / II.--EARLIER PHASES; lines 248-347 high Transmigration Of An Ancient Law Giver’s Soul Into A Later Leader record
Converges

Shared Structure

The convergence is broad rather than concentrated in one child motif: traditions repeatedly tag passages into this family while emphasizing locally different scenes.

Diverges

Local Emphasis

Greek/Roman leans toward Deprivation And Restoration Of A Shared Sense Object; Comparative leans toward Hunting And Restoring A Lost Soul; Greek leans toward Healing Of The Fallen Soul; Islamic leans toward Sleep As Temporary Taking Of The Soul; Daoist leans toward Sudden Bodily Affliction In A Liminal Tomb Setting; Sufi leans toward Transmigration Of An Ancient Law Giver’s Soul Into A Later Leader.

Comparison Mode

Reading Rule

structuralthematiccontact not inferred

Timeline

Approximate eras from the cultural timeline index.
ca. 750-400 BCE

Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica

Greek - Archaic Greek poetic and hymnic tradition - 1 tagged occurrences

ca. 750-650 BCE

The Iliad

Greek - Archaic Greek heroic epic tradition - 1 tagged occurrences

ca. 610-632 CE

The Koran (Al-Qur'an)

Islamic - Early Islamic revelation corpus - 1 tagged occurrences