J51A. Bone staircase. 14.-.16.27.28.31.

To climb a rock or tower, you need to stick bones into it and climb them like stairs.

Thompson: F848.3, Ladder of bones. Usually bones are stuck in side of steep and slippery mountain.

Kabiles, French (Dauphine, Upper Brittany, Lorraine), Irish, Scots, British, Romanians, Czechs, Swedes, Norwegians, Lithuanians.

North Africa. Kabily: Frobenius 1922a, No. 4 [Chief's son (Agelith) is smart but unbusy, in bad company; black woman: your father could be the new chief, or better yet you, but you're wasting his money; the young man vows to return rich, leaves, enters the country of Wuarssen (devas); the deva has three daughters, the youngest's fingernail on the little finger gives advice, and the deva's wife has all her nails like this; dev tells the young man 1) to sow the field , harvest fruits in the evening; the eldest, middle daughter refuses to bring dinner to the young man, the youngest brings, they eat and make love, she creates a garden with a magic wand, the young man brings fruit to the deva; 2) bring water from the sea to the spring with a sieve so that the bottom of the sea is exposed, the sand dries, bring dry sand (the same, the young man pours sand on the deva's head); 3) get an eagle's nest with chicks by evening, it's on a steep cliff; the deva's wife hides a magic wand; the daughter tells me to chop it into pieces, throw it against a rock, they will turn into a ladder, get a nest, fold the pieces, smoke it with incense, she will come to life; the young man does so, forgets his toe; dev promises to give him his youngest daughter if the young man identifies her among the sisters; he recognizes her by the missing finger; at night the girl tells him to run, take himself a bad-looking horse, a young man takes a good one, a dev catches up; she turns 1) a horse into a hut, herself into a melon, a young man into an old man; 2) a horse on the road, herself into a basket, a young man into an employee; the devil does not recognize, returns; the wife of the deva catches up for the third time; the girl creates a board, they swim across the sea on it; mother: if your husband is kissed by relatives, he will forget you; on the other side, the young man finds gold, the wife creates palace; he goes to visit his parents, bring gold as he swore; the father becomes the chief; the son is kissed by his mother's sister, he forgets his wife; she comes, buys a coffee shop, everyone goes to the beautiful woman; she consistently promises the night to the young man's two friends and him if everyone pays 500 coins and does a little job while she sleeps; 1) close the window (the window closes, the hand sticks, so all night; 2) pour water from the jug (as soon as you touch the jug and it is empty); 3) close the door; the young man breaks the door, recognizes his wife; everyone is happy; after the death of his father, the son becomes the leader]: 30-48; Dermenghem 1945 [ The sultan has two wives; when one gave birth, the other persuaded the old woman to replace the babies with kittens; the sultan sent the woman in labor to live in a stable; the babies were thrown in a box into the sea, the fisherman caught them; the boy was named El Goul Amelloul ("big white"), Hadezzine ("the limit of beauty"); E. built a palace and laid out a garden; the old woman recognized them, advised them to get the Singing Bird, then the Golden Tree; E. brings them both times; marry the daughter of the ghoul king; the youngest of the 7 daughters of the gulya agrees; the ghoul demands 1) to uproot the forest in a day, set up a garden, collect mature figs (the girl does everything with a magic wand); 2) bring a bag feathers (the girl calls the birds); 3) climb the rock and tell me what you saw there; girl: you have to dismember her body into pieces, throw them against a steep wall, they will turn into steps; E. did this, brought 3 eggs from the cliff; collected the pieces in a bag, the girl came to life, but she did not have enough ear; she tells E. to run, let E. take the thin horse; the ghoul pursues, the girl turned herself, E. and the horse into pieces trees, ghoul passed by, the fugitives returned to H.; the Sultan and all the people came to the feast; the angel told the whole truth; the sultan returned his wife, the fisherman was made a vizier, the other wife and old woman were tied to their tails horses; all is well]: 49-55.

