L85A. Half a child.

.11.13.-.17.20.23.-.28.30.36.37.

The character is born as half a person or becomes half a person as a result of an accident. He or she does not belong to the special category of mythical half-beings and usually becomes fully bodily. See motif L85, cf. Motive L112.

Bantu-speaking Africa. Luba [Mvidi Mukulu wanted to create half men with one leg, etc.; others advised; the cripple comes to ask him to be made full, because his 9 brothers are mocking him; MM performs request]: Janssens 1926:560; ngonde [jealous rival persuades a woman to throw her weak child away; (then, apparently, a journey to heaven, a woman gets a healthy child); rival repeats her actions, gets a half-child with one leg, one arm, etc.]: Werner 1933:96; conde [a voice tells a woman to throw her child into the water to wade across the river; the water diverges, she goes dry; her husband tells her not to return until she finds a child; she meets a lion, a leopard, a crocodile, and other animals, does what they ask; an old woman shows her a lot of cute ones babies, a woman takes one; a rival does everything wrong, gets sick, maimed]: Werner 1933:96; (cf. kumbi [Sun-Liova created everything; the first humans were halves (one hand, one eye, etc.) but with a tail; L. told his daughter Lun-Mwesi to take people west to multiply; M. noticed that people were not good, and L. gave them their current appearance]: Janssens 1926, No. 6:554; yombe [Manzambi p'ungu first created half men (with one hand, etc.); only one Mbende woman with full in body; warned that those born with a full body would be mortal; burned halves, left M. and her child; people are descendants of M.]: Janssens 1926:565); (cf. kumbi [Sun-Liova created everything; the first humans were halves (one hand, one eye, etc.) but with a tail; L. told his daughter Lun-Mwesi to take people west to multiply; M. noticed that people were not good, and L. gave them their current appearance]: Janssens 1926, No. 6:554; yombe [Manzambi p'ungu first created half men (with one hand, etc.); only one Mbende woman with full body; warned that those born with a full body would be mortal; burned halves, left M. and her child; people are descendants of M.]: Janssens 1926:565); luba [Mvidi Mukulu wanted to create halves with one leg, etc.; others advised; the cripple comes to ask him to be made full, for his 9 brothers are bullying him; MM complies with the request]: Janssens 1926:560; ngonde [jealous the rival persuades the woman to throw away the weak child; (then, apparently, a journey to heaven, the woman gets a healthy child); the rival repeats her actions, gets a half child with one with a leg, one hand, etc.]: Werner 1933:96; conde [a voice tells a woman to throw her child into the water to wade across the river; the water diverges, she is drying; her husband tells her not to return until she is finds a child; she meets a lion, a leopard, a crocodile, and other animals, does what they ask; an old woman shows her lots of cute babies, a woman takes one; a rival does everything wrong, gets sick, maimed]: Werner 1933:96.

Sudan - East Africa. Malgashi; Sudanese Arabs.

