K176A. The wind dries the laundry. .15.16.27.(.28.)

The hero is looking for his magical wife who has left him. It turns out that one of the winds is flying to her to do a certain job for her. The hero follows him.

Italians (Veneto, Tuscany), Ladins, Germans (Pomerania, Austria), Slovenes.

Southern Europe. Italians (Veneto) [a witch wanted to marry a king, but he chose another, so the witch made it so that the son was born covered in pig skin; the son grew up and asked his father to woo him a girl - the eldest of three sisters; when at the wedding the groom lay down in a puddle and then sat down next to the bride, she called him a real pig; in the morning she was found dead in bed; the same with the middle sister; the youngest did not show disgust towards the groom, but called him a treasure; at night he removed the pig skin and turned out to be a handsome man; he forbade his wife to tell about it; the prince comes to the tournament three times; seeing her daughter-in-law next to the handsome man, the prince's mother calls her a slut and wants to kill her; having learned about the removed skin, she burns it; the prince disappears, the wife goes in search; the Evening Star (Stella d'oro, a man) gives a nut, sends her to the Sun; he also gives a nut, sends her to the Wind; the Wind's mother hides her, asks her son, he says that the prince lives behind the mountain, he and the Sun will go there tomorrow to dry laundry; the Wind's mother gives a chestnut; the prince marries again, in his house an unrecognized wife has hired herself out as a goose cook; she cracks the nut, in it is a dress the color of the Evening Star; gives it to the new bride for a night with the prince; she slips a sleeping pill; the same on the second night (a dress like the sun); the most beautiful dress in a chestnut; the prince only pretended to be asleep; learned that his wife wore out her iron shoes looking for him; returned to her, and drove away the new bride]: Widter et al. 1866, No. 12: 249-254; Italians (Tuscany) [a fisherman with many children caught nothing; the master promised a hundred coins if he would give up one of his children; The couple decided to give the younger one to Leonbruno; he heard everything; went to his godmother for advice; she told him to take some hemp stalks with him, make crosses out of them on the beach and stick them in a circle; whoever called, do not leave the circle; the devil came in the guise of his father, but L. did not come out; he cursed and left; an eagle descended from the sky and carried L. to her heavenly home; there she is a woman, Madonna Aquilina; L. grew up, she became his wife; one day L. wanted to see his homeland; she warned him not to mention her name and not to talk about her; gave him a ring: if he breaks the ban, it will change color; on earth L. wins a tournament and receives a princess; seeing her, L. says that MA is much more beautiful; the ring changes color, MA gallops past and grimaces that L. will not see her again; L. went in search; robbers quarrel over an invisibility cloak, which also transports them to any place; L. asked to put it on, flew to the mountain to the master of the winds; tomorrow morning he will send the north wind to shake off the apple trees in MA's garden; L. followed him, sneaking first into the garden, then into MA's palace; MA thinks it is L.'s soul when someone prevents her from putting a spoon in her mouth; L. takes off the cloak, they remain together and are happy]: Tuscan Fairy Tales sa, № 10: 102-112; Ladins[the parents have three sons, the eldest Bucobello began to visit the girls; the father decided to discourage him, put on a bull's skin and went out to meet him; B. returned, asked the girls for a pitchfork and, having stuck it into the belly of the monster, threw it into the water; when everything became clear, the local court ordered B. to wander until he got scared, and to spend the night where the sunset caught him; one day B. spent the night under an oak tree, he hears the conversation of three large birds; in a village where there is no water, you need to hit a rock with a hammer, three streams will flow; the owner of the castle is afraid to enter there, because no one who entered ever came back out; there is a giant there, he sleeps from midnight until one in the morning; you need to go into the room where there is a sword on the wall, cut the giant down with a sword; the kidnapped princess is in the White Sea; to return her, you need to appear there invisible; B. got water, got a cart of gold, brought it to his godfather; the same – for killing a giant; B. comes to a woman, she hides him in the basement; when her daughter Tuman comes, she senses a man, but the mother denies it – there is no one; he asks if her daughter knows where the White Sea is; she replies that the Winds know about it (two different winds – a cold northern and a dry wind in the mountains); the northern wind (the same episode with the mother of the wind) does not know; the dry wind orders to show him a man; he says that tomorrow the princess is being married and he is flying there to dry linen; let B. take the mare (she is the last of the 12 horses); the mare turned into an old woman, gave her seven-league boots, an invisibility cloak, a self-assembled tablecloth; B. revealed himself to the princess, imperceptibly for others carried her away; returns with gold and a bride to his place, then lives in the royal palace]: Uffer 1973, No. 36: 140-154.