Western Europe. The French (Dauphine): Joisten 1991, No. 1.1 [Jean loses, meets a man, gives him a talisman that allows him to always win, tells him to be on Black Mountain in three months; Jean gets rich, but not him mother, nor other old people know where Black Mountain is; he comes to an old man, who calls birds, knows only crows, brings Jean to an old woman by the mountain, who teaches him to be modest in everything, there are three girls, one leads to house; the owner was waiting for Jean, tells 1) to cut down oaks, prepare firewood, collect a bouquet of flowers; Jean cut down only three trees; the owner's daughter tells him to fall asleep, everything comes true (the girl's mother tells her husband every time that his his daughter betrays him); 2) cultivate the land, harvest vegetables, fruits, flowers (the same); 3) get two eggs from the top of the pyramidal mountain from the goldfinch's nest; it's impossible to climb, Jean slides back; the girl tells her to throw her into a boiling pot, collect the bones, make a ladder out of them, then the bones back into the cauldron, she will come out whole; as it happened, Jean took out two eggs; the girl does not have enough little finger on his left leg (Jean forgot the bone upstairs); 4) identify the bride among her two sisters in a dark room; Jean identified it by groping for the missing little finger; the bride tells me not to go to bed (millstones will fall on the young) but run by choosing a thin skate; Jean takes a fat one; the girl's father easily catches up with them on a thin horse; the daughter turns 1) the horse into a laundry platform (lavoir), Jean in goulot, herself in cardaline, which sang, replied that she did not see anyone, the girl's father returned, the wife explained that they were fugitives; 2) a horse into the river, Jean on the ship, herself as a carrier; replies that she would transport herself only for money, father comes back; the day has come, the Devil has lost his strength; Jean and his bride have come to the Holy Land; the girl must wait three years to enter there, for she is the daughter of the Devil; she told Jean to go to his mother but not to hug no woman; his mother and others hugged him when he fell asleep, he forgot his wife; she comes beautiful, promises a night to someone who pays 3,000 francs; the first person who comes sticks to the door, sticks off in the morning; the second to the nightpot; the third Jean, the girl says she is his wife, he remembers her; wedding], 1.2 [about the same as (1.1); the girl's name is Marie Petassole, the hero is Pierre]: 21-29, 29-40; French ( Upper Brittany, 1879) [the boy {rather a young man} collected firewood in the forest; the gentleman gave him money on the condition that he would come to the same place in a month; a month later the young man did not find a master, and three on the pond girls: in white, gray and blue robes; the one in white sent to the master and taught me to refuse when he offers food: I must serve you, not you; the gentleman is happy; in the morning she gives lead an ax, a paper saw and a wheelbarrow made of oak leaves; you have to cut down the forest in a day and stack logs; a girl in white gives a magic wand, by her wave everything comes true; the next day: a day the hill should include an orchard and a pond with ducks (same); next: get a dove from the top of a marble tower with steep walls; girl: cut me into pieces, cook me in a cauldron and from each bone take a step; the young man did not put the little finger of his left foot in the cauldron; when he went down, the girl was safe, the young man admitted that he had hidden his little finger and allowed him to keep it; when the master offered to choose a bride among the three sisters, the bride taught the young man to recognize her by the absence of a little finger; after the wedding, the master hung the newlyweds bed over the failure; asks three times: son-in-law, are you sleeping? the wife will tell her not to answer for a third time, and then race away on a horse named Little Wind; then the master asks her daughter; the third time she did not answer, ran away, and the master and wife cut off the ropes; Having caught up with the young man, his wife reproaches him: you have saddled the Big Wind, now someone will die; chase; the wife has turned the horse into a garden, herself and the young man into gardeners; the gentleman and his wife ask if they have seen the fugitives; in answer: three pears for su; - That's not it! - Four for soo! next time: the church, the altar and the priest; he mumbles when asked by the persecutors: Dominus vobiscum; for the third time the river, the boat and the carrier; -Just transported them; the gentleman and his wife got into the boat, she sank and they drowned; the couple rode home safely]: Sébillot 1880, No. 31:197-205; the French (Haute-Brittany) [the man lost cards to