K32B. My mother-in-law replaces her daughter-in-law .13.14.17.

A man's mother takes the form of his wife to take her place.

Arabs of Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Arameans.

Sudan - East Africa. The Arabs of Sudan [an infertile woman went to the holy man; 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 son of a prince) found, ate, became pregnant; begged God to move the fetus to his leg; opened the tumor, there was a girl; the bird took her to its nest; she grew up, became beautiful; Wad al-Nimair (VN) with his comrades stopped under a tree, noticed the girl; they went on; VN pretended to forget the ring; took out the girl, took out his 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; the servant brought the blood of the gazelle; the VN wife settled on an island on the Nile; the VN mother pretended to be his wife, said that the mother was dead; the imaginary wife was pregnant and wanted something to eat only on the island where the real wife; a slave has come, turns to the mistress of the island, let her lion and crocodile let him in; she says that VN is 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, returned her, his mother kicked her out]: Al-Shahi, Moore 1920, No. 9:79-81.

North Africa. The Arabs of Egypt [a childless woman bought a pomegranate, put it under the sauerkraut; the husband came and wanted to eat; the wife: eat what is under the washing pan, but not what is under the sauerkraut; but he also found ate a pomegranate, decided that his wife was hiding the best from him; he became pregnant; when nine months had passed, his wife told me to go to the desert; if a boy was born, you should wrap him in a cloth and bring it, and if a girl, 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 to lure the girl out of the tree; brought the sheep and pretended to slaughter her from the tail; then from the back; from her leg; the girl says what is wrong every time, the old woman pretends not to understands; 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 to Hajj; his mother did not give bread to her daughter-in-law, gave it in exchange for permission to cut off her hand; so with all her limbs; what was left was thrown out the window; she fell on the "regality ring", the spirit asked him what to do; the girl demanded that she be made whole again and healthy, and to have a palace and a fruit garden nearby; 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 to the hostess (i.e. to her true wife), and she responded: 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 convey at 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, brought his wife back]: El-Shamy 1975:159-163.

Western Asia. Palestinians [a woman gave birth to a girl and left her under a tree; the birds wrapped her up and fed her; she grew up and climbed a tree; the Sultan's son came under the tree to give a horse a drink in the pond, but he was frightened; the young man found the girl, married her; went on Hajj; his mother is jealous of his daughter-in-law, drove her away; dug a grave, buried a sheep, and tried to look young herself, as if she were the wife of the Sultan's son; when he returned, she showed him the grave in which his mother was allegedly buried; when her son became pregnant, she asked for sour grapes; and a maid was sent to a neighbor who had a real one to buy grapes the Sultan's wife got a job as a maid; the maid wife said everything to the maid who came and told the scissors to cut off her tongue; when she returned, she only mumbled; the same with the servant of the Sultan's son; when he came by himself, the scissors they began to circle around him, but their tongue was not cut off; the Sultan's son dug a grave, found a sheep, ordered him to make a fire {and apparently burned his mother}]: Muhawi, Kanaana 1989, No. 2:59-62; 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, 9 months later a girl was born; she was carried away by a hawk, brought her to a palm tree, became 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; pretended not to be able to fry scrambled eggs on the fire (either a frying pan upside down, then 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 wished the palace with servants and a vineyard in front of the prince's palace; when the prince returned, the mother pretended to be his wife; he asks why she has different eyes, mouth, nose, etc., every time she replies that fatigue, waiting, etc.; and the mother allegedly died; the imaginary wife pretends to be pregnant, asks the prince to send the maid for grapes; the girl answers who she is, tells the maid to cut off the scissors tongue; the same with the second, with the third maid; the prince comes himself, everything is explained; he executed his mother, her long bones were made into the crossbars of the ladder; when the prince's wife climbed them, they creaked]: Kuhr 1993:218-224; Iraqi Arabs [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 bring an orange, not believed about the pregnancy, took it away and ate it; his wife promised to let him out of the house if he gave birth; nine months later it happened; in the desert he gave birth to a daughter; wrote on a piece of paper that it happened, he 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 it 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 his mother was dead; imaginary wife gave birth; when she saw a wonderful garden from the roof of the palace, she wanted grapes and sent her 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 brought her, father gave birth, fed the gazelle, the falcon hovered over her, the Sultan's son had a child with his own mother, I won't give grapes; the slave returned and told everything; the prince thought about it and went by himself; when his wife saw him, she gave him everything said; he demanded that the imaginary wife show her mother's grave; she had to confess; the son poured oil on her and burned her alive in the desert, he gave birth to a daughter; after 9 months this happened and home and eat when the young queen gives birth, mother-in-law crap]: Stevens 2006, No. 22:98-102; Aramaeans [the witch doctor gave the woman a remedy for infertility, ordered her to swim before taking it; she left the product in the niche and left at home; the husband accidentally ate; his thigh was swollen; after 9 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 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 get it; she reached out her hand, 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 his pursuer; when the stalker came, the girl killed him by hitting him on the head with a stone; saved: demand whatever you want; girl: castle and servant; everything appeared; at this time, the prince's mother stabbed and buried the sheep; put on the girl's clothes and pretended to be her returning son; and the mother seemed to have died - showed the grave; prince, not Knowing this, he married his mother; she became pregnant; when he found out that a castle had appeared nearby, the woman sent a maid to ask her neighbor for grapes; but the girl cut off that tongue; so with 10 maids; prince asked if his wife wanted to go for grapes herself; 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 get 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 me under my clothes, his mother from Is he pregnant and I still have to 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.