North Africa. "Moors"; Berbers (Morocco?) ; kabila [from behind the 7 seas, a man carried 7 apples for his 7 wives; someone asked him for an apple, he gave him half; all wives ate an apple, the half who ate gave birth to Amor Ennefç; the brothers came to to the cannibal, she offered to feed their horses; the AE horse ate only coals and salt and did not die; the cannibal asks how to know that the brothers are sleeping; six say they will snore; AE, that the stones will fall into the hearth; cannibal about herself: all the animals will scream, make sounds; she fell asleep, the brothers rushed to the horses, they are dead, they all rode AE horse together, got to their father; one of the brothers says that the cannibal eat the carpet, the father tells AE to get it; AE poured thorns into the carpet, the cannibal threw it away, AE took it away; the same: get a mill that grinds salt; AE began to beat the mill with a reed, the cannibal tells her calm down, then threw it away; the same with the bowl that makes couscous herself; the same - tamis qui tamise le couscous; the cannibal herself - supposedly beautiful; AE brought an iron chest, suggested to the cannibal get in, brought her father, released her, she ate his father, chased AE; the old man advised me to glue the donkey's back, AE stuck; said that thin, let the cannibal put him in a date box; she planted; asks to show his finger, he sticks a spoon, a rat tail; then his hand; the cannibal goes to call other cannibals, her three daughters must cook AE; the blind man is told to kill him; she asks to show how AE's parents danced, and he asks to show where the knife is; killed her, put on her skin, the cannibal's daughter is eaten instead of AE; one of the sisters recognizes the victim's eye; AE burned them all]: Rivière 1882, No. 8:225-230; Tunisia; the Arabs of Libya (Tripoli) [the old man gave the judge 12 apples for his childless wife to eat them and give birth to 12 children; she eats 11 and half of the last, giving birth to the other sister; gives birth to 11 normal sons and one half-boy; they go to marry their father's brother's 12 daughters; the half warns that they did not come to an uncle, but to an ogre; he covers his wife with a red veil and his daughters with a white veil; Half put red on her daughters and white on his brothers; he also changed the hats of the ogre's brothers and daughters; at night, the ogre's wife kills her daughters instead of the brothers, only the latter wakes up and the mother talks about this; the brothers run away, come to their real uncle; the brothers get a bride, the Half is the youngest and most beautiful; the brothers, out of envy, tell him to go down to the well and circumcise him rope; the fish gives him scales to call her for help; on the way home, the Half meets the ogre's wife, who brings him to her place; he advises the ogre to fatten him first; then asks him to invite others to a feast cannibals, it remains to cut wood to bake it; asks the cannibal's daughter to help, kills her with an ax, runs away, hides in an iron tower; tells the cannibal who has run up to gather all the cannibals - let them bring them firewood, they will cover the tower, it will burn in it; when the tower was hot, the cannibals themselves burned down; and the Half upstairs was unharmed; he began to pick up the cannibal on a rope, cut it off, the cannibal fell, crashed; on the way home The half met another cannibal; she said that today his wife is being remarried; says she will help for promising to give her first child; put her older brother on her back, transferred her older brother to the wedding with his wife, Halves; became a scorpion and bit his brother to death; the father tells the Half that his brothers said that he was killed; the boy grew up, the cannibal met him, asked him to remind his father promise; the boy forgot; then she put a ring on his finger; his mother asked where it came from, he told me everything, his parents sent him to the cannibal; a year later, the father went to visit his son; he says he found the best father and mother; the cannibal promises that she will not take away her new children from Half]: Stumme 1898, No. 3:93-104.

Southern Europe. Italians (Veneto) [a pregnant woman steals parsley from a witch's garden; she catches her and promises to pick up half of the child when he is 7 years old; when the deadline is over, the witch cut the boy along; one half stayed with her, the other returned to his mother; the half grew up, began to fish, caught an eel; he asked him to let go, for which he sent him a full net of fish; his half again caught and let go, the eel made all his wishes come true; the princess saw the Half and began to laugh; he wanted her to conceive a child with him; when she gave birth, the witch doctor advised a year later, to gather all the noble men - the boy will name his father himself; no one was found; then the poor were collected and the boy gave the apple to the Half; after the wedding, the young, together with his son, were placed in a barrel and thrown into the sea; Half wants the barrel to be washed ashore, to have a lot of food, it would become whole, a palace will appear - all named after an eel; the former Half called kings to a feast, warning not to they took silver and gold apples; two apples were missing, they ended up in the pockets of the former Half's father-in-law; he explains: as you don't know why you got the apples, your daughter did not know why got pregnant; everyone forgave each other, all is well; they're still alive if they don't die]: Calvino 1980, No. 34:99-102; ladins [hell promises to fulfill a woman's wish if she gives him half what she had under her apron; she peeled the beets and thought it was her; when she gave birth to a boy, the devil asked if she wanted to keep the top or bottom; the top is the soul, so she chose the top; hell took the bottom, the boy was without legs; one day he crawled to the miller and he mockingly offered him to bring water with a sieve; trout fell into the sieve, asked her to let her go, promised to fulfill his wishes; Half asked him to be able to bring water with a sieve; the miller gave him a bag of flour, knowing that he would not be able to lift it, but Half again asked the trout for help; when his mother saw the flour, she thought that Half had stolen it; He was offended and left; when he saw the princess, he asked for trout to become pregnant; when the child was born and the king found out who the father was, he ordered his daughter, Half and baby to be put in a barrel and thrown into the sea; The half wanted his legs to grow and throw the barrel on the island, knock out the bottom, ordered a garden and a palace to appear; the king decided to look for his daughter, came to the island, did not recognize the young; when he slept, his hand hung out of bed and the princess told her son to put his grandfather's hand in bed; the king heard and recognized the daughter, handed the throne to Half]: Uffer 1983, No. 5:12-14 (=Decurtins, Brunold-Bigler 2002, No. 53:143-145).

