F3. A husband gives birth after eating something intended for his wife (ATU 705A).

.13.-15.17.23.27.28.31. (.40.)

A man accidentally eats a magic remedy designed for a woman to become pregnant and gives birth to a child. The child comes out of a tumor on his leg, or otherwise, but the man remains alive.

Nubians, Arabs in Sudan, Tunisia, Berbers (?) and Arabs (?) Morocco, Arabs of Algeria, Egypt, Portuguese, Palestinians, Arabs of Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Aramaians, Ancient India (Mahabharata), Greeks (Lesbos), Poles, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Latvians, (West Greenland Eskimos).

Sudan - East Africa. Nubians: Kronenberg, Kronenberg 1978, No. 35:162-165 in El-Shamy 2004, No. 705A: 374-378; Sudanese Arabs: Al-Shahi, Moore 1920, No. 9 [an infertile woman went to the fakir; he told her to eat a fried dog and a lamb for her husband; the husband accidentally ate the dog, his leg was swollen; in the desert he opened a tumor, took out the girl, returned home; the wife ran after the girl, but she was gone; the heron and the crescent bird they began to argue who would take the girl; crescent bird took her to a nest on a date palm tree, the girl grew up; the bird sent her to the Sultan's wife to prune her with her daughters; brought her food ; the Sultan and his son wanted to marry her, but the bird took her back to the palm tree; the Sultan's son stopped with the merchants under a palm tree; the girl threw ripe dates at him and raw dates at the merchants; they moved on; the Sultan's son returned; said that if his horse returns alone, he was dead; stayed with the girl, drove the horse away; his parents were blind with grief, the cows and goats stopped giving milk; the Sultan's son asked teach him how to fly; flew to his parent, greeted them, but everyone slept except the old woman; the third time they did not sleep, caught his son in a noose; saw the light, the cows began to give milk; the son was told to bring his wife and children; when the son left, his mother threw his wife in a basket into the river; the basket became an island, the crescent bird brought food to the woman, the slaves cultivated the fields, the crocodiles guarded the island; the Sultan's son returned, sent a slave to the island for greenery; he turns to the owner of the island; she sends scissors to cut off his tongue; the same with the other two; the Sultan's son came by himself, everything became clear; he stayed with his wife], 10 [ The barren woman went to the fakir; he ordered to fry the sheep, bring it to him; read it from the Koran, returned it, ordered it to eat it after midnight; the wife left the roast, left the house; the husband (he is the prince's son) found it, ate it, became pregnant; begged God to move the fetus into his leg; opened the tumor, there was a girl; the bird carried her to its nest; she grew up and became beautiful; Wad al-Nimair (VN) and his friends stopped under a tree, noticed the girl; they went on; VN pretended to forget the ring; took out the girl, took her mother to raise her; married her, she was pregnant; VN's mother does not love her, tells the servant to take her away and kill her; servant brought gazelle blood; VN's wife settled on an island on the Nile; VN's mother pretended to be his wife, said that his mother was dead; the imaginary wife was pregnant, wanted something that was only on the island where the real wife was; a slave came, turned to the mistress of the island, let her lion and crocodile let him in; she says that VN has become pregnant with his mother, calls scissors, they cut off the slave's tongue; the same with another slave; VN came himself, rejected the scissors, found his wife, found out everything, gave her back, his mother kicked her out], 11 [fakir to a childless woman: I will pray for seven fried chickens, eat them in seven days; but her husband found them and ate them; his leg swollen; he went into the desert, cut the tumor, took out the girl, left her in the desert; she was picked up by a male heron; brought the woman who circumcised the girls, she cut off the heron's adopted daughter, and the heron carried her the woman back; Na'im, the son of the Sultan, stopped with friends under a palm tree; the girl threw ripe dates at him, the rest raw; he specially left his ring to return to the palm tree; took it from Bakhit's slave; N. began to live with the girl, driving his horse away; everyone thought that N. was dead, even the camels stopped giving milk; but at night N. and B. came to milk them; the old woman said so, N. caught; he was offered any girl to choose; he said that B. would choose; B. says every time that she was the wrong girl; 7 days later N. died, 3 days later B.; without waiting for them, the heron's daughter began to go around on the village's camel, looking for N., taking six knives; when she was told the truth, knives pierced her; she was buried with N.]: 81-85, 86-89.

