K56a5a. Peel off skin to rejuvenate (ATU 877)

.14.15.27.31.

To become a young beauty, an old or ugly woman asks to peel off her skin. Cf. motive H4.

Egyptian Arabs, Portuguese, Spanish (?) , Sicilians, Italians, Corsicans, Greeks, Latvians.

North Africa. Egyptian Arabs (one entry) [Beauty and youth bestowed magically - fatal imitation by rival; rejuvenation by changing skin; man declined into marrying an ugly woman: the veiled (bashful) female ; bethrothal of the veiled female (unseen)]: El-Shamy 2004, No. 877:512.

Southern Europe. The Sicilians [the king wanted to marry a beautiful woman more beautiful than the sun, sent a servant to look for water; he asked for water in the house, an 80-year-old woman handed him water from outside the door; he saw only his hand white and thin from spinning; told the king; he sent for the bride; she replied that she was 15 years old, which would turn black from the sun, she was brought in a closed wagon; at night the king saw her, threw her out the window, she caught on a nail on the wall; the fairies felt sorry for her, gave her beauty, youth, wisdom, courtesy; the king saw, told her to get it, was happy with her; her 90-year-old roommate came, recognized her, asked how to be younger; she replied that the old skin should be removed, there would be a new one; she went to the barber, who began to peel off her skin, she died]: Gonzenbach 2004a [1870], No. 39:263-265 (retelling in Crane 1985, No. 25:97- 100); Italians: Basile 2018 (Naples) []: 130-141; Calvino 1980, No. 29 (Venice) [three old maidens, 67, 75 and 94 years old, sit on the balcony; the oldest takes a fragrant variety in her mouth and spits out; the spit hit the young king, who was passionate about a beautiful woman with such a fragrant breath; the king came to the old women; the person who opened the door said that it was impossible to see a beauty before the wedding, but if come tomorrow, she will show her finger; old women make an artificial finger, the king prepares the wedding; when the couple is alone, the king sees the old woman, throws her out the window; she remains hanging on the bars for grapes winding along the wall; three fairies passing by laughed so much that they rewarded the old woman to look like a young beauty, a beautiful husband and a happy marriage; in the morning the king saw a beautiful woman, pulled her out -out the windows and was happy; when another old woman saw her younger, she asked how she did it; she replied that she had been cut off; the old woman went to the carpenter and died when he began to cut her off]: 80-83 , 721; Pentameron I,10 [two ugly old women, without showing themselves, constantly complain outside the king's window that a fallen grain of sand has injured their knee, a jasmine flower has filled a bump, etc.; the king dreams of seeing beauties; they lick their finger for 8 days and the one whose finger has become softer puts it outside; when one of them put her finger through the keyhole, the king believed that he was beautiful in front of him; at night he realized that He was deceived, told his servants to throw the liar out the window; she hung on a tree; the fairies who passed by laughed and gave the woman youth, beauty and all virtues; the king married her; the young queen told another old woman she was younger after the barber took off her old skin; she persuaded her to skin her and died]; Portuguese: Cardigos 2006, No. 877 [old woman convinces a prince or a wealthy passerby to marry her ugly granddaughter or sister and claims that the eau de toilette she poured out is her urine; the old woman tells me not to look at the bride so that her tender The skin is not damaged in the light of the sun; when the husband sees the freak, he throws her out the window, she clings to her clothes, the fairies turn her into a young beauty and the man actually marries her; sister or companion the old woman asks the younger woman how she did it; misunderstands the answer that she is younger when her skin was ripped off; tells the butcher (barber, blacksmith) to peel off her skin and dies]: 213-214; Braga 2002 (Algarve) [example of such a text; the king puts the old woman's ugly niece on the veranda; fairies try to help a prince who has forgotten how to laugh; when he sees a frozen naked freak, the prince laughed; the fairies turned the freak into a beautiful woman out of gratitude, the king married her; the old woman asked her niece how she had changed; she replied: I was made (fararam-me), and the old woman heard "s I got my skin ripped off" (esfolaram-me)]: 156-158; the Spaniards [whether there is a motive for torn skin is not clear, but considering the Portuguese version, it should be]: Uther 2004 (1), No. 877:500; (cf. Catalans [the king marries an old woman believing that she is a young girl, although he only saw her finger; realizing a mistake, he throws the old woman out the window; fairies who see this turn the old woman into a beauty, she becomes the king's wife; the old woman's sister asks the blacksmith to make her skin soft; after this procedure, the old woman looks even worse]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 877:171); Corsicans [the mother is ugly daughter with one eye; once ate 7 bread at a time, the mother raised a scream, the prince passing by the house asked what was going on; the mother replied that the daughter hid seven skeins of silk; the prince wished such a craftswoman in wives; the prince's men were amazed at the master's choice; when the bride was on her way to the wedding, three fairies saw her; one laughed, something stuck in her throat popped out; the other burst into tears, an abscess in her eye burst; the third started to dance, the splinter came out of her heel; for this, the first made the bride beautiful, the second - let any of her clothes be gold, the third - let her go to heaven after death; when the prince's wife her mother visited her, who said that she became beautiful after the shepherds at the spring ripped off her old skin; her mother paid the shepherds to skin her too; she screamed terribly, but did not help; they she was buried]: Massignon 1984, No. 12:27-29 (=Tenèze, Bru 2000, No. 877:45-48).

The Balkans. The Greeks [old woman (Mary) married the prince for her sister, who is just as old; adds fragrances to her urine; the bride sucks her finger to make the skin tender, lets the groom feel, not lets you see her in the light; she has a beautiful voice; one of her sisters helps the snake and it rejuvenates the bride; or the prince discovers that the bride is old and throws her out the window; she hangs on a tree; it they see three fairies starting to laugh; one of them has not laughed for 40 years; fairies give her various charms, make her 18- (or 12) years old; a younger woman tells her sister or another old woman that she has changed her skin; she tells a barber, butcher, or someone else to rip herself off, dies]: Megas 2012, No. 514A: 197.

Baltoscandia. Latvians [The bride is an old woman. An elegant white handle hands a mug of water to the royal servant. The servant thinks the hostess is beautiful. After the wedding, the king discovers that the bride is an old woman and pushes her out the window. Three sorceresses give her youth, beauty and a beautiful voice. The king is happy. The young wife gives her sister, also an old woman, money to go rejuvenate - to tear off her skin. After doing this, the sister dies]: Aris, Medne 1977, No. 877:329.