K131A. The hero shares the carcass, ATU 159*. (.12.) .15.16.27.28.31.

Several animals (often a lion, falcon, ant) argue (usually over prey or habitat). The hero resolves their dispute, they give him the ability to take their form (to have their inherent qualities).

(Devoin), Italians (Liguria, Tuscany), Spaniards, Basques, Portuguese, Catalans, Corsicans, Maltese, Ladins, Bretons, French (Upper Brittany, Gironde, Lorraine), Germans ( Hessen, Black Forest, Tyrol), Scots, Greeks, Bulgarians, Poles, Estonians, Livonians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Danes, Western Sami. {In Uther 2004 (1), #159*, the link is to Spitta-Bey 1988:143; there's no such episode there}.

(Wed. West Africa. Devoin {clearly a recent European borrowing} [the fisherman can't catch anything; the mermaid promises a rich catch if the fisherman gives her whoever he sees first in the house; the fisherman decides he will run out a puppy, but his son ran out; his father sent him away from the sea and large rivers to the mountains; along the way he helped divide the animal's carcass between a lion, an eagle, an ant, who gave him the ability to take their form; the monster ruins the leader's possessions, he is forced to sacrifice his daughter to him every month; the last one was left; the young man in the form of an ant came to the monster, asked if it was true that he could not be killed; he replied that to do this, kill a lion on the mountain, then an eagle, take an egg, smash it against the head of a monster; at night, the young man entered the leader's daughter; then flew to the mountain with an eagle, killed that lion in the form of a lion, killed that lion in the form of an eagle, killed him in the form of an eagle that eagle, took an egg out of it, smashed a monster on the head, married the chief's daughter, received wealth and land]: Pinney 1973:111-115).

Southern Europe. The Portuguese [poor fisherman went to sea and hears a voice: if you give the one who looks you first at home, then there will be a rich catch; the fisherman decided it will be a dog, but it turned out to be a son; young man went to the sea, a ship rose from the day, the young man sank to the bottom, there is a palace, everything is done in it by itself; at night someone lies down with him; one day a ship appeared and the young man went to visit his parents; asked for matches and a candle for him; when he returned and lit the candle, a beautiful girl was next to him; a drop of wax fell on her; she told her to look for her in the Castle of Black Stones, wearing out 7 pairs of iron shoes; he set off ; an ant, an eagle and a lion are arguing over a dead sheep; the young man divided it, each gave him the ability to take his form, two legs, a feather, a fur; the young man became an eagle, flew into an impregnable castle; allowed the girl pull herself together and put herself in a cage; at night he got out of her as an ant, ended up with a girl; she says that the giant's strength is in the hair that grows on his navel and girds his waist twice; after this giant will fly out of the giant; the young man gnawed through his hair with an ant, caught a dove with an eagle; there is an egg in it, he broke it in front of a giant, he died; wedding]: Dias Marques 2019, No. 101:151-153; Portuguese [(many records); the hero divides food correctly between animals, they promise to help him; either brothers or animals married to his sisters help him; turning into animals (the ones they helped him) the hero enters the princess kidnapped by the cannibal, finds out where the life of an ogre is (an egg in a dove in a chest in the sea)]: Cardigos 2006, No. 203:59-60; Spaniards: Camarena, Chevalier 1995, No. 302 (Andalusia, Leon; also Basques, Catalans, Galicians) [the caballero met a lion, a greyhound dog, an eagle and an ant who could not share the animal's carcass; he shared, each gave him a fur (feather, etc.) empowering them to transform into an appropriate animal; a princess kidnapped by a giant tells Caballero that the life of a giant in an egg in a porcupine in the palace; becoming an ant, the caballero entered the palace , spent three nights with the princess; the giant smells like a man; as a lion, the caballero attacked the porcupine; he ran away into a hare, the lion became a dog, chased, the hare a dove, the dog an eagle, he grabbed a pigeon, the caballero became human, took out an egg, smashed a giant on the forehead, he died, the caballero married a princess], 316 [{the origin of this text is not specified, but there is another one from Huelva, and also Latin American versions}; a fisherman caught a siren in the net; she threatened to eat it if he didn't give up the first one to meet at home; the fisherman thought a dog would come out, but his son came out; he went say goodbye to friends; saw an ant, a wolf, an eagle arguing over a dead donkey; the young man gave meat to an eagle, bones to a wolf, an ant's skin; they gave the young man a piece of ear, a feather, a paw with which to use take the form of a wolf, eagle, ant; becoming an eagle, the young man flew to the princess; she brought it to her room, where he took on a human form; not only the princess likes him, but also the king himself; but the siren she took him away; the king and the princess went in a boat, showed the siren a silver oar; for this she stuck the young man out of the water, but only up to the neck; showed gold, waist-deep; the young man became an eagle, flew away; then the siren told the earth