North Africa. Berbers (?) Morocco (Marrakech) [the magician gave her husband two apples; if the wife eats them, she will have a child; but the husband himself should not eat; but the husband ate one himself; his leg is swollen; out of shame he went to the desert; there from a girl with long hair appeared on her leg; and the wife gave birth to a son; the husband left the girl, but the gazelle fed her; the king noticed her, left two plates of couscous at the watering hole, with or without salt; if it was jinnia, she will choose unsalted, and if the man is salted; the girl chose a couscous with salt, the king caught her, brought her to the palace and married; 6 former wives are dissatisfied; when the king left for business, the eldest wives they offered the youngest to comb her hair, put pins in her head and she flew away as a dove; she flies to the wall of the pavilion that the king ordered to build and sings: I was born from an apple, my father gave birth to me, fed me the gazelle, the king married me, his evil wives pricked me and now I am a bird; after that, the dove flies away and the wall collapses every time; the king came, the wives said that the youngest had returned to the gazelles; when she came to the pavilion, The king hears and sees everything for himself; orders the dove to be lured into the room with grain; the king caught her, felt her and took out her pins; the dove again turned into a girl, told the elder wives to turn into beams floors, in the bed board, in the bench; everything is fine]: Légey 2007, No. 6:48-51; Algerian Arabs (Blida) [the couple has a son; the husband asks his wife to take the drug to conceive again; she prepared the drug, went to the bathhouse; the husband accidentally ate it himself; the wife returned, a quarrel began, a few days later the wife died {from beatings?} ; the husband's leg was swollen, a girl came out of the tumor; he told his son to get rid of it; he left the child in the tree; for three years an eagle fed the girl, then the young man took her and went on a journey; he had three dogs with talking names (the last "Pulling the lungs out of her shoulders"); the girl's name is Bent essaq ("Foot Daughter"; B.); they came to Ghoul's house; he left with the key in the door; they began to live in this house; until the brother was gone, the ghoul returned; B. did not unlock it, the ghoul broke the door; B. called the dogs, they did not come; the ghoul married B.; the brother returned, began to fight the ghoul, called the dogs, they tore the ghoul (the third dog pulled out her lungs); but his sister cured him; his brother returned again, cut the ghoul in half; left, leaving B.; in one area people are thirsty; the dragon closed the water, demands a bowl of couscous, ram and a girl; a young man cut a dragon, the water poured out abundantly; the girl exchanged shoes with her savior; all men are told to bring their shoes; the young man comes last, the princess threw it at him apple, recognized her shoes; wedding 7 days and nights; B. came, persuaded her to forgive her; collected dragon thorns, put her brother in bed; he died and buried; dogs removed the body, pulled out the thorns, young man came to life; my sister was crucified at the gates of the city so that everyone who passed by would spit on her]: Desparmet 1910:140-149; Tunis [Once upon a time there were husband and wife in happiness and joy, but they had no children. One day, my wife heard that a merchant was selling apples that made wishes come true. She bought one such apple and forgot about it, and her husband, when she came home from work, ate it. His leg soon became swollen, and nine months later it opened and a girl came out. She was a real beauty, and she was also kind and helpful. A neighbor lived nearby, who had 4 daughters for marriage. She thought that they could not find suitors because of the beauty, so the neighbor decided to get rid of her. She ordered her daughters to invite the beautiful girl home. When she came and started talking to her friends, the neighbor began to comb her hair and stuck her comb, at the same moment the beauty turned into a little bird. Then she flew out the window and flew to the Emir's palace. She came to live with him. Once, while he was cleaning her feathers, the comb fell out and the bird turned beautiful, then the emir asked her parents for her hand and punished her neighbor for her crime]: Al-Aribi 2009, No. 38 in Korovkina MS; Arabs of Egypt [a childless woman bought a pomegranate, put it under sauerkraut; husband came and wanted to eat; wife: eat what is under the washing pan, but not what is under the sauerkraut; but he found and ate pomegranate, decided that his wife was hiding the best from him; he became pregnant; when 9 months had passed, his wife told me to go to the desert; if a boy was born, you should wrap it in a cloth and bring it, and if the girl was born, wrap it in silk and leave it; a girl was born, her father left her in a tree, took the falcon to his nest and raised her; the Sultan's son began to water the horse, saw the girl's reflection in the water, fell ill with love; his grandmother promised lure the girl out of the tree; brought the sheep and pretended to slaughter her from the tail side; then from the back; from her leg; the girl says what is wrong every time, the old woman pretends not to understand; the girl told the tree to be the size of her finger, went down to show her; the prince grabbed her, took her to the palace and married her; went on Hajj; his mother did not give bread to her daughter-in-law, gave it in exchange for permission cut off her hand; so with all her limbs; she threw what was left out the window; she fell on the "regality ring," the spirit asked him what to do; the girl demanded that she be made whole and healthy again, and so that the palace and fruit garden are out of season; the prince's mother took the form of his wife and said that his mother had died; became pregnant, asked for grapes from a neighboring garden; the prince sent a servant to the hostess (i.e. to her true wife), and she replied: my father conceived me, the falcon and the peacock fed me, and now the Sultan's son is pregnant with his mother, let the scissors cut off the tip of the questioner's tongue so as not to carry it to me; the same with the second servant; then the prince went himself; she told him what had happened; the prince poured kerosene on his mother and burned it, returned his wife]: El-Shamy 1975:159-163; Arabs (?) Morocco: El-Shamy 2004, No. 705A: 374-378; (Egyptian Arabs [three women came to the bathhouse, each wanted to buy a brocade bathrobe from the bathhouse attendant; she promised to give a bathrobe to the one who is better deceived her husband; the first woman; when she left, her husband locked her; she climbed onto the roof, saw a young man, he climbed to her; the husband brought a melon, his wife sent him for meat; at this time she asked the young man bring her three fish and put them inside the melon; after cutting the melon, the husband was amazed; the next day, guests came and the husband asked his wife to fry these fish; the wife calls him crazy: what fish are in the melon? it was a dream; the husband cut the second melon, there were no fish in it; the wife cooked food, and when the guests left, she admitted that there were indeed fish in that melon and that her friend had brought the fish; the husband no longer locked his wife; the second woman; the husband is away for a long time on business, the wife has a lover; the husband suddenly came; the wife hid her lover in the chest, but the husband realized that she did not run alone, found a lover and decided to take the chest to the governor; the wife replaced her lover with a donkey; in the governor's house, her husband was accused of mocking the ruler and began to knit; the wife persuaded him to let him go: these are regular people a fit of madness; since then, the husband was like silk; the third woman; the wife prepared a sheep's stomach for her lover, and when her tired husband came home from work, she hid the pot of brew under the bed ; husband lay down, found a pot and ate it; then began to writhe in pain; wife: you ate a remedy for infertility; as soon as you give birth, the pain will go away; the wife agreed with the midwife and she put it on her husband a newborn boy; congratulated her son; he rushed out of town in horror and shame; the wife lived with her lover for five years; once she saw her husband coming; paid the children playing; one shouted that was born in the year when a leather salesman was born a son; husband: does everyone know about this? he left and never came back; the bathhouse attendant called all three sinners and put on her robe herself]: Bushnaq 1987:334-338).