Western Europe. French: Belmont 2005 [4 versions in total, west in Niverne, Landes, Queyras; retelling individual fragments]: 15 (Landes) [(Arnaudin 1994, No. 27); an old man who meets him offers a poor man make him rich for promising half of what his wife wears; comes for a boy born, takes him half vertically); the rest grows up, his name is Moitié d'homme ); he cannot work, he is allowed to guard sheep], 16 (Niverne) [MS; poor spouses have two normal sons and a third Half (vertically)]; Joisten 1991, No. 43.1 [widow with two young sons came to the forest to harvest firewood; a fallen tree cut the younger one in half vertically; Half goes to herd the royal goats; the Holy Virgin gives him a whistle that makes wishes come true; the princess falls in love with half; the king tells them to be put in a barrel of nails, brought them down the mountain; whistling, the Half comes out of the barrel, turns the king into a toad, the courtiers into frogs; the wedding {and, obviously, finding the Half bodily fullness}], 43.2 [a woodcutter and his 15-year-old son go to the forest; a fallen larch cut the boy vertically, leaving one half alive; Half said he would herd village goats; shares bread with a woman who comes up, she gives a magic whistle; he drives the herd unharmed, the whistle fulfills wishes, the Half becomes bodily fullness]: 247-248, 248-249.

Western Asia. Palestinians [the sheikh tells the husband to give his three childless wives an apple; he gives his eldest wife half by eating the other himself; the wife gives birth to a boy with one ear, one eye, half mouth; when the brothers have grown up, the Half does not ask for a horse, but for a thin sheep, not a scourge, but a whistle, a toy gun; the brothers herd the sheep, the woman invites them to spend the night, only the Half realizes that she is a transformed Wolf; lies on a camel thorn so as not to fall asleep, tells his brothers to run at night; the witch lured their horses with oats, all three sat on the lamb Halves, got home; the half puts them in a big bag lamb, comes to the witch, she bends over to get what she has in her bag, Half shoves it into the bag, brings it, she dies along the way, he takes her gold, gets rich, gets married]: Spoer 1931:150-152; Palestinians [the man has two wives: his brother's daughter and an outside woman; both are childless; the sheikh advised him to go to a ghoul, who will give conception grenades; the man greeted the ghoul, otherwise he would eat him; ghoul sent it to his older brother; he to their sister; the man venerated her long breasts and covered a handful of her torment; she told her to go to the garden; there the ghoul sleeps - one care was under himself, the other covered himself; Grab two grenades and run; on the way home, a man ate half a grenade intended for his wife, who is his brother's daughter; she gave birth to a half-boy, and the other wife Hassan and Hussein; they grew up; the brothers went hunting on horseback, and Polovinka went hunting on a lame goat; only he caught the deer, gave it to the brothers, for which they allowed them to burn its seal on their backs; at home he told his mother and showed the seals; when they They went hunting again, then came to the drone; the brothers say that their horses eat barley with milk, and Polovinka said that his goat eats chaff; says that he will not fall asleep until the gulya brings him water in his wineskin; she brought it, he made a hole in it so that water would drip on him; then says he would not fall asleep without a stuffed rooster; then stuffed lamb; this is how the night passed; in the morning Half tells the brothers to run; gulya tells the milk in the bellies of the horses to thicken, the horses stopped; all three brothers flew home on the Halves goat; Half promises to bring the gulya herself; dressed up as a halva seller; gulya ate everything and climbed into the box finished eating the leftovers, and Half slammed the lid shut; it was burned in the drawer]: Muhawi, Kanaana 1989, No. 6:84-88; Lebanon.

