F101. Rival won't let me give birth. .15.27.

With the help of magic, a rival or the husband's mother tries to prevent a woman from giving birth to a child.

Latins, Italians (Basilicata), Ancient Greece, Greeks (or Armenians).

Southern Europe. Latins ["Myths" attributed to Gaius Julius Hyginus, who lived at the turn of the eras, but most likely dating from the 1st-2nd centuries: "Python, son of Earth, a huge dragon. Before Apollo, he gave oracles on Mount Parnassus. He was destined to die from the offspring of Latona. At that time, Jupiter lay with Latona, the daughter of Polus. When Juno learned of this, she made Latona give birth in a place where the sun does not reach. When Python learned that Latona was pregnant by Jupiter, he began to pursue her in order to kill her. And Latona, at the behest of Jupiter, was lifted by the wind Aquilon and brought to Neptune. He guarded her and, in order not to violate what Juno had established, transferred her to the island of Ortygia and covered this island with waves. Therefore Python did not find her and returned to Parnassus. And Neptune returned the island of Ortygia to the top and then it was called Delos. On it Latona, holding on to an olive tree, gave birth to Apollo and Diana, to whom Vulcan brought arrows as a gift” (translated by D.O. Torshilova)]: Hyg. Fab. 140; Italians(Basilicata) [a shoemaker's daughter, her parents have grown old; her mother sent for cabbage; if the seller is not there, take some from the garden and leave money on the ground; just don't pull out the stalk; the girl pulled it out by accident; a handsome young man appeared from the hole, took her underground, there is luxurious peace; the young man (it was Golden Thread, the son of an orc; ZN); having sent her home, tells her to come every day to the same place and put a coin in the hole; the girl's mother began to spy out of curiosity; ZN saw her and died; his orc mother warned that he should take the first woman he saw, and if he saw anyone else, he would die; after ZN stopped appearing, his wife went in search; in one place she hears a conversation between a dove and a dove; if someone kills us and burns us, the ashes will revive ZN; she grabbed the doves, strangled them, burned them; In the forest she came across a hut; there was a woman there; she gave figs for the orca; she would like it; when he asked to come down, she asked her to swear on the soul of her son that she would not eat her; the orca revived her son with pigeon ashes, but forbade him to see his wife; let him first collect enough feathers in a day to fill 5 feather beds - otherwise she would eat her; ZN took another form and offered feathers for a kiss; the girl: no, I only need ZN; he walked away, but birds flew in and dropped the feathers; then the orca sent her daughter-in-law to her sister, who lives beyond the mountains - let her give her a box with music and singing for the wedding; the path through a mountain of snakes, a mountain of blood and a mountain of pus, and the orca's sister had to swallow the one who came; ZN in another form tells the girl: tell the snakes - what delicious pasta! call blood the best wine; pus - the finest milk; boldly enter the house of the orca's sister; there is a servant - a sweet girl-captive; she had to take bread out of the oven with her hands or breasts; she felt all the pain, but the heat did not cause her burns; the servant suggested: let the guest give her a grater, a mill {a grain grater with a chime?} and a shovel for bread, so as not to burn her chest and hands, and she will give her the required box; returning and not finding the box, the orca orders the mountains of snakes, blood and pus to detain the kidnapper, but they refuse, because she was kind to them; on the way, ZN's wife opened the box out of curiosity - it is empty; cries; ZN appears again in a strange guise; when the wife again refuses to kiss him, accepts his, the music and singing returned to the box; ZN tells him to return quietly to his mother's house: in 3 days we will get married; ZN goes to bed with another wife {the one given by the orca?}, but does not copulate with her, and tells the first wife {i.e. the shoemaker's daughter} to hold a lamp, announcing every hour what hour of the night it is; from one to seven; asks the one who is in bed with him; she answers that it is seven; at this time the church strikes 6; damned souls begin to fly around; ZN tells them to take the one who is in bed with him to hell; after this he goes to bed with his real wife, heavenly music sounds from the box; the orca enters, covers her face with her hands and says: you will give birth only after I cover my face with my hands again; ZN: when the contractions begin,dress in brown, go to my mother and explain that ZN has died, so she is in mourning; Orca covers her face with her hands in grief, ZN's wife gives birth to a beautiful boy; Orca embraces and blesses all three]: Comparetti 1875, No. 33: 133-139.