Southern Europe. Portuguese: Braga 2002 (Algarve) [spouses are childless; St. Antony gave his wife three apples, told him to eat it on an empty stomach; but her husband accidentally ate the apples; he went into the field, started screaming, his stomach was opened and a baby girl was taken out; she was taken away by an eagle, made her a hut, fed her with the milk of cows, she grew beautiful; the prince saw her, took her with him; the eagle tried to take her away and pecked her eye out; but the prince did not leave her, but hid her in his part of the palace; the Queen Mother is surprised where her son is disappears; one day she met her, called her a crooked freak, called her into the garden and pushed her into the well; three fairies came, made the girl get out of the well healthy and found herself in the palace that appeared here - dilapidated on the outside and gold on the inside; and so that whoever asks her twice would fall off his tongue; the Queen sent a valet to find out what was going on; the girl told her story, valet asked him to repeat, his tongue fell off; he could not tell the Queen anything; the same with another courtier; then the prince came and got his mother's permission to marry the girl]: 109-111; Cardigos 2006, No. 705A [man (king) accidentally eats an apple (part of an apple, three pears) intended for his childless wife and becomes pregnant; a baby girl is raised by an eagle (after being thrown into the bushes); prince finds a girl and carries away some of her hairs; the eagle counted her hairs and, finding that several were missing, killed his eagles; the prince took the girl away; the eagle pecked her eyes or gave her the face of a goat; but the prince lives secretly with her; in the absence of the prince, his mother or servants threw the girl into the well; the eagle (fairies, magic wand) saved her, settled her in the palace in front of the royal; the prince sends servants there; the girl each time he tells his own story, but with magic scissors he cuts off the listener's tongue; finally, the prince comes himself; the wedding; the girl's father is also present]: 154.