Micronesia-Polynesia. Ulithi; Marshall Islands (Aeloninae).

South Asia. Mahabharata (Mhb.2.3; Sabhā Parva 3:17) [(King of Magadhi Brihadratha is married to King Kashi's twin daughters; promised that he would not give preference to one wife over another; B. there are no children, he asks for help from a hermit; he sits under a mango tree, a fruit falls on his knees, he gives it to the king, B. brings it to his two wives, each eats half, one gives birth to the left, the other the right half of one boy; they are thrown away; Jarā, who eats the corpses, picks them up to eat, but accidentally connects them, and a whole living boy emerges from them; he screams loudly, rakshasi calls B., the child is given Jarāsamdha ("united by Jara"), he receives the throne from his father, becomes a powerful ruler and tyrant, Bhimasena kills him by breaking him in half]: Kalyanov 1962:41-51; Punjabi [the fakir gives the childless Raja a stick to knock 5 mangoes off the tree first, then 2, let each of the 7 wives eat one fruit; the raja throws the third time, the stick gets stuck in the tree, mango return to the branches; the fakir allows a second attempt; half of the mango for the youngest wife was eaten by the mouse; a half boy was born (vertically: in one hand, leg, eye, etc.); goes to travel with his brothers; the other wives of the Raja give him sweets full of ash; but only he was able to crawl over the fence to eat melons; the brothers called the owner of the melons, who tied the Half to the tree, but the Half told the rope to untie, caught up with the brothers; the same with the plum tree (he throws only unripe plums to his brothers); the brothers pushed him into the well, left; there he hears a one-eyed demon talking, dove and snake; snake: under me are the treasures of the seven kings; demon: the princess is sick because of me; dove: his droppings cure any disease; the camel driver pulled Half out of the well; under the guise of a doctor, he I came to the king, cured the princess; he marries him, gives him half his kingdom; the brothers say that the Half is poor; he brings the treasures of the seven kings; the brothers also hide in the well, the demon ate them]: Steel, Temple 1884, No. 41:290-297; (close text in Sheikh-Dilthey 1976, No. 3 [half a mango was eaten by a cat]: 18-21).

Malaysia-Indonesia. Bataki; Nias; Ibani; Dusun; Ngaju; Bali; Java; Roti; Loda; Vemale; Kai Islands; Sangihe Islands; Numfoor.

Taiwan - Philippines. Juan Pikas ("The One-Sided") is a half-boy (vertically); went to God to see if he could become a normal person; along the way, a well-fed horse asks why he is tied for such a short rope; then a skinny horse: why am I skinny, although the rope I am tied to is long; the man at the crossroads feeds everyone who passes by; asks if he will be saved by doing it; another, whose house above the waterfall kills everyone passing by; asks if he can escape; God told Juan that he wanted to test him, and now gives him a full body; the first horse is righteous, the second is not; the distributor the food will be saved, the killer will not; when Juan told the person who distributed the food, he replied that, of course, he would; for his arrogance he is now doomed to death, and the murderer will be saved]: Demetrio 1972, No. 2: 8-10.

China - Korea. Koreans [a woman gives birth to a half-boy (but with two legs); he is very strong; takes a rich man's daughter; after tumbling over, she becomes normal, marries]: Choi 1979, No. 203:60-61.