to open and the princess, when she went to the palace, failed; a young man in the form of an ant entered the underworld; the princess is guarded there by a giant; the young man also gave her the image of an ant, both returned to land; wedding, everything is fine]: 34-37, 115-117; Basques: Barandiaran 1962a, No. 13 [Canillo fisherman caught a fish (the first red pagel), she asks to let it go, promises wealth; the fisherman let go, got rich, but he is impoverished again; he caught the same fish again; it promises wealth if the fisherman gives it what he will be the first to meet at home; he thinks that a dog will come out, and Canillo's son younger has come out; we must send him to a house by the sea; there lives a devil who has taken the form of a fish; in the house, a devil makes noise on purpose, throws him into the sea; he swims to the shore; a lion, a dove and an ant ask for help them share the dead horse; he gives the lion meat, giblets pigeon, bone ant; they give him the ability to turn into a lion, pigeon, ant; in the form of a pigeon K. flies to the house a devil; next to a beautiful woman; asks where life is a trait; in Mount Iparrre his brother, he has a hare in his stomach, a dove in a hare, an egg in a blue blue; K. flies to that mountain, is hired as a shepherd; the owner tells him not to take the sheep to the mountain, the hell will kill them there; K. drives to the mountain, in the form of a lion, fights the devil, the sheep eat fresh grass; the maid spies, hears K. dreams of a piece of bread; on the third day she brings bread, K. defeats the line; in the form of a dove flies to the first line, enters his house like an ant, breaks an egg on his forehead; returns to his father; he became arrogant when he got rich, but when he recognized his son, he took him to him]: 62-68; Webster 1879 [poor man agrees to take Malbrook's newborn son as godson; he gives money, disappears with a baby, who was also dubbed Malbrouk; young M. grew up, released to his parents for three days; returns with two brothers; they change hats for the night with their three daughters M.; the elder M. mistakenly kills their daughters, the brothers run away; the king has three daughters missing; the elder, middle brothers are afraid to go down to the bottom of the well; M. goes down, kills two snakes, goes upstairs with two princesses, whom he is meant for brothers; goes looking for a third; divides a sheep between an ant (head), a hawk (giblets), a dog and wolf (both half a carcass); they give the ability to turn into any of them; the woodpecker reports that the princess overseas has a body without a soul; M. flies there like a hawk, hides on the princess's chest as an ant, she persuades the monster to say where his life is (a fox in a wolf, a dove in a fox, an egg in a blue); M. gets an egg in the form of animals, the monster dies, M. brings the princess to the king; says that first she will get an egg dowry; steals a cow from the elder M., from whose horns diamonds fall (the shepherdess distracts), the moon (pours out water, you have to go get water at night, shine); when he goes for the violin, he is caught; asks his wife M. untie it, he will help cook firewood; cooks it for himself; M. gets a wife, then a throne]: 77-87; Catalans [the fisherman caught a siren; she tells him to give the soul of the first to go home towards him; this is his son; a young man helps an eagle, a wolf and an ant, they give him the ability to take their form; when the siren almost grabbed him, he turned into an eagle and flew to the king's palace; princess caught an eagle and he became human again; the siren tries to grab the young man again, he escapes as a wolf; an ant; marries a princess]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 316:316; Italians (Tuscany) [ A partial retelling in Cosquin 1886:170; dreaming of her son, the princess turns to a sorcerer. He promises her a child on the condition that he spends the first 10 years of his life with his mother and the next 10 years with him; a daughter is born; the mother does not want to give her away and tells the teacher to keep an eye on the girl; the sorcerer, disguised as a merchant, suggests changing the iron rings to silver ones; an interested teacher goes outside, while the sorcerer takes the girl to his castle; another girl lives there, who helps the kidnapped person; the mother of the kidnapped asks the young man to save her daughter by promising him her as his wife; he finds the girl; her friend teaches what to do, but she is wrong and the young man falls asleep; a friend carries her daughter princesses to the high tower; the young man goes in search again; the magician takes the princess, her mother sends the young man to search; the lion, the eagle, the ant argue over the horse carcass, the young man divides it between them, they give it to him the power of seven lions, seven eagles, seven ants; after becoming an eagle, a young man flies to the princess's tower; becoming an ant, he penetrates inside; the princess explains to uproot the tree, dry the spring, and an eagle at the bottom, there is an egg in it; if you throw it at the sorcerer's forehead, he will disappear with his tower; strong as seven lions, a young man knocks down a tree, defeats an eagle with the power of seven eagles, breaks an egg, and finds himself with the princess on the island; a sailor kidnaps the princess, pretends to be her savior, but the deception is revealed and the young man marries the princess; the