Western Asia. Syrian Arabs [the merchant gave an apple to make the woman pregnant; she cut off a piece, the rest was accidentally eaten by a man; his ankle was swollen, nine months later a girl was born; she was carried away by a hawk, brought it to a palm tree, began to bring food, the girl grew up; the prince drove up to the spring to give his horse a drink, saw a reflection, the girl refused to go down; the prince returned home, the old woman offered to help; became pretend that she cannot fry scrambled eggs on the fire (either a frying pan upside down or pours fuel into the fire); the girl came down to show, the prince took her away, hid her in his chambers; tells her mother to bring double portions of food; goes to Mecca, the mother finds the girl, leads to the window, throws her out the window; below the black snake fought against the white snake, the girl wished black victory, she won, offered to fulfill any wishes; the girl wanted a palace with servants and a vineyard in front of the prince's palace; when the prince returned, her mother pretended to be his wife; he asks why she has different eyes, mouth, nose, etc., she each time she replies that because of fatigue, waiting, etc.; and the mother supposedly died; the imaginary wife pretends to be pregnant, asks the prince to send the maid for grapes; the girl answers who she is, tells her to scissors cut off the maid's tongue; the same with the second, with the third maid; the prince comes himself, everything is explained; he executed the mother, her long bones were turned into the crossbars of the ladder; when the prince's wife She climbed them, they creaked]: Kuhr 1993:218-224; Iraqis [a friend tells a childless woman to buy a bitter orange, bring it home and eat it, but not give it to her husband; he saw his wife brought an orange, did not believe about the pregnancy, took it away and ate it; his wife promised to put it out of the house if he gave birth; 9 months later it happened; in the desert he gave birth to a daughter; wrote on a scrap papers about what had happened, tied the paper to the baby's hand and left; the gazelle fed her, and the falcon covered her wings from the scorching sun; the prince found it, brought her to the palace, asked her mother to raise her, and when she became a girl, married her; the prince's mother and wife looked very similar, both gold-haired; when the prince went to war, her mother-in-law beat her daughter-in-law and then drove her away; she asked God to create for her a palace and a garden that would bear fruit all year round; it happened, but in the palace a young woman missed her husband; when the prince returned, his mother pretended to be his wife and said that her mother was dead; The imaginary wife gave birth; when she saw a wonderful garden from the roof of the palace, she wanted grapes and sent a son there; he sent a slave; the owner of the garden says that she is a bitter orange, the daughter of a bitter orange, her mother she brought it, her father gave birth, fed the gazelle, the falcon hovered over it, the Sultan's son had a child from his own mother, I won't give grapes; the slave returned and told everything; the prince thought and went by himself; when his wife I saw, she told him everything; he demanded that his imaginary wife show her mother's grave; she had to confess; her son poured oil on her and burned her alive in the desert, he gave birth to a daughter to give birth; after 9 months it happen and go home and eat when the young queen gives birth, mother-in-law govo]: Stevens 2006, No. 22:98-102; Arabs of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen: El-Shamy 2004, No. 705A: 374-378; Arameans [the witch doctor gave the woman a remedy for infertility, told her to swim before the appointment; she left the product in a niche and left the house; her husband accidentally ate; his thigh was swollen; after 9 for months he went to the field, cut his thigh, took the girl out and left her; the gazelles fed her; the prince and the minister's son hunted, the prince found the girl, brought her mother to raise his wife; left; shortly Before his return, the prince's mother came to the river, threw a handkerchief into the water and asked the girl to reach it; she reached out, the prince's mother pushed her into the water and the river carried her away; she climbed ashore; someone came up and asked to hide him from the pursuer; when the stalker came, the girl killed him by hitting him on the head with a stone; rescued: demand what you want; girl: castle and servant; everything appeared; at this time his mother The prince stabbed and buried the sheep; put on the girl's clothes and pretended to be her returning son; and the mother allegedly died - showed the grave; the prince, unaware of this, married his mother; she became pregnant; when she found out that there was a castle nearby, the woman sent a maid to ask her neighbor for grapes; but the girl cut off that tongue; so with 10 maids; the prince asked if his wife wanted to go for grapes herself; she She did not want to, he offered to go himself, then she agreed to go together; they sat on the sofa, but no one brought grapes; they wanted to stand up, but the girl ordered the pillows to stick to their backs; she said: My mother wished me, my father was pregnant with me, brought me to the field, the gazelles fed me, the Sultan's son found me, hid it under my clothes, his mother became pregnant with him and should I still give them grapes? Prince: If this is my thing, where is the girl? girl: it's me; then she told me everything; the prince told everyone to bring firewood, burned his mother, married a girl]: Bergsträsser 1915, No. 2:2-5.