Bluebeard; he said he was now must serve with him for 7 years and until he finds him, he does not fall asleep day or night; a person goes in search; meets three old women consistently; the first has not seen people for 100 years, the second is 40, the third knows where the SB lives: we must cross three seas: red, white and blue; when three SB daughters arrive to swim, we must steal the garter; three ducks flew in and became girls; the man hid the garter alone, she promised deliver him to her father, but did not keep her promise; the same with the second; the old woman teaches her to take an oath; the third swore and took the man to her father's kingdom; the SB orders him to scoop up the pond with a thimble; hide a monstrous amount of wool; get eggs from a bird's nest on a tall tree without stairs; the SB daughter tells me to cut it into pieces to make a ladder; then the little finger was not enough; SB tells the bride to be identified among her sisters; the man identified by his missing little finger; the wife's sisters want to kill a man out of jealousy; the wife tells him to break the egg in which his life lies on SB's chest]: Sé billot 1894, No. 1:167-168; the French (Haute-Bretagne, 1885) [in the absence of his father, the son spent all the money; a young man invited him to come to the Castle of the Golden Mountains a year and day later - there he will receive unlimited money; the young man agreed, unaware that he was talking to the devil; a year and a day later, the young man went to look for a castle; in front of him was a deep old man with a vegetable garden (jardin) on his head; finding out where he was goes, the old man did not eat it, but gave a note on a cabbage leaf to his older brother, who has two vegetable gardens on his head; this one wrote on a cabbage leaf to the oldest, who has a bread field on his head with reapers, and shepherds herd cows; this old man decided not to eat the young man, since he brought him a cabbage leaf from his brother - therefore he is alive; shows the way to the castle; three girls are swimming; a young man hides a blue dress and returns it to the owner only after she hugged him; in the castle, the devil asks what the young man likes; when he finds out that the logger tells him to cut down the forest with a glass ax; the girl does everything with help his magic wand; create a castle with a river and boats; get an egg from the tower; the young man cuts the girl to pieces and creates a ladder from her bones; forgot about the little finger; finds the bride by the missing little finger, when the hell tells a young man to do it blindfolded; a young man and a girl ride away on a white horse; he jumped over the tower for the third time - otherwise he would not ride away; the wife pursues the devil; the girl throws bouchon d'écurie - a horse turns into a church, a girl into a priest, a young man into a singing boy; next time he throws a scraper: a vegetable garden, a carrot, a gardener; then a comb - a river, a duck, a drake; then there is holy land, there is no road line; the girl created a castle, and the young man went to his parents; she did not tell anyone to hug, he broke the ban and forgot her; brings friends to the girl; one of them is ready to pay 200 francs per night; she asks to close the door and he stood at the door until morning; the same with the second; when the young man goes to bed with his wife, he remembers everything]: Sébillot 1894, No. 2:169-170; French (Lorraine; a brief retelling; a variant almost certainly similar to other French ones) [Jean gets to hell; his daughter Green Pen helps her father complete his father's difficult errands; get it (where?) the spire for the castle to be built; to do this, he dismembers the girl, and when he reassembles him, his little finger is missing; he must identify the bride among several girls; finds her missing little finger]: Hartland 1891:293; Irish: Curtin 1975:1-14 [The young son of the King of Ireland meets Lake Léin, a giant in the forest; he offers to play cards, the young man wins two estates; next time, a hundred bulls with golden horns and silver hooves; on the third day she loses his head; comes to an old woman with teeth sticking out of her mouth; she washes his feet, feeds him, gives him a rolling ball, he will lead to her middle sister, who sends her to her elder; she says that there are 700 iron stakes around the giant's castle with their heads set, the latter is free, telling the three bathers to hide the clothes The daughters of a giant who will have a yellow lily on her chest (others are white and blue); the young man returns her clothes for promising to save him; the giant will invite the young man to sleep in a pool of water, Yellow Lily (WL) each time he extracts it, puts it back before the giant wakes up; feeds, the young man should not eat the meat that the giant gives him; the giant suggests 