32 motifs match “changeling”  ·  back to the chapters

• Changeling. Fairy steals child from cradle and leaves fairy substitute. Changeling is usually mature and only seems to be a child. F321.1
• Changeling deceived into betraying his age. F321.1.1
• Changeling betrays his age when his wonder is excited. Usually pottage is boiled in an eggshell. The changeling: "I shall soon be a hundred years old but I never saw this done before!" F321.1.1.1
• Changeling plays on pipe and thus betrays his maturity. F321.1.1.2
• Changeling dances wild dance to music, betrays maturity. F321.1.1.2.1
• Changeling addresses woman in verse and thus betrays maturity. F321.1.1.3
• Changeling shows supernatural power to work and thus betrays maturity. F321.1.1.4
• Changeling calculates his age by the age of the forest. "I have seen the forest grow up three times." F321.1.1.5
• Threat to throw on fire causes changeling to cry out and betray his nature. F321.1.1.6
• Whipping causes changeling to betray his nature. F321.1.1.7
• Characteristics of changeling. F321.1.2
• Changeling has abnormal features or growth. Limbs grow too rapidly, head is too big, or he is slow to learn to walk, or the like. F321.1.2.1
• Changeling is always hungry, demands food all the time. F321.1.2.2
• Changeling is sickly (often the fairy exchanged for a baby is an elderly, infirm member of the fairy clan whom the fairies are tired of caring for). F321.1.2.3
• Exorcising a changeling. F321.1.3
• Disposing of a changeling. F321.1.4
• Changeling thrown into water and thus banished. F321.1.4.1
• Changeling thrown into ravine and thus banished. F321.1.4.2
• Changeling thrown on fire and thus banished. (Cf. F321.1.4.5.) F321.1.4.3
• Changeling left on hill (dunghill, barrow etc.) and thus banished. F321.1.4.4
• When changeling is threatened with burning, child is returned. (Cf. F321.1.4.3.) F321.1.4.5
• Changeling beaten and left outside; the mortal child is returned. F321.1.4.6
• Mortal mother pays no attention to changeling; the mortal child is returned. F321.1.4.7
• Mother treats changeling so well that her own child is returned. F321.1.4.8
• Changeling made to believe that his house is burning up; he leaves. F321.1.4.9
• Water fairy changeling kept out of water too long, dies. F321.1.5
• Changeling bride. Fairies steal bride and leave a substitute. F322.1
• Fairy borrows comb from Christian maid to comb hair of changeling bride. (Cf. F324.1.) F322.1.1
• Water-spirits steal children and leave changeling. F420.5.2.4
• Trolls as changelings. (Cf. F321.1.) F455.6.7
• Eagle prefers own offspring to changeling. J497
• Mother (eagle) casts out dull, stupid changeling; rears bold, energetic son. P231.6