K76G. Cancer son. 23.27.28.
The son or adopter of the spouses is cancer (crab). He marries a princess and turns into a handsome man.
Varley, Oraons, Muria, Greeks, Russians (Karelian Pomorie), Western and Eastern Ukrainians.
South Asia. Varley [father of seven daughters went to the forest for leaves, cannot raise an armful, promises his daughter to someone who will help; the crab helps, demands a girl, the youngest agrees, others say crabs they eat, not marry; the crab invites the bride to climb into its hole, she ends up in a wealthy house, the husband is handsome; to convince the wife's sisters that he was a crab, the husband turns into a crab, and then back to human]: Satyawadi 2010:38-41; oraons [an old woman finds a crab in a pumpkin, thinks she is her son, takes him a wife; she disgust the crab, she goes dancing; the crab tells the tree to bend down, takes it out from there, her human image, puts crabs instead; at a dance, Crab's wife falls in love with an unfamiliar young man, gives him her jewelry; at home Crab shows them to her in the form of a crab; next time she watches the Crab, asks the tree to bend down, burns the crab shell; the crab boy does not find his wife dancing, finds her at home; they live happily]: Elwin 1944, No. 4.1:134-135; muria [crab eats rice shoots, a man catches a crab, he asks him to adopt; the Raja calls everyone to work in his daughter's field; the crab asks his mother to send him and, turns into a young man, works well; the princess brings food for him; when the Raja calls the grooms, the princess hangs a garland on the crab; at night he turns into a young man, rides horses; the Raja spies, tells his daughter to burn the crab shell, essa hangs a garland on crab; at night he turns into a young man, rides horses; Raja podsm gives half his kingdom to his son-in-law]: Elwin 1944, No. 2:136-138 (translated into Zograf 1971, No. 31:135-137).
The Balkans. Greeks: Megas 1970, No. 28 [the king and priest agree that their future children will be married; the queen gives birth to a beautiful girl, the priest's wife is a crab; the crab grows up, tells the mother to marry the princess; king makes it a condition to remove the mountain that blocks the sun; at night, dragons (drakoe) do their job; Crab gets a wife; leaves the shell at night as a man; tells him to keep a secret; wife tells mother, Crab disappears; the wife has worn out three pairs of iron shoes; the blind and the lame directed her; three pigeons flew in, dived into the pool, became young men; they usually drink to the health of the sleepy beauty, windows and doors they cry; and then they laughed; the husband saw his wife, she threw his wings into the fire, the husband and wife returned home]: 65-70; Schmidt 1877, No. 9 [the fisherman caught a golden crab; he talks, fills every day a plate of gold; tells him to marry him the king's youngest daughter; the king: 1) let him build a wall above the towers of my palace overnight and on it all the flowers that are in the world; 2) there are three springs with gold, diamonds and diamonds; everything is done, the crab tells the mother to go to the mountain, ask the Moor for a golden pillow; on it she brings it to the palace for the wedding; at night she turns into a prince; a year later, the princess gave birth a son named Benjamin; the king wants to arrange a tournament to give his daughter to the winner; the crab tells his wife to ask the Moor for a luxurious tournament outfit and a silver apple; he will throw it to her and she must tell the sisters that she does not know who it is; if it says that it is her crab husband, he will leave her; the next day, a golden apple; this time she confessed to her mother that she burned her crab shell, her husband disappeared; an old man chased a dog that took his bread; down the stairs, there's a palace, a table for 12 people; the old man hid; 12 eagles flew in, swam in the spring, became young men; one of them drank for the health of his beloved and reproach to his mother-in-law, who burned his shell with crab; when the eagles flew away, the old man went to the princess and told him everything; the princess hugged her husband; he told her to wait three months for the end The duration of the spell; she sent the old man to tell his parents about it; after three months everything is fine]: 83-88.
Central Europe. Russians (Karelian Pomorie, Sniffer) [the old man was fishing, got cancer, he brought him home; cancer during the day, and a peasant at night; orders him to marry his royal daughter; the tsar sets conditions; build a palace; around the ditch for ships to sail; the church and the bell tower; Rak Rakovich tells the servants to perform ("sea lions, eternal Voronezh"); after the wedding, the princess admitted to her parents that her husband is good; Cancer disappeared; she came to the hut: turn her eyes to the forest, the gates to me; Baba Yaga gave a handkerchief to embroider the corner; the next ball of silk was the second corner; the third was the boat; give up the covenant: spend the night with Cancer Rakovich; you can't wake him up; before the third night, Baba Yaga advises you to take out your sleepy pin; they began to live happily ever after]: Razumova, Senkina 1974, No. 67:313-317; Russians (Karelian Pomorie, Sumy Posad; a brief summary of the text from the archive of the Karelian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences) [an old man and an old woman catch cancer, he becomes their son; marries the royal daughter; performs the tsar's difficult tasks; turns into a handsome young man; the princess burns the skin of cancer, he disappears; the princess finds her husband]: Razumova, Senkina 1974, No. 463:398; Ukrainians (Podolia) [grandfather and woman are childless; the woman caught cancer, I brought it home; he shouts: Mom, borsch is running! she looks: true; cancer brought her father lunch in the field; what cancer plans happens; tells her father to marry him the queen; he brought a portrait to the king; the eldest, middle queen refuse, the youngest agrees ; cancer became human, happy with his wife]: Levchenko 1928, No. 478:322-323; Ukrainians (Podolia) [the grandfather went to get water, brought cancer home; took him and his woman for his son; when they went to bed, the cancer whistled and ordered take him out into the yard; and then back to the hut; so three nights; then ordered him to marry the queen; the king demands to sow the field in a day, do all the work and bake the buns; the cancer again asked to take him out into the yard , whistled, his friends did everything; the same was the grapes: plant a vine, and tomorrow ripe bunches; on the wedding night, the cancer shed its shell, became a boy; the queen got up before him and burned her shell; the husband left; she went in search, remained a woman's maid; she left, forbade entering the same room; the Queen came in: her husband was there; both died]: Levchenko 1928, No. 470:323-324; Ukrainians (Yekaterinoslavskaya) [Grandpa and woman have fish, they want children; two children are born, there are fewer fish; they die at all; the grandfather caught cancer; he tells him not to kill, teaches him to get gold from the bottom; tells him to marry him princess; the king sets the condition for a golden palace, a bridge, so that the fruits of the next day ripen; the cancer performs everything, gets the princess, does a great job at night; the princess burned her shell; the husband says he will return when she wears out iron shoes; she wore out, her husband is back]: Pankeev 1992:82-93 (=Petnikov 1956:27-28).