South Asia. Ancient India (Mahabharata) [childless king Yuvanashwa himself accidentally drank water prepared by the gods to make his wife pregnant; a hundred years later, he left his left god a powerful fiery son, the second Surya, and Yu was not injured; the owner of Vajra Shakra let the boy suck his finger; the prince grew up quickly, he got a bow, arrows, armor, he became famous]: Vasilkov, Neveleva 1987, vol. 3, chap. 126:263-265.

The Balkans. Greeks (Lesbos) [a woman bought an apple from which children are born, left it on the table, her husband ate it, his thigh began to swell, he went to the doctor through a bush, an abscess broke, a girl fell out , he did not notice it, thought he had recovered; the Eagle raised a girl in his nest in a tree above the spring; the prince's horse noticed her shadow; the prince sent an old woman to lure the girl; she pretended to be blind, began to pour water into the inverted pot; the girl went down to help her, the prince grabbed her and married her; in his absence, his mother dressed his wife as a shepherdess, sent geese to herd, told her son that his wife died; the prince heard her song in which she told her story; brought his wife back]: Paton 1900, No. 9:335-336.

Central Europe. Poles [the husband eats the magic remedy by which his wife should become pregnant, gives birth to a girl; she is carried away by a bird; the queen finds her and marries her; his mother persecutes her, she is convicted of death or exile; eventually reunites with her husband and finds missing children]: Krzyżanowski 1962, No. 705:216-217.

