Rainbow and animal in the traditions of the peoples of the world (based on the analytical catalogue of motives). Part 2

The article examines the rainbow and the animal in the traditions of the peoples of the world. In this part of the article we consider the most common idea of the rainbow as a snake or a connection with it, which is presented in many parts of the world. About 200 texts contained in the Analytical Catalogue of Motifs were analyzed. The idea of a rainbow snake refers to archaic motifs originating in Africa, the connection of these ideas with the Indo-Pacific world, which is discussed by Yu.E. Berezkin, is obvious. The texts in the Analytical Catalogue of Motifs con firm that the rainbow snake is, first of all, an aquatic chthonic creature, these motifs are common exactly where there are many water sources, while in semi desert and desert regions, ideas about a rainbow snake are completely absent. The functional role of the rainbow snake is diverse: he/she is closely associated with rain (for some peoples it gives rain, for others - stops it); he/she can act as the creator of agricultural cultures. The role of a mediator between the worlds is noted among a number of peoples of the Indo Pacific region and South America. There are ideas about the rainbow, where it is associated with a snake, but at the same time it is not a snake. The rainbow is either the spit of a snake, or its secretions, breath, or the reflection of a snake, or the soul of a snake, etc., or some person turns into a rainbow.