The Balkans. Greeks (Epirus) [a childless woman asks God to give her at least half of the child; the half asks her mother for an ax and a mule, brings firewood from the forest; the princess saw him, called the maid, they became laugh; The half threw his ax and rope, left; saw a fish in the lake, caught it, asked it to let it go - he would teach her how to make any wishes come true; "At God's first word and fish at the second word, let the mule be loaded with wood!" The mule is loaded; a half brought him to the palace, the princess laughed again-a mule with firewood without an ax or rope; half wants the princess to be pregnant; she gave birth, and when the boy started walking, the king gathered all the men and told the boy to give an apple to his father; the apple rolled to the Half, the boy called him dad and gave the apple; the king wanted to kill his daughter, child and Half, but The courtiers advised them to put them in an iron barrel and throw them into the sea, putting figs for the child; the princess asks the Half if he answers or does something only after she gives he has a fig tree; tells the barrel to stick to the shore and open, a rain canopy appears; a palace with everything inside; the king saw the palace, sent servants to fry hazel grouse there; the doors ask each other if it is possible let those who come in, let them in; objects respond; the servants are so amazed that the hazel grouse burned down; the king sent others - the same; came by himself; Half asks for a fig again and, when he receives, creates luxurious food; the princess asks him to cast another spell: let one spoon be behind the head of the royal boot; asks all the dishes if everything is here; when she asks for spoons, one answers from the boot; king: someone put it, it's not fair; princess: you also did wrong to me; Half tells me everything; they move in with the king, Half becomes a bodyguard and gets married the most beautiful slave]: Hahn 1864 (1), No. 8:45-53.

Central Europe. Belarusians (Chaussky district, Radoml vol., d. Chernavtsy, 1888-1891, from a peasant Gavrila Minin, 60 years old, illiterate) [An old man and an old woman live. They have thirty-three and a half sons. They are given 33.5 versts for mowing, they collect 33.5 ricks. A mare and 33.5 stallions from across the sea are used to it, and none of the sons can catch them. Only half of the ricks remains, her youngest son, the True Half (PI), goes to guard her, asks his father for three twigs of three poodies, jumps up on the mare with a fly, quilts it with twigs and drives her and everyone stallions to my father's house. They share horses: a mare for his father, 33 stallions for 33 brothers from older to younger, and half a stallion for PI. The king calls 33 sons to his service, and they are leaving. PI cries, his stallion comforts and catches up with his brothers. PI sleeps three days, brothers leave without waking him up. The stallion is catching up with them again. PI sleeps for three days again (same). PI sleeps, his brothers wake him up, and they reach the king. The king makes all brothers bosses and PI a groom. He wants to send someone to God to find out why the sun has faded for three days. 33 brothers refuse and offer to send PI. He cries, his horse comforts him and sends him on his way. On the way, he meets two crows stuck in oaks, a fish that everyone takes across the sea, a man and a woman rolling a hot stone to each other, a man holding an iron gun, a woman who pours water from a well into a well. They all ask PI to ask God how much more they have to suffer. PI comes to God. God answers the questions: the sun does not shine because the girl gave birth to a son and drowned him, crows will be able to get out if they live according to the Gospel, the fish can free themselves if they spit out a ship that swallowed, a man and a woman committed adultery when they were going to Christ, the man said how he would die, so even though they could help them, the woman stole milk, they would all suffer until the light changed. PI returns to the king, giving everyone God's answers along the way. The king praises him, plans to marry him, wants to send matchmakers. 33 brothers refuse and offer to send PI again with an assignment. He cries, his horse comforts him and sends him on his way. On the way, he meets three people who want to go with him and promise to help. They come to the fortress, the first person breaks the gate, the second defeats dogs. The king gives them plenty of bread and tells them to eat it overnight, and a third person eats everything. The king gives them plenty of wine and tells them to drink overnight, and the third drinks everything. The daughter sends PI to her grandmother for the harp. PI steals them, runs away from Baba Snake. The king orders to dig a hole with fire at the gate and cover it with a badge. The groom must cross this hole. The tsar himself steps on the badge, the princess pulls out the plaque, the tsar falls, the princess and PI get married]: Romanov 1901, No. 31:276-286; (cf. Russians (place of recording?) [The father rejects the daughter's suitors; tells her to wait until the next winter when the enemy comes for her; they have three children; while his wife is not present, the husband cuts one of the sons in half vertically, takes half to his world; the remaining half young man is called Polovnyak; he magically burns the princess, becomes bodily fullness]: Afanasiev 1897 in Belmont 2005:17).

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Turks.

