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Motifs
- Childless woman reborn as fish. E694.4
- The supposed magic spell. The thief orders the farmer to crawl into a tub and to sit there quietly and not look about, while he makes a magic spell (cure him of childlessness). Meanwhile, he steals all the farmer's property. K341.22
- Seduction by pretending to give childless man's wife medicine. When husband comes at cockcrow as he was told, trickster says he came too late and they must do it again. K1315.2.4
- Prophecy: child to be born to childless couple. M311.0.3.1
- Curse of childlessness. M444
- Fugitive woman burdened with child saved; childless woman killed. N185
- Childless old couple adopt hero. N825.1
- Boy rescued by childless woman. R169.9
- Childless couple promise child to the devil if they may only have one. S223
- Robert the Devil. Childless couple wish for a child even if he comes from the devil. He is diabolical. S223.0.1
- Childless couple promise one of two children to devil if they may only have them. S223.4
- Hateful or lovely child to be born first? Childless parents' prayer answered: they are to have two children, one hateful, one lovely. Choice as to which is to come first. T548.1.1
- Unlucky for a woman to look on the face of a childless person. T591.2
- Childless couple adopt animal as substitute for child. T676
- Childless woman adopts a serpent (transformed man). (Cf. D191.) T676.1
- Substitute for a child. Aged, childless couple carve themselves a child from wood, or make one from snow, clay, and the like. T677