sorcerer (this is the last thing he could) made the land swallow up the young man; the princess gives The sorcerer shows a glass ball and the sorcerer shows her husband; she gives her a silver ball, the sorcerer brings her husband closer to the princess; the golden ball - the sorcerer puts the young man in his palm; he becomes an eagle, flies away]: Gubernatis 1869, No. 23; Italians (Liguria) [the widow's son Juanine goes on a journey when he is strong enough to knock down a pine tree with his foot; tames an indomitable horse, the king takes him on service; the queen was kidnapped by the sorcerer Body-Without Soul (TD); servants tell the king that D. is ready to release her; D. leaves, divides the donkey's carcass between Leo, Eagle, Dog and Ant, they give him the ability turn into these animals; an eagle, an ant enters TD's castle, tells the Queen to know where TD's life is; she is in a black egg, a black eagle, a black dog, a black lion; turning into animals, D. killed black, took out an egg, TD died, the king married D. to his daughter]: Calvino 1984, No. 6:18-21 (=Kotrelev 1991:37-40); Maltese: Mifsud-Chircop 1978, No. 159* [the hero resolves the dispute between a lion, an eagle and an ant, by sharing the carcass of a fallen animal between them; each gives him a part of his body with which he can acquire their appearance (abilities, strength)], 302 (many options) [the sorcerer kidnaps the princess; the hero divides a fallen donkey between ants and other animals, they give it the ability to take their form, promise to help; thanks to transformations, he enters the sorcerer's palace; the kidnapped takes out, where the sorcerer's soul is hidden (in two eggs, eggs in animals, etc.), the hero gets them, the sorcerer dies]: 10-11, 40-45; Corsicans [the usual beginning of the narratives in story 302 ("The Life of an Ogre in an Egg"): returning from war, a young soldier sees animals arguing over prey; he divides fairly and they give him parts of their body (fur, feather, leg), so he gets the ability to take their form at will; thanks to this, he penetrates a princess kidnapped by a giant or cannibal; she learns what the kidnapper's life is; again resorting to metamorphosis, soldier gets the egg in which the ogre's life is]: Massignon 1984:325; Ladins: Decurtins, Brunold-Bigler 2002, No. 94 [someone gave the man money and had to promise to give him his son; the father brought his son to to the sea; that man brought the young man into a dark room; suddenly a window opened, followed by three girls with flowers; then once, they gave him a candle and a flint - let him know who else was in the room; the young man lit a candle - that man sleeps there; girls: he can only be killed if you get a heron egg in his head; leaving the room and crossing the fence, the young man finds himself in the forest; a lion, a hare, a heron and an ant they argue which of them people love the most; the young man praised everyone; they gave him the ability to take their form; the young man was hired to herd sheep; the owner forbade them to take them over the mountain; but they went there; the young man sees a bush, a girl under it; a dragon followed her; the young man became a lion, fought, the dragon left; the next day, when the princess was waiting for the dragon with her sister; on the third day, all three princesses kidnapped by the dragon; this time the young man ate not bread and water, like the dragon and like himself for the first two times, but meat and wine; ripped the dragon's belly, a hare jumped out; the young man became a dog ; a heron flew out of the ripped hare; the young man became a heron, caught up and killed the first heron; there was an egg in it; the sorcerer inside the castle; the young man became an ant, climbed into the crack; broke the egg on the sorcerer's forehead, he died; in the garden three the girls were the ones who were waiting for the dragon; he married the youngest; they served me soup and gave me soup so much in the ass that he flew here]: 249-254; Uffer 1973, No. 34 [=Brunold-Bigler, Widmer 2004, No. 51:285-287; from a fisherman five children and his wife is pregnant again; the fish promises to send him a rich catch if he promises to send her a son to be born in 12 years; when his son is 12, he went on a journey, promising not approach the water; a bear, an ant and a raven argue over a fallen horse, ask the young man to divide it; he gives the brain to an ant, meat to a bear, giblets to a crow; they give hair, a leg, a feather, thanks to which the young man will be able to turn into a bear, an ant, a crow; the dragon has kidnapped the princess, the king promises a reward to whoever returns her; becoming a crow, the young man flies and sees the dragon disappear underground; in the image an ant gets in there, there are 12 princesses; everyone is ready to marry him, but he decides to marry the one the dragon took last; to kill a dragon, you have to break a snake egg on its nose; humans don't strength to do this; the young man became a bear, broke an egg; after becoming a raven, the young man flew back to the king and promised him to give him his daughter; then brought the princesses to the ground; they ask for help to ford the river ; the young man says he should not go near the water; as soon as he entered the water, the fish grabbed him; the fish likes singing; the girls began to sing; promised to sing more if the fish opened its mouth; as soon as it did , the young man flew out like a crow; wedding]: 128-131.