The Balkans. Ancient Greece [a hymn to Apollo of Delos, which is one of the "Homeric Hymns" and dates back to about the 7th-6th centuries BC: Leto, pregnant with Phoebus, wandered and suffered from childbirth; she visited Crete, Athens, Aegina, Euboea, Pepareth and many other lands, but they were all afraid and refused to give refuge to her son; Leto finally came to Delos; she promised him that a rich temple in honor of Apollo would be founded there; Delos agreed to accept her and her son; Leto suffered from labor pains for nine days and nights; Themis, Gaia, Amphitrite, Dione and other goddesses gathered around her; Ilithyia, the patroness of women in childbirth, did not know about what was happening, because Hera cunningly kept her on Olympus {no details}; the goddesses who were on Delos sent Iris to Ilithyia; Iris succeeded in bringing her to the island; as soon as Ilithyia set foot on its surface, Leto gave birth to Phoebus]: Hymn. Hom. I. 25-119; Greeks(narrated on Lesbos by an Armenian from Gallipoli; the choice between Greek or Armenian origin of the text is rather arbitrary, but the localization of the recording seems to be more important than the ethnicity of the informant; other motifs of the text are found in both traditions) [three king's daughters decide that it is time for them to marry; they send their father three melons of varying ripeness; he took the hint; he ordered all the men to gather; let each daughter throw a golden ball at her chosen one; the ball of the youngest hits the bathhouse attendant three times; the king refuses to conclude such a marriage, but the daughter gathered up as much jewelry as she could carry and went to the bathhouse attendant; they began to keep a bathhouse; when the time came for his wife to give birth, the king issued a decree forbidding all midwives to assist her in childbirth; the woman in labor came to her bathhouse; the wall opened, three nymphs entered; they helped her give birth to a girl; one hung an amulet around her neck to protect her from disease; the second commanded that if the girl laughed, roses would fall from her lips, and when she walked on the grass, fragrant flowers would bloom; the third wished that the girl's tears would turn into pearls, and the water in which she would wash her hair would turn golden; as a result, the youngest princess became richer than her father; the nymphs built her a palace; after this, the king promised to bequeath the throne to his youngest son-in-law; one of the older princesses also decided to go to the bathhouse to give birth; the nymphs entered, but in the form of terrible old women; an ugly woman was born; one wished that the ground on which she would step would become barren; the second, that her tears would turn into pus; the third, that if she laughed, a donkey's penis would grow on her forehead; the king died, the girl's father took the throne, she grew up; a neighboring prince asked her to be his wife; the king: I will give it to you if you present a rose from her cheek; he pretended to be a dervish, made the princess laugh in the street, begged her to give him a rose; a wedding was being prepared; the bride's aunt was also invited to it; she went with the caravan and did not let her niece eat; she had to give up her talisman for a piece of salted cake; the aunt hung it around her own daughter's neck; then gave two more pieces in exchange for her eyes; abandoned her on the side of a hill; and told her daughter not to cry and not to laugh; the prince refused to marry the ugly girl, but the king insisted, fearing a war with a neighbor; a shepherd picked up the blinded girl; became rich thanks to pearls; one day the girl laughed and ordered the rose to be exchanged in the palace for an eye; then for the second; accidentally switched her eyes, but this made her even more beautiful; washed herself, leaving the shepherd a cauldron of gold; came to the palace and asked the nymphs to turn her into a cypress; the prince became king; The aunt told him that his wife would get well if he cut down the cypress; the poor woman took the wood for firewood; someone was cleaning her room; she found the girl; she told the old woman to go to the king so that he would lend her a humpbacked mule for a while; it became fat and beautiful; the king told the old woman to tell him everything; he realized where his wife was and brought her to the palace; she put on her talisman again; the king asks the aunt and her daughter whether they want 40 swords or 40 mules; they said,that the mules; they were tied to them; torn into as many pieces as there are stones in the mountains; a wedding: it rained honey, and wine flowed in the streams]: Carnoy, Nicolaides 1889, No. 6: 108-126.

Continued in 141.doc