K80a4. Hair turns into grass, (ATU 780A).

.14.15. (.17.) .23.28 (?).

The character is buried (often alive) or falls into the ground. His hair turns into grass (spines, bamboo).

(Western Sahara), Egyptian Arabs, Spaniards, Catalans, Portuguese, Aragon, Italians (Campania), Egyptian Arabs, (Mehri), Santals, Ho, Czechs (?)

North Africa. The Arabs of Egypt {recorded by El-Shamy; it is difficult to say whether there is a "herb-hair" motif, but the text probably looks like the Iberian versions} ["the voice of a child buried alive can be heard from the ground"]: El- Shamy 2004, #780B: 441; (cf. Western Sahara [seven brothers hope that their mother will now give birth to a daughter; a girl is born, but the maid mistakenly picked up a large spoon rather than a small one - a sign that a boy was born; brothers leave; girl Shreser Dahbú grows up, rides a camel to look for brothers; black maid Kymba walks; makes SD switch places; swims in a milk river, becomes white; tells SHD swim in the resin river, the SD becomes black; the brothers (the eldest is Ahmed) take K. for their sister, the SD is sent to cook, herd camels; A. hit her, the blood can not be washed off her clothes, the cadi explains that this is because they are blood relatives; A. offers both girls goat meat; K. eats giblets greedily, SHD takes a rib, does not eat; A. tells K. to be torn by camels, takes his sister to the river of milk, that swam, turned white; other women, out of envy, forced her to swallow a snake egg; said that she was pregnant, A. hears sounds from her stomach, believes that it is the baby moving, telling her to throw her into the well; she hides in a cave, her hair sprouts with grass; the shepherd is surprised that camels do not eat grass there, tells the owner; he digs up the SD, marries her; one of the brothers tries to penetrate her, he is an assistant snake, whom he saved from the eagle; the SD husband thinks that his lover wants to enter, tries to kill the young man, the snake protected him; the husband gathers people to kill the brothers, the SD warns them of danger, they running away]: Aris, Cladellas 1999:39-46).

Southern Europe. Spaniards [wife dies, father remarried, stepmother hates stepdaughter; when husband left, stepmother left stepdaughter to guard figs: if at least one goes missing, she will bury the girl alive in the garden; herself She came disguised as a beggar, begged for a fig; the girl refused to give it to her; then asked for water; while the girl was fetching water, the beggar took one fig; her stepmother returned, counted the figs, She missed one, buried her stepdaughter, but her hair remained above the ground, turned into a thicket of pepper; when the husband returned, the wife said that his daughter was with the godfather; told her to cook a good dinner, but there was no pepper; the cook went to rip me off, she hears a voice: cook, cook, don't tear my hair, my stepmother buried me because of the missing fig; the cook called the gardener, who also heard; the father dug the grave, the daughter came out alive and healthy; father buried his wife alive in the same grave]: Camarena, Chevalier 2003, No. 790A: 216-217; Catalans {the paraphrase is very brief; most likely the text is similar to Spanish and Portuguese} [stepmother sends stepdaughter to bring 12 figs; on the way, the bird took one; stepmother killed her stepdaughter and buried her; when father or brother approach this place, they hear the girl talk about what happened; father opened the grave, punished his wife]: Oriol, Pujol 2008, No. 780B: 158; Aragon [stepmother kills stepdaughter for giving a fig (or other fruit) to a beggar or St. Virgo; stepdaughter's hair turns into grass or thorns; if you tear grass, walk on thorns, you hear a voice; "Father, don't step on me, because my aunt killed me because of a missing fig"]: González Sanz 1996, No. 780B: 99; Portuguese (many records) [stepmother (grandmother, mother) tells the girl to guard three figs on the fig tree; the bird took one, the stepmother buried the girl alive (or killed her); her hair they turn into grass (parsley); when she is torn, the girl sings about what happened; the grave is dug up, the girl gets up alive (she was helped by St. Virgo) or dead surrounded by angels]: Cardigos 2006, No. 780B: 190-191; Italians (Campaign): Cirese, Serafini 1975, No. 780B: 179.

(Wed. Western Asia. Mehri [a man has a wife and sons, and his brother's sister is with him {i.e. his sister?} named Leylenot; when he left, he left her in the care of his wife; she asked L. to look into the pit {cave?} , left it there, closing the exit; when her husband returned, his wife said that L. was missing; they went to look for her; the couple were arguing whose ram should be sacrificed; in the morning they slaughter a ram; L. smells, asks," My father's brother {?} , give me meat and dates too, I'm in a cave, your wife locked me here"; two came up, one of them, Maheimiden, married L.; the second, Maheimood, asked where L. was, and he was shown her grave; but he read over Her is the Koran; it turned out that a goat's head was buried in the grave; when L. and Mohaimiden died, two trees grew on their grave: one with fragrant fruits and the other giving henna]: Hein, Müller 1909, No. 47: 126-129).

South Asia. Santala: Bodding 1929, No. 85 [the sister of seven brothers cut her finger while making a salad, blood got into it; the brothers found the food particularly tasty, they decided to kill and eat their sister; the youngest did not shot her in a cornfield, did not eat his share, but put her in an anthill; bamboo grew there, a man cut it down, made a violin; a woman came out of the violin, he married her; the brothers found themselves in that house the sister told her story; the ground parted, the brothers jumped down; the sister tried to grab the youngest by the hair; the young man went to the ground, but his hair turned into Pollinia eriopoda grass]: 297-303; Campbell 1891 [(internet)]: 107-110; ho [the sister of six brothers cut her finger while cooking, the blood fell into the pot; the brothers found the food particularly tasty, they decided to kill and eat their sister; younger Lita does not want this; the brothers brought her sister a seven-colored flower, took her to the forest, where there were such flowers in the tree, her sister climbed the tree, the brothers started shooting at her, did not hit her; told L. to shoot, his sister fell dead; he was sent to get water, he began to cry by the pond; the frog gave him a big fish, he replaced his sister's meat with it, hid parts of his sister's body; then said he forgot the arrow and came back, buried the remains; after a while the sister came out of the grave alive; the Raja married her, gave Lyta half the kingdom; the brothers became impoverished, came, were guilty; their sister forgave them, but the land swallowed them up; them the hair stayed above the ground and turned into sabai grass]: Bompas 1909:466-467.

Central Europe. Czechs: Uther 2004 (1), No. 780B: 440