Western Europe. Bretons [the fisherman has 6 children, the catch is always poor; he has caught a mermaid, she promised a rich catch, but wants to kiss a boy whom the fisherman's wife just gave birth to; after baptizing the baby, the fisherman brought it to the mermaid; she gave a piece of gold to be put on the edge of the hearth; then gold would fall from the chimney all day; the mermaid tried to pick up the child, but the fisherman took it away; the mermaid disappeared, saying that the boy (his name is Fanch) still belongs to her; the fisherman became rich; people thought that the fisherman sold himself to the devil, stopped communicating with him; F. reached the age of 18, went on a journey, taking a servant; father forbid him to approach the seashore; the wolf, the hawk and the bumblebee argue over the horse's carcass; F. divided: meat to the wolf, giblets to the hawk, blood to the bumblebee; they gave F. the ability to take their form; F. for testing became a wolf, the servant got scared and rode away; there was a pond in front, there were geese; F. swam on horseback, giving the geese bread; the main goose promised to help; on the way ants, F. gave them all the rest of the food, they promised to help; F . came to the castle, there is food and wine, a soft bed; in the morning the old woman throws a purse with money into the well and tells her to get it, letting the sink scoop out water; otherwise she will kill; F. calls the goose, she dives, brings; the next day is to divide the three varieties of grain (ants divided); on the third day, find out in the dark which of the three sisters is more beautiful, for three old women are the enchanted daughters of the Spanish king; let F. marry beautiful; the bumblebee will buzz around the head of the one to choose; the old women have become princesses, but F. said that he is still too young and will come to Spain later; returned to Paris, lives in front of the palace, sees the princess, became a hawk, let the princess catch himself; at night he becomes a young man; the pregnancy is obvious, the king was told he ran into his daughter's room, F. opened, had to marry him to a princess; her former fiancé, a Turkish prince, invited F. to go by sea, pushed him into the water, F. was picked up by a mermaid; two years later, F. asked her to lift him above the water for a while, flew away hawk to Paris; tomorrow his wife's wedding to a Turkish prince; F. came to the wedding in a luxurious outfit, opened to his wife; the princess asks the king and Turkish fiancé what key to keep: old and found or made in return; both say old; F. tells the Turkish prince to be thrown into a hot stove; all is well]: Luzel 1887 (2), No. 10:381-418; French: Cosquin 1886, No. 15 (Lorraine) [three stray shoemakers walked; the youngest took the middle road, the older two along the side road; the youngest divided the dead lion between the lion, giving it three quarters, the eagle and the ant, which got a quarter; they They gave a hair, a feather, a leg so that the young man could turn into any of them; as an eagle, the young man flew to the shepherd's hut; he says that the king will give his daughter for someone who will free her from the seven-headed monsters and a giant; the young man entered the princess's room as an ant; she says that others could not cut off the monster's seventh head, and if not cut it down, the other six grow back; the young man needed 2 hours to cut down one head; the next day, 4 to cut 2; then 8 hours to cut 3; then 10 to cut down the seventh; the princess taught me to get three eggs out of this head, throw two at the giant, he will die and one against the wall, a luxurious crew will appear; the princess gave the young man her handkerchief; they boarded the ship, sailed to the king; the princess's former admirer pushed the young man into the sea, swallowed by a whale; the deceiver forced to tell the princess that he saved her; the beggar began to play the violin, the whale swam to listen; the beggar promised to play more if the whale showed the prince's head; if to the hips; to the knees; whole; the prince became an eagle, flew away; disguised as a beggar, he came to the princess's wedding; she recognized her handkerchief; the deceiver was thrown into the fire with fireworks crackers; the hero's wedding with the princess]: 166-169; Delarue 1957, No. 302 (Gironde; also Upper Brittany, Lorraine, Poitou) [returning from service, a soldier sees a polar bear, a raven and an ant arguing over a wild boar; the soldier gives giblets to a crow, his head to an ant, and the rest bear; everyone is happy, they give a fur, a feather, a leg that allows them to take their image if they wish; the guy was hired to work for the owner; he advises not to go to the black forest, because there is a terrible black bear; a giant took the princess to a castle in the middle of the sea; whoever saves her, the king will give her hand to him; the guy flew to the princess like a raven, agreed with her; she put him in a cage so that he could hear her talking to a giant; the giant replies that his strength is in the egg, the egg in the dove, the dove in the black bear; he will die if the egg is broken on his forehead; the guy deliberately drives the herd to the ground of a black bear; turned into a polar bear 10 times stronger than a black bear; a black bear was killed, a pigeon flew out, the guy caught up with him in the form of a crow; flew to the princess, broke an egg on the giant's head; swam to the island the ship, the guy and the princess boarded it, but the sailors threw the boy into the sea; but he became an ant, grabbed the ship's hull and sailed safely; the guy and the princess at the king, wedding]: 134-135; the French (Haute-Brittany) [a soldier was returning from war; he saw a fire in the winter forest; a wolf, an ant, and a seabird roast a ram on a spit; they invited him to share a meal and he shared it so well meat that they gave him the ability to turn into appropriate animals; the soldier took the opportunity to fly home as a bird; found out that the giant sorcerer who killed six wives was invulnerable to fire, neither for water nor for iron; now he took his seventh wife, the princess; the soldier entered her chambers like an ant, asked her to know what the sorcerer's life was like; he told his wife that he would die if an