Baltoscandia. Norwegians [spouses are childless; after receiving the magic fish that he must give his wife to eat, the husband eats it himself; his knee is swollen, a girl is born; the bird takes her to the nest; the prince finds her ( king), brings them to the palace, takes them as wives; an evil maid (housekeeper) kidnaps her children and says she ate them; the woman escaped execution, found her children and introduced them to the king; the evil bride punished]: Hodne 1984, No. 705:152; Swedes [the husband brought fish to his wife, but ate it himself; his knee was swollen, a girl was born from it; the bird took it to his nest; the king found it, brought it to his place and married her; when the young queen gives birth, her mother-in-law says that she gave birth to a kitten; or consistently takes away the children born; the young queen is expelled, but she returns and offers the king the riddle that describes what happened]: Liungman 1961, No. 705:193-194; the Danes [the king is childless; the old woman promises to help, tells the Queen to send someone to her; send a boy, the old woman gives he tells him not to open the box on the way; he is tired, hungry, opened it; there is herring; he ate it, lost consciousness; when he came to his senses, the baby was nearby; the boy ran away in horror; the raven brought the baby to his nest is a girl; he fed her; another king lives nearby; his young son is hunting; the horse is restless; companions notice something in the tree, the servant takes the girl out of the crow's nest; she grows well , cheerful and intelligent, but does not speak; the prince became king; the girl grew up and he married her; his mother hates her, calls her a crow; the king went to war, the queen gave birth to a boy; the king's mother she replaced him with a puppy, and threw the baby's box into the sea; the woman picked him up; the same for the second time (replaced him with a lamb); the third (kitten); the king orders to expel the queen; she hears the maid explains to the Queen Mother: in order for the young queen to speak, she must lick the dew on the night of Ivanov Day, that is, tomorrow; she does this, leaves with her servants; asks other kings riddles, talking about her origin; they can't figure it out, they give her more servants; she comes to the woman who raised her sons; they have one eye at a time; the mother rubs their eyes with a handkerchief with three drops of blood on it (these are her tears, who became blood); the boys become fully sighted; everything was explained, the Queen's mother was burned in the stove]: Grundtvig 1879:146-160 (=1920:116-124); Latvians [husband and wife have no children; husband receives from the witch's apple is for his wife, but she eats it himself; a girl appears from his leg {it is not clear whether from the calf of his leg or thigh}; he covers her with leaves and leaves her in the forest; a bird picks her up and takes her to his nest; the king finds a girl, marries her; during his absence, she gives birth to children; the witch is replaced by newborn animals; the king tells the children to spare, then drive the queen into the forest; there she finds his children are witches and devils, asks them a riddle: "The apple is the father, the man is the mother, the wind shook me, the bird fed me, the stallion is my matchmaker, the king is my name"; devils can't guess the riddle, wife takes the children; at this time the king celebrates another; the wife sends the children with a cup to the king, he recognizes his children]: Aris, Medne 1979, No. 705:311.

(Wed. The Arctic. West Greenland: Millman 2004 (Igaliko) [guest tells childless spouses about an old shaman who received her gift after a lightning strike; a shaman gives two dried fish; a wife must eat one to give birth to a boy and the other to give birth to a girl; on the way, an old man eats a female fish, thinking that a boy is enough; he gets pregnant, gives birth to a girl at home, the couple is happy]: 130; Rink 1875, No. 94 [A childless husband asks an old woman to help his wife conceive; she gives two dried fish; the wife must eat one to give birth to a boy and the other to give birth to a girl; on the way, the old man eats a woman's a fish, thinking that a boy is enough; he becomes pregnant; another old woman helps him resolve; Rink considers the continuation of the story (not quoted in the text) to be a European borrowing]: 443-444).