H7F1 — Death as a devourer.

Death devours the dead and thus satisfies its hunger.

Berezkin category: Paradise Lost

This is of motif type Cosmology and etiology and is part of group 4, Origin of death, diseases and hard life.

H7.  Death (as well as illness and old age) is a special character, distinct from the lord of the underworld. It takes away a person's soul or otherwise causes their death.
H7a.  Having received knowledge from Death (rarely: Happiness or a certain spirit) about whether the sick person will be healed or not, whether she is going to take his soul, the person will know whether he will recover. U.nyak praises him for his impartiality; U.t himself; the poor man scolds the doctor, becomes rich. Usually he sees where exactly Death (spirit, etc.) is near the bed, whether it is going to take his soul, whether the person will recover. U. praises him for his impartiality; U. himself; the poor man scolds the sick man, and on this basis knows what will happen to him.
H7b.  A person asks Death (a spirit) to climb a tree or sit on a bench, to which they stick and can only be freed with his permission.
H7b1.  Having received a magic bag, into which any creature can be forced against its will at the owner's discretion, a person gains power over Death or devils.
H7b2.  A man named Poverty makes Death swear that it will never come to him. Therefore, poverty is inevitable in the world.
H7c.  Death promises to take a man after he finishes his prayer or song (formerly ATU 1199B). The man breaks off his prayer (song) in the middle, and Death cannot take him.
H7c1.  The trickster first deceives Death (the devil), and then, also by deception, enters paradise.
H7d.  A man calls Death, and when it comes, asks it to help him lift a bundle of firewood or pull a cart with firewood.
H7e.  In the past, people knew when they would die, so before their death they stopped doing their work or performed their duties half-heartedly.
H7f.  God gives instructions that certain categories of people must die and suffer. The character who receives the instructions, caring for the people, passes on other orders to the executors.
H7f1.  Death devours the dead and thus satisfies its hunger.
H7f2.  The character embodying death had a body visible to humans. Then death became invisible.
H7g.  A person sees many burning candles or lamps. When one of them burns out, someone dies.
H7g1.  A man (usually looking for a godfather for his newborn son) rejects God (the saints) and the devil, but praises Death: it treats everyone without prejudice (or is richer than everyone else).
h7g2.  Knowing that Death is approaching, a person hopes that it will seek him on land, so he settles on the surface of the water or under the water. But Death finds him.
H7h.  Despite the warning, man goes to where Death is at that moment. Death enters his body or follows him, and since then, people have been mortal.
H7i.  Old Age, Illness, or Hunger are special characters, but Death is not mentioned.

This motif has been recorded in 12 traditions: Ugarit, Phoenicia, Bhuiya (now Aryans, originally Munda; Rahman 1955: 203), Baiga, Bhaina, Bhumia (subgroup of Baiga, incl Bharia, formerly Munda, now speak Indo-Aryan languages of neighboring groups), Gondi (mostly Northern Gondi), Khakas, Tungus (Evenki): Baikal region, Evenks, Tungus (Evenki) of China (Solon, Birar, Oroqen, Manegir), Evenks, Tungus (Evenki): Russian Far East, Evenks, Western Tungus (Evenki), Western Siberia Tungus (Evenki): Sym River, Ket River, Ilimpii Tungus/Evenki, Yerbogachen Tungus/Evenki, Tungus/Evenki of Nercha - Chita area