egg was crushed on his stomach; it's in the blue, the dove in the hare, the hare is in the wolf, and the wolf is in the belly of the sorcerer's brother, who lives 8,000 leagues away; the soldier went to get an egg, telling the princess to hang a red ribbon on the window every time the sorcerer not at home; he flew to the sorcerer's brother as a bird, hired a cow shepherd; accidentally found a sword in a peasant with the inscription: my owner always wins; ripped open the sorcerer's stomach, caught up with a wolf and tore it the wolf who jumped out, and then the hare, caught up with the pigeon as a bird and took possession of the egg, handed it to the princess, who crushed it on the sorcerer's stomach; sent the message to the king father; he mistook the soldier for a deceiver and put him in prison, but he escaped as an ant; the princess arrived and the soldier married her]: Sébillot 1880, No. 9:61-65; the Germans (Hanover) [the cannibal Body-with-Soulless (or simply Soulless, DB) eats girls; the lot fell on the royal daughter; the king promises her savior as his wife; DB feeds her well; a simple soldier volunteered; a flea, an eagle, a bear and a lion cannot share the horse's carcass; the soldier shared; everyone gives their own hair (feather, etc.), now the soldier can turn into any of them if they wish; the soldier flew to the castle like an eagle, entered the flea; the princess promises to ask the ogre what his soul is; DB : in a box on a cliff in the middle of the red sea; a soldier flew like an eagle to the Castle of the Four Winds; the winds took turns flying in, but none ate the soldier; in the morning their mother gave him a hat that he wears with at the speed of the wind; flew along with the winds to a cliff into the sea; the winds asked what the soldier would like; he wanted a box; the winds caused fish: who knows where the rock is in the red sea? only a crippled Weißling found and brought it in his mouth; a soldier in the form of an eagle brought the box to the ogre, took his soul out of it, BD died; wedding]: Wolf 1845, No. 20:87-93; Germans (Black Forest) [soldier sees three girls bathing, hides one of them's clothes; she is forced to marry him, has two children; one day she found a key, unlocked the closet, found her shirt there, returned to the glass city, where she ruled her father; leaving the children in care, the husband went to look for his wife; in the forest, a lion, a worm and a raven are arguing over a fallen horse; he gave flesh to a lion, (something else) to a worm (Du tust gern bagen), veins (Geäder) to a crow; they give fur, a feather, a leg so that a person can become strong as a lion, tiny as a worm, can fly like a bird; he flew to a glass city, crawled through a tiny hole, like a crow sat on his wife's shoulder, she understood who it was, took it to the bedroom; the sisters told her father that they heard croaking from there; the wife allowed the soldier to come to her father in the form of a man; he showed him the city, his son-in-law asked allow the tower to be built, became strong as a lion, made a hole; when asked what he wanted to take with him, he said he was a wife]: Hubrich-Messow 1988, No. 18:32-34; Germans (Tyrol) [son of a poor widow went on a journey; helped a lion, a stork and an ant divide the carcass of a fallen horse between them; the lion rewarded him with the ability to become 7 times stronger than a lion, a stork to fly 7 times higher than a stork, an ant is 7 times smaller than an ant; a young man has come to the city, where mourning is; the princess was kidnapped and guarded in a distant castle by a three-headed dragon; the young man came to the castle, which is on top of a steep smooth mountain ; the young man flew there like a stork; got inside the ant through a gap in the gate; a long-bearded dwarf indicated where to get a huge heavy sword; with the power of 7 lions, he hacked the dragon, returned the princess and married her]: Zingerle, Zingerle 1980:18-23; Scots [a siren asks a fisherman for a son in exchange for a rich catch; he says he is childless; she gives three seeds each for his wife, a mare, a dog, and three seeds plant; they will give birth to three sons, foals, puppies; three trees will grow, if one of the brothers dies, the tree will dry out; since then the catch is rich, but when the eldest son is 3 years old, the father must send him to a siren ; she extends the sentence twice, but at the age of 14, the young man tells him to make a sword for him, goes by himself; helps the dog, falcon and otter fairly divide the corpse of the sheep (three parts for the dog, two for the otter, one for the falcon), they promise to help; he hires to herd the king's cows, but the pasture is scarce, the cows are not milked, so the shepherd is not fed; next time he came to the green pasture; the giant said it was his, wanted to eat it, but the dog ran, jumped on his back, the young man cut off the giant's head; next time the same with the second giant; the princess must be given to the three-headed monster; the young man goes three times with to the lake, cuts her off on the head; each time the general attributes victory to himself; before the battle, the young man falls asleep every time, the princess wakes him up with one of her jewelry on him; the general is unable to lift severed heads, the princess marries the young man; the monster drags him into the lake, the princess buys him back with her jewelry; first asks only to show her husband, but then gives him all the jewelry and the monster gives the prisoner; but then kidnaps the princess herself; the blacksmith replies that the monster's life is in the egg, in the trout, in the crow, in the white-footed fallow deer on the island; the dog, the falcon, the otter help catch them all, the monster returns the princess, dies; there is a castle nearby, from where they do not return; the young man goes, the old woman kills him; the tree has dried up at home; the same with the middle brother (the princess takes him for her husband, they are so similar); the youngest cuts down the old woman's head, but she picks her up, puts her back; a dog rushes at her, her younger brother kills her with her own sword (or rod? Slachdan druidhach), he also revives the brothers; the older brother receives the throne of his father-in-law]: Campbell 1890 (1), No. 4:72-85.