Iran - Central Asia. Persians: Osmanov 1987 [the dervish gives three Shah's wives an apple along with the seeds they have planted; she forgot to eat one polablock; each gave birth, but the forgotten child Nimekun ("half"); the brothers went to get firewood, N. followed him; he was tied to a tree, left to die; he uprooted the tree and dragged his mother to make a barbecue skewer; the next time he was pushed into a hole and crushed with a stove; N. picked it up and brought it to the palace; the brothers went to Mazandaran, where the shah of divas, he does not pay tribute to their father; on the way, the shepherds offer them to separate the goats - the brothers cannot; camels - the same; the old woman offers to eat the Turi trough - they cannot; when the brothers approach, the Shah asks his daughters how they eat carrots; the fruits in the garden (quietly, carefully); the brothers were thrown into prison; N. rode a rooster; scattered goats and camels, ate the turya, greedily ate carrots and fruits; killed the diva, freed the brothers, but burned their seat with a seal; ordered the Shah's daughters to indicate where the treasury was; the brothers lowered him into the hole, to leave it there, but he quietly sat in an empty chest; the brothers said that they had killed the Shah diva; N. came out of the chest, the shah handed him the throne; diva N. gave two daughters to his brothers, and took the third for himself]: 153-163; Romaskevich 1934a, No. 18 (Jews of Isfahan) []: 97-103; Lorimer, Lorimer 1919, No. 18 (Kerman) [the childless king goes to the desert; gives him an apple for each wife to the dervish; three wives eat whole an apple, the fourth half, the other is carried away by a crow; a daughter, two sons and a half boy Nim Tanak are born; he and his mother are kept with the servants; the divas take the princess; the king sends an army at the head with the eldest son; divas: what does the leader of the army do? wife: drinks water; how? slowly down his sips; the diva laughs, easily defeats the prince, hangs him in the cave by the hair; the same with the middle son (hangs by the eyelashes); NT goes to the diva alone; drinks water from the stream along with the mud, eats grapes in clusters along with leaves and stems; the divas does not dare to go to battle; NT cuts them in half, the divas asks to finish them off, sister: do not hit, after the second blow, the divas will come to life; NT returns the brothers and sister, made heir]: 108-112; Bakhtiyars [the childless husband of seven wives leaves home; meets a dervish at the crossroads; he gives seven apples for seven wives; six eat an apple each, the youngest half, the other was eaten by a sheep; everyone gave birth to sons, the youngest Taling (half), aka One-legged; the elder brother goes with a caravan; a long beard crawls out of the ground by the cave, then the diva himself; he shackled a young man in a chain was thrown into a cave where the kidnapped beauty and other prisoners; the same with each of the five brothers; when T. began to fight the diva, he called God, cut off the diva's head, and his head rolled into the cave; T. followed her and freed the prisoners; the brothers are jealous of T.; they descend into the abyss for treasure chests, intending to cut the rope, lifting it back; T. heard them negotiate and hid in chest; at home tells how it happened; brothers are ashamed]: Lorimer, Lorimer 1919, No. 38:251-255.

Eastern Siberia. Yakuts (summary of the archival text, place of recording not specified; central?) [the merchant's wife gave birth to a boy; Baba Yaga tore him in half, threw one half into the water; the maid found half, raised it, it's Angaara suoh ("half"); he goes west, saves an ant, an eagle's chicks from the flood; the Eagle heals him with living water; Baba Yaga devours his parents; he kills her and her sons; it turns out that the eagle saved A.'s parents; A. wins the competition against Tsar Ivan, marries the princess ; the king gives a snuffbox, the city in it]: Ergis 1967b, No. 110:185.

Amur-Sakhalin. Nanais (Kur-Urmi dialect) [lived two female sisters, the youngest half (vertically); the newcomer asks half for permission to marry her sister; she allows, subject to conditions that he and his relatives will move in with them; he moves; a good man who has sailed in a boat along the river asks his older sister for his half sister, receives it with the same condition; half mixes water with her blood, tells the maid to give everyone a drink, everyone falls asleep, she rolls across 9 seas, 9 glades, dives 9 times into a lake in which half of the water is clear, half red, becomes full, goes down to the barn, gets gold from there, returns to her husband; dies three days later; the sister confesses to her husband that she should bring a huge bear, give her 10 servants, 10 maids to eat; he's all performs, wife comes to life; they began to live richly]: Sunik 1958, No. 3:129-131.