1) finding the pin lost by the giant's great-grandmother in a stable for 500 horses that has not been cleaned for 700 years (JL cleans, finds); 2) make a roof of bird feathers above the stable so that everyone is different (JL does); 3) get an egg from the crow's nest at the top a giant tree, or rather a smooth pole; SL tells her to kill, peel the bones from the meat, make a ladder out of her bones, then collect all the bones back; the young man does everything, but forgets to take it the last bone, the JL is reborn, but she lacks the little finger of the leg; the giant lets the young man go; at home, the soothsayer advises the king to marry his son to the daughter of the King of Denmark; they come to the wedding, a giant with VL They also come; JL turns two grains into a pair of pigeons; the male bites the female, pushes her off the table, she says he did not do this when she helped him clean the stable; the same applies to other episodes; the young man remembers JL, takes her as his wife, the King of Denmark and his daughter are guests at this wedding], 15-25 [Coluath O'Hara, king of Desmond, has three daughters; in the absence of a father, the eldest wraps herself in a veil darkness, wants a handsome man to be her husband; he immediately arrives in a golden carriage drawn by two white and two black horses and takes her away; the same is the middle daughter; arrives in a carriage with four black horses horses; the youngest wants the best white dog in the world, he comes with a servant in a carriage drawn by four white horses; the husbands of older sisters are people during the day, and seals at night, the youngest's husband is a dog by day, handsome at night; when he leaves, he tells his wife not to shed tears if a child is born and something happens to him; she gives birth to a son, he is carried away by a crow; the same with the second; when she gives birth to a daughter, a tear drips into the mother's handkerchief; the husband returns, scolds his wife for it; daughters and husbands come to see their father; the mother spies, sees with two older seals, the youngest handsome man; throws a dog's skin into the fire; the husband says that if spent three days in my father-in-law's house, would remain human, and now he must leave; the wife follows; in the first house she meets the first kidnapped son, the old woman gives scissors that turn rags into a golden dress; in the second or second, she gets a comb that turns bad hair into golden curls; in the third, a daughter, she has no eye, the mother pulls out a handkerchief, it does not contain a tear, but her daughter's eye, the girl finds it; the mistress blows a whistle calling on all birds; the husband pulls out his reed, goes to the lower world, he must become the husband of the Queen of the Land of Youth who bewitched him (Tir na N-og); the wife pulls out another, follows him ; woman turns henwife's daughter's rags (poultry houses?) in a luxurious dress; she reports to the queen; the queen demands scissors, the dog's wife asks for a night with her husband for them, gets it, but the husband sleeps; the same is the second night (tidies up henwife's daughter's hair, gives it comb); the dog's wife whistles on the whistle, all the birds fly in, including the bird of song and new tales; the dog's wife asks the bird how to kill the queen; she says that there is a ram in the holly, in he has a duck, an egg in it, only the queen's husband can cut down a holly; the dog's wife hides a fox in a box, a hawk in the other; spends the night in exchange for a whistle, leaves a letter to the servant for her husband; he wakes up, cuts the holly , the fox grabs the ram, the hawk the duck, the egg breaks, the queen dies; the former dog and his wife remain to rule the country Tir na N-og]; the Scots [sparrow and mouse quarreled over the seed; began the war of birds and animals; the Queen of Tetertyne came when the battle was over, the Raven and the Serpent remained; the Queen killed the Snake when she was ready to kill the Raven in a duel; the grateful Raven plants him on his back and carries him across valleys and lakes to his first, second, third sisters, the third becomes a young man (he was cursed); gives a bag, tells him not to open it on the way; the young man opens, appears a palace with a garden; a giant puts everything back for a promise to give a son who will be born when he is seven years old; a young man becomes king, marries, seven years later his son is a giant; mother the boy gives his son to a cook instead of his son; the giant asks what his father would do if he received a rod; he replies that he would drive dogs and cats away from treats; the king has to give his promise son; a young man grows up in a giant's house, who offers him a choice of one of two daughters; the young man demands a third, Red-haired Mary; the giant demands 1) clean the barn (M. does