The Balkans. Greeks: Hahn 1964 (1), No. 5 (Epirus) [the childless king wants a son so much that if he were born, he would even agree to give him to the dragon; the son was born, grew up, the dragon demanded that he be given, king agreed; the prince himself goes to the dragon; helped the lion, the eagle, the ant divide the dead donkey; they gave him the ability to turn into a lion, an eagle, an ant; the king has sheep, but their milk is impossible deliver, because evil dogs attack a person coming from the pasture to the castle; the prince escaped from them as an eagle, then also in the form of an eagle brought milk to the castle, entered there in the form of an ant, the king married him to his daughter; becoming a lion, the prince defeated the attacking enemies; one day he comes to the spring and the dragon swallows it; the king found a man who looks like his missing son-in-law, told his daughter that her husband returned, but the wife exposed the deception; hangs apples at the spring; in order to get them, the dragon raises the young man above the water, so that his head is visible; the next day to the waist; then whole; the young man became an ant then with an eagle, flew away]: 85-89; Paton 1900, No. 5 (Lesbos) [the sea monster lets the fisherman go for promising to bring his son; the fisherman asks his son to be the first to get on the boat, the young man refuses, the fisherman is swallowed; the young man shares bones, meat, fat of a killed beast between a lion, an eagle, an ant; they give it strength, speed, the ability to crawl through cracks; comes to crippled shepherds; the princess demands milk with foam, they do not have time deliver milk so fresh, cut off its nose, ears, etc.; the young man delivers an eagle with the speed of an eagle; at night he comes to the sleeping princess, lies down with her; as soon as she raises the alarm, she hides as an ant; she scratches her lover's face, the next day identifies the young man when he brings milk; agrees to be with him; the young man teaches her to ask her father to pass her off as someone who will pick up a block of marble; the young man does this by urging the power of a lion, the princess throws an apple at him, choosing her husband; he leads troops to war, leaves three carnations, if they wither, he is in trouble; they wither; the princess comes to the sea; the monster asks for an apple for the young man he swallowed; the princess tells the young man to stick his head out of his mouth; the next time his torso, the third time he stands on his back; calling for the power of the eagle, the young man flies to the shore]: 113-115; 1901, No. 17 (Kalymnos) [the old people have seven sons, the eldest six are sloppy; have decided to go to work in Asia Minor; the youngest named Thirteen secretly follows them; the brothers ask the ogre to hire them squeeze the field; cannibal: if you press faster than I knit sheaves, I'll give my daughters for you, otherwise I'll eat it; T.: prepare thin bundles so that the cannibal knit more; at night T. shows that he is awake the cannibal does not dare to kill his brothers; on the third night, T. puts the cannibal's daughters on his brothers and vice versa; the cannibal stabbed his daughters; the brothers have time to cross the river; the youngest shouts that his the name is T., and this is just the beginning; brothers are hired by the king; envious elders say that T. volunteered to steal an ogre blanket with 41 bells; along the way, T. divided the carcass between mice and cats, they suggested help; filled the bells with cotton wool; T. quietly pulled off the blanket, the cannibal and his wife each think that the other is pulling him towards him; brothers: bring the cannibal's talking horse; the horse calls the owner, the cannibal told his wife to fry T ., went to invite his brother to visit himself; T. pretended not to know how to get into the oven, the ogre's wife shows that he fried it, put part of his body out of the window, and the cannibal who returned ate it, not knowing that it was his wife; brothers: bring the ogre himself; T. cuts trees in the ogre's forest; says that T. is dead and he makes him a coffin; the cannibal volunteered to help; T. offers to climb into the chest to try it on, closes it; the king asks open the chest and then fry the ogre; he swallowed the envious brothers, fell into the oven himself; the king married T. to his daughter]: 93-97; Bulgarians [a childless fisherman asks God for a child; fish (siren -" sea samer") promises that the fisherman's wife will give birth, but the boy will have to be given to her; the fish is told that the boy is dead; he grew up, went on a journey, warned not to approach the shore; from an ant, falcon, lion {obvious, by resolving their dispute when sharing the animal's carcass}, the young man gains the ability to transform into any of them; thanks to this ability, the young man gets a princess and smashes enemies; he swims in the sea or river, the fish swallows him; his friend puts on his clothes and tries to impersonate him, but his wife exposes the substitution; brings three golden apples (a golden spindle, a needle, a loom that works themselves), consistently promises them to the fish if it lifts the young man up to the neck, waist-deep, completely above the water; once above the water, the young man turned into an eagle, flew away from the fish]: Daskalova-Perkovska et al. 1994, no.* 316*: 119-120.

Central Europe. The Poles [the guy served with the butcher, went on a journey; in the forest, a lion, a hound dog, a hawk and an ant drove an ox, asked him to kill and divide him; the guy gave meat to the lion, the bones to the asu, the tripe to the hawk, an ant - a head; everyone gave a fur, a feather, a paw, they will allow them to turn into these animals if they wish; the guy flew to the mountain as a hawk, entered the house as an ant, there is a captive queen; the guy teaches to learn The dragon has the cherished word; dragon: only the one who can turn into a lion, a hawk and an ant will take you away from me; the guy flew to the royal's father; they say that every night a wolf comes, cuts a wild boar, takes his heart away - probably for the royal; the guy was hired as a swineherd; a wild boar tore in the form of a lion, a hare jumped out of it; the hound caught up, tore the hare - the duck flew out; the hawk caught up, tore a duck, an egg in it, a golden key in the egg; the guy flew to the queen, unlocked the door; the royal has a dragon in human form, but with hooves; the lion defeated him, he spread resin; the guy with the royal scored gold and diamonds, returned to the royal father; wedding]: Shcherbakov 1980:50-54.

Baltoscandia. Estonians (Kolga-Jaani) [the butcher wanders; divides the carcass between a lion, a dog, a kite, an ant; they give him fur, a feather, a leg in gratitude, which will make him three times stronger than a lion, faster dogs and a kite, will give you the ability to crawl into the hole three times narrower than the one into which the ant crawls; the butcher was hired to guard the princess, the hell took her away; the butcher was locked, they wanted to execute; he climbed into keyhole, crow flew, agreed with the princess; the lion broke the line, the hare jumped out, he caught up with him as a dog, a pigeon flew out, he tore it with a kite, an egg fell out, it had all the keys in it, the butcher and the princess went out, reached home; the butcher received the princess and the throne]: Järv et al. 2009, No. 11:73-74; the Livs [father promises a damn mother of a newborn son; the old man advises throwing it into the water instead of a baby stone; (young man grows up); animals fight over prey; the young man shares it for them, each gives them the ability to take on their own form; the young man chooses a younger princess, marries her; sisters turn her into a pillar of fire, but the young man restores her human form and takes her away; after defeating the line three times, he obtains magic objects and with their help - the palace and the kingdom; in the form of an ant, penetrates his mother-in-law, kills the devil and frees the people from their power]: Loorits 1926, No. 749, ₁ ': 19; Latvians: Alksnite et al. 1958 []: 177-182; Aris, Medne 1978, No. 316 [Mermaid. The son is promised to a mermaid. The old man gives him a ring that protects him from the mermaid. The son settles a dispute between animals, and they give him the ability to transform into an eagle, a lion, a dog and an ant. He flies to the royal palace, marries the king's daughter. While hunting, the son chases a female deer, jumps after her into the water, but cannot get out of the water - the ring remains at home. The wife goes looking for her husband. A female deer, a mermaid, allows her wife to speak to her husband, and he tells her to bring a ring. The next day, after receiving golden apples, the mermaid allows her wife to kiss her husband. Along with the kiss, the husband receives a ring. As a punishment, the wife must burn for seven years. The husband and the mermaid try to overcome each other through various transformations. Finally, the mermaid turns into stone. The husband throws a stone into the flame, and it turns into a wife]: 275; Grishina 1993 [the eldest son goes to look for happiness; at the crossroads there is an inscription: if you go on the first road, the horse is good, the other by yourself, on the third road both; the guy does not know which road is the first, which is the second. returned; the same with the middle brother; the younger fool drove on the right, picked up a lacerated cough, three dwarfs will fulfill any desire; guy came to the king, he does not give his daughter, but the daughter agrees; the guy gave her a purse, the king took it away, told the dwarfs to take the fool to a tower without windows and doors in the middle of the sea; the guy made a hole, went down the rope , fishermen brought him to the ground; he divided his prey between a bear, a dog, a bird and an ant; they gave him the ability to transform into these animals; taking the form of a dog, bird, ant, penetrated into the palace, becoming a bear, began to beat everyone, got a princess; the king drew a line on his son-in-law; he told his wife to find out where the line was; hell: in the bones, and only the bear would break them; after becoming a bear, the guy killed devil; as an ant, the son-in-law made his way to the king, took the purse, told the dwarfs to build a palace]: 316-323; Lithuanians: Kerbelite 2014, No. 132 [the soldier divided the cow's carcass between a lion, a dog, a hawk and an ant; everyone gave a fur, a feather, etc., giving her