everything), 2) cover the house with birds with feathers (the same), 3) get magpie eggs out of the nest and cook magpie eggs (M. cuts off his fingers and toes, they turn into steps of the stairs, the young man pulls out eggs, his fingers grow, except for his little finger, which the young man did not touch when he climbed); 4) recognize the bride among her sisters (she does not have a little finger); M. tells me to run, leaving apple slices to answer; M. tells you to get the mare out of her ear, throw it behind 1) a twig of thorns (thorny thickets; a giant runs home for an ax, then carries the ax back, because the crow promises to steal the ax), 2) a pebble (a mountain, a giant runs home for a pickaxe and a hammer), 3) a bottle of water (lake, giant drowns); M. tells the house not to kiss anyone, the young man is kissed by a dog, he forgets M.; M. hides in a tree, the shoemaker's wife and daughter see her reflection, take it for their own, refuse to carry water, since they are so beautiful; the shoemaker takes M. into the house, says that the Queen is marrying, takes M. with him to a feast; two pigeons fly out of her glass, tell the story of M.; the Queen marries M.]: Campbell 1890 (1), No. 2:25-38 (translated to Shustov 1994:363-373; =Kharitonov 2008:383-394 with minor differences; there is no quarrel between a mouse and a sparrow, a magpie's nest on a spruce tree, not on a pine tree); the British [the king left, for this while the queen gave birth to a boy, decided not to baptize, but to call him Nix Nought Nothing; when the king went home, the giant offered to move him across the river, said that in return he needed only nothing or nothing; when he returns, the king found out about his son; decided to give the giant the son of a poultry house; the giant carried the boy, asks what time it is; he replies that just at this time his mother is collecting eggs queen for breakfast; the giant killed him; next time the same time (the gardener's son; mother is picking vegetables for lunch); when the queen is carried, he replies that the king father was sitting down for dinner at that time; daughter the giant fell in love with NN, helps him; the giant demands: 1) clean the stable (animals and birds did); 2) drain the lake (the fish drank water); 3) get 7 eggs from the nest on top of a smoothbore tree 7 miles tall; the girl cut off her fingers and toes, made steps out of them; NN took out her eggs, but one broke; the girl tells me to run, the giant catches up, she tells me to throw the comb ( prickly thickets), a dagger (fence), a bottle (wave, the giant drowned); leaving the bride, NN went to the castle alone; the poultry house bewitched him, he fell asleep, his parents did not know, the king orders him to marry someone who could wake him up; the giant's daughter climbed a tree, the gardener's daughter saw a reflection in the spring, decided that she was her own and that she should try to marry a sleeping young man; the poultry house taught him for a while to spell; the gardener also saw the giant's daughter, brought him to see his daughter's groom; he is sleeping, the giant's daughter is trying to wake him up; tells their story out loud, calling the young man NN; the king and the queen hear, they forced the gardener's daughter to spell NN; the poultry house was executed]: Jacobs 1890, No. 7:33-39 (translation to Shereshevskaya 1957b: 102-107).

The Balkans. Romanians [when leaving, the emperor tells his three daughters not to unlock one room; the eldest insists on unlocking it; there is a table and a book saying that the older sister will marry the emperor east, middle for the emperor of the West, and the youngest for the hog; the father returns, royal matchmakers come to the eldest daughters, the hog comes for the youngest; she is obedient to the father; along the way, the hog is lying in the mud and tells the bride to kiss him; at home she turns into a young man in the evening; the wife is pregnant; asks the old woman for help; she gives a rope to tie her husband by the leg at night; the rope breaks, the husband jumps up, says that if If not for his wife, in three days the spell would be over; she would see him wearing out three pairs of iron sandals and three iron staffs; she comes to the mother of the Moon (the Moon is a woman), she sends the Sun to the mother (Sun - man); The Sun advises you to ask Wind; Mother of the Wind: your husband is in a forest house that looks like a bunch of fallen trees; your wife comes there and makes a ladder out of bones to get up; one is missing she cuts off her finger and it turns into the last crossbar; the husband flies in like a dove, is frightened, then recognizes his wife, the child is with her; explains that his emperor father fought dragons and killed a dragon; his mother turned the emperor's son into a hog to prevent a predetermined marriage]: Kúnos 1901:222-243.

Central Europe. Czechs [the king invites his three sons to go out into the world, find brides and bring gifts for him a year later - who is better; brothers shoot arrows in different directions; the youngest is Yarmil, his arrow falls into a hole in the mouse; the road down in front of Y. opened a marble castle; towards a girl in white, telling Y. to sit on her white horse; the horse flew to the castle made of gold and gems; I got off my horse, and the horse flew away; inside the hall one is richer than the other; the last one is empty, and the diamond says; to save me, keep me by your side and bathe me every day; under the diamond and gold there is a toad; he put it in his bosom; in the other food and wine appear by themselves in the hall; I stayed in the castle, but the more I washed the toad, the uglier it seemed; a year later I found a note: put me in a frying pan, cover me, bring it to my father as a gift; I. returned to his father with his brothers; the elder bride had a princess, the gift was a mirror; the middle bride also sent a mirror; I gave the box; diamonds on it; a little man jumped out of it and handed the mirror , and then disappeared; the king recognized Y.'s gift as the best; now the king tells his sons to return in a year and one day, bringing portraits of their brides; I returned to the toad; a year later a note: my portrait on in a frying pan, give it to my father; when I gave it back, the king said he had not seen such a beauty; a year and a day later, the king wanted to see the brides themselves; instead of a toad in front of Y. beautiful; tells me to go down to the basement, there 12 candles, in front of each shirt; I have to put out the candles, bring shirts and candles, be silent and not listen to anything; beautiful: these shirts are toad skins and the candles burned me; the monster nailed in the basement by the tongue, bewitched my king father; nailed by a witch who is stronger than a monster; for three years you should not tell me what image I used to be or say how many skins I had; your mother is especially dangerous a witch who hates you; I brought a bride, the wedding of three brothers; the prince's mother convinces him that the witch is not her, but his fiancée; found out what she wanted; stole toad skins and candles from Y.'s wife's room and burned it them; wife: you have solved the secret, now I'm flying to a glass mountain, from where there is no return; I. goes in search; the juggler said that the glass mountain is in the east; there is a river around the mountain, there are three giants on the bridge; the maiden from white castle: tie the horse's hooves with rags and throw dust behind; spend the night in the mill across the river; the cook will bring the chicken to the miller, throw the bones under the millstones; let him give it to you, and you throw it in front of you, when you want to climb a glass mountain; throw the last one behind you when you're at the top; when I threw bones, each turned into a step; when I threw the last one back, the road along which the horse climbed appeared; a witch with 12 daughters lives in the castle; wife: the witch knows you're here, be nice to her; when eating, get up and leave after each meal, otherwise you will stay forever; the witch promises to give me his wife, but for three years of service; gives a wooden ax to cut down the forest; my wife put me to sleep, threw the powder, someone's hands cut down the forest; the witch let a shovel dig the mountain (same); scoop out the pond with a thimble (same); wife: Now the witch will appear as a black cloud, hit her with my sword; the witch fell dead, my wife and I jumped away; when the king found out everything, the king burned mother I.; they We arrived at the mouse court: there's the city gate, disgruntled people welcome; everyone is happy]: Curtin 1890:331-355.

Baltoscandia. Swedes (Westerjotland) [{obviously like the Kabiles; the demon gives the young man difficult assignments that the demon's daughter helps him complete); one of them is to get griffin eggs from the cliff; for this purpose, the girl tells you to dismember it into pieces, make steps out of them, and when you go down, reassemble it; the young man did it, but his little finger is missing]: Liungman 196:59; Norwegians: Christiansen 1959 : 84 [the owner {sorcerer} suspects that his daughter is helping the hero and makes sure she is right when she sees that she is missing a finger - going down a tree and stepping on the girl's fingers like the crossbars of the stairs, the hero breaks one of them], 103-104 [one of the hero's tasks is to climb a tall tree whose trunk has no branches, get eggs from under the bird and bring them without crushing them; to do this, the hero makes a ladder out of the girl's fingers and toes; failing to touch one step in his descent, he gives uncontrollable evidence of her assistance]; Lithuanians [133 options; sometimes brothers turn into crows, sister weaves nettle shirts; the father died, the mother was left with four sons, went to borrow peas from her neighbor, when she returned slipped, the peas crumbled, the mother wished in her hearts for the sons to run away as wolves; this is what happened; the woman has a daughter from her second husband; when she found out that she had brothers, the sister weaved a shirt and a towel for each of them, went to look for brothers; came to the sun, it told her mother to cook the chicken: let the girl eat and put the bones in a bag; the same at the moon; at the star; the star knows that the brothers are in the palace on bone mountain; to get up, you have to take out bone and put it under her feet; one bone was not enough, the girl bit off her little finger; in the palace she put a shirt and towel on each of the four beds; 4 wolves ran in, threw off their skins; when they saw sister, they were angry: if she hadn't come, the spell would have subsided soon; now let her sit silently in the forest for three years (9 years); the king's men noticed her in the tree; without getting an answer from the girl, the king ordered her burn; at the last moment her four brothers rode, returned with their sister to their mother]: Kerbelite 2014, No. 111:273-278.