the ability to turn into these animals; becoming an ant, he penetrated into the ground, where the girl was looking for a snake in her head; an ant soldier quietly asked her how return the estate to the ground; the girl asked the snake; he replied that there was a nine-headed serpent in the prince's lake, if the ninth head was cut down, a hare would run out, there was a dove in it, a burning stone in the blue, and it must be broken; the soldier returned to earth, became a shepherd to the prince; drove the herd to the lake; fights the snake in the form of a lion, the assistant gives him a drink of wine, increases his strength; on the third day, the soldier tore off his last head, becoming a hound, caught a hare, becoming a hawk - a dove, crushed a stone; the estate rose to the ground, the girl is grateful, married the prince's son], 133 [a poor student divides a birch tree between a lion, a falcon and an ant; those give him the ability to take their form; when he went to war, the king forgot his sword at home; promises his daughter to the one who immediately brings it; the student flies like a falcon, runs like a lion, enters the palace with an ant; The Queen gave him a ring, cut some wool and feathers; the student brought a sword, the officer cut off his head, gave the king a sword; the king is preparing his daughter's wedding with an officer; God commands St. Pyatras pull out the corpse, put on his head, the student came to life; the student shows how he turned into animals, his ring is royal and his hair is cut, etc.; the officer was torn by horses; wedding]: 322-328, 328- 331; the Danes [the shoemaker's son goes on a journey; divides an elk carcass between a bear, a dog, a falcon, an ant; for this they give him the ability to transform into these animals; in the form of a falcon, he gives Catch herself by a princess; becomes a young man in her bedroom; flies away and returns as a prince, gets a princess; if the sun falls on her before she reaches the age of 30, she will be kidnapped by a demon; this It happens that the young man becomes a dog, follows the trail, finds his wife; she persuades the kidnapper to tell us what his life is like; she is in the lake, in the dragon, in the hare, in the duck, in the egg; the young man in the form of an ant all this hears, flies with a falcon to the lake; there the dragon needs 12 pigs a day; a young man in the form of a bear fights the dragon three times; kills when he was given wine and bread during the battle; when he returns, breaks the egg on demon's forehead; cave turns into palace, boy and princess remarry]: Grundtvig 1920:148-165; (cf. Danes [the poor man went to sell the canvas; the old man offers to buy for a promise to give what his wife wears under his sash; the poor man does not know that his wife is pregnant; the old man tells him to bring the boy when he turn 10 years old; briefly turns him into a hedgehog, a deer, a falcon, gives him the name Grenhat ("green hat"), tells him not to baptize; when G. is years old, the old man tells him to be a hedgehog, a deer, a falcon for five years; now he is Knight Grenhat, who can turn into these animals; the old man tells him to hire a groom for the king, to fear the Red Knight; the princess fell in love with G.; the KR himself wants to marry her; tells the prince that G. can get the most beautiful girl; in the form of a hedgehog, deer, falcon, G. penetrates an overseas princess, promises to marry a prince, she leaves with him on a ship; the Kyrgyz Republic pushed G. into the sea, brought the prince himself princess; the mermaid saved G., he is in her palace; the princess pretended to be dumb; they want to burn her; the mermaid let G. save her, he appeared in the guise of a hedgehog, threw a fire; the princess revealed the secret to her sister Prince, she fell in love with G., both fell silent; they want to burn them, G. threw a fire in the guise of a deer; they fell silent again; the mermaid does not want to let G. go - let them burn them so that G. forgets them; he only asks to lift him up above the water to see the fire; flew away with a falcon, scattered a fire; the prince married an overseas princess, G. married the prince's sister, and the Kyrgyz Republic was burned]: Suritz 1991:67-74); Western Sami [princess is afraid men; the king promises a reward to anyone who can find contact with his daughter; the poor young man also goes to try his luck; kind, shares food with a bear, a lion, a fly; the first two give a piece of their ear, a fly is a piece of a wing; with the help of this young man gains the ability to turn into these animals; {then turning into a bear and a lion is not used}; in the form of a fly, the young man penetrates the princess, then she looks human; the princess calls the guards twice, but the young man becomes a fly again and the guards think they are being bullied; the princess liked the young man, the king is happy that the daughter has found herself husband; asks the young man to count the money in the chest; he gets in with a fly, counts the money; wedding; in the form of flies, the young fly to the young man's parents, and then, with them, fly back to the palace and there remain]: Kohl-Larsen 1982, No. 5:47-57.