Western Europe. Germans (Pomerania) [a father and son went out to sea to fish; a storm capsized the boat; the father was carried to his native shore, and the son to an unfamiliar one; a hunter approached him and made a pact; all week he would hunt for him, and on Sundays for himself; but he must return before the priest begins to preach in church; for two Sundays in a row the youth does not see a single animal in the forest, except for a white doe, which also eludes him; on the third day the doe turns into a lady in black, leaves him in her palace and asks him to keep quiet for three nights; they chop him up, make mincemeat, but at midnight it all ends and the lady revives him; after the third night she is disenchanted; she is the queen of Tiefenthal; the youth wants to visit his parents; he promises not to tell anyone about his wife; she gives him a ring, which instantly transports him wherever he needs to go; he boasts of his wife's beauty, the local lord is insulted, throws the youth in prison; the wife appears and rescues him, disappears, leaving behind iron shoes and a staff; they must be worn out; he comes to the East Wind, who sends him to the South, the South to the West; only the North knows where Tiefenthal is; he dries his linen there, it is washed for the queen's wedding; carries the youth to the door of the newlyweds; he asked the servant to give him bread and wine, threw a ring into the glass, the queen found out; said that he had broken his promise, but since he had found her again, she would again be his wife; courtiers: the former king has more rights than the new one; the spouses had been separated for so long, the wedding was celebrated again; if they did not die, they are still alive]: Jahn 1891, No. 55: 298-304; Germans(Austria) [the queen does not want children; when the king has left and she has given birth, she tells the maid to lower the box with the baby into the water; she told her husband that little Ferdinand had died; a fisherman caught the boy, he grew up; in the forest, while hunting, a figure in white comes to him and tells him to go to the King of Spain, for he is a prince, and not a fisherman's son; the figure gives him a ring; as long as it is on his finger, everything will be fine; he must not take it off for three years; F. comes to Spain and lives with the king as a prince; there are many beautiful ladies there; when three years are already up, F. has almost taken off the ring; a figure in white appears: what have you done? when F. went into the garden and fell asleep, the figure took the ring off him; he immediately changed, instead of a luxurious outfit he is wearing rags; he went wandering; three giants fight over a cap, cloak and boots; the one who owns them becomes invisible and moves any distance; F. suggests a competition with giants to see who can reach the top of the mountain faster, and he himself flies away invisible; he comes to the Wind's house; his wife hides him, but the Wind senses him; he has done no harm; he is in a hurry to Portugal for the wedding of a princess who has lived in the forest for a long time; F. asks to be taken with him; at the wedding, the invisible F. takes food from the groom-prince; beats him when he dances with the princess; when F. and the princess are alone, she recognizes F.; calls the courtiers; I lost the old key, ordered a new one, and now I have found the old one; everyone replies that the old one must be used; the princess marries F.]: Latzenhofer 1906, No. 4: 113-116; Germans (Austria or Bohemia) [the father has three sons; The elder Christoph and Philip are clever, the younger Gottschalk sits behind the stove, they take him for a fool; the father will give everything to the one who brings the best bride; G. meets an old man, shares food with him; he combs his hair, making him handsome, and directs him to the fairy's castle; there G. marries her beautiful daughter; she locks herself in every eighth day; he looks through the keyhole and sees that his wife's lower body is covered with wool, and instead of legs, goat's hooves; she cries; everything has disappeared; the old man promises that G. will return her; perhaps the sun knows where her castle is, in which there are apple trees with golden fruits and silver leaves; G. comes to the sun-woman; she does not see the castle, directs him to the moon (her cousin, apparently Schwager); this is a bearded man emitting cold; he also does not know, sends him to his uncle the wind; there is a mountain with four holes, the wind blows now from one, now from the other; blows with the help of a blowing bag; calls the relatives-winds, the last to arrive was the hunchback; he had just come from that castle – he was drying their laundry; he carried G. on his hump; G. saw his wife: she was in human form; in a golden carriage, harnessed by six white horses, G. and his wife came to his father; the wife gave an outfit to her daughters-in-law, and G. took nothing from the inheritance; G. and his wife took his father to themselves]: Vernaleken 1889, No. 51: 294-303; Germans (Austria) []: Latzenhofer 1906, No. 4: 113-116.

Balkans. Slovenes [a lord orders a fisherman to catch fish in three days for a feast he is throwing; the fisherman catches nothing; a man in green promises a rich catch in exchange for a promise to give him something the fisherman does not know at home; he will come for his promise in 20 years; the fisherman agreed and immediately caught some fish; the man in green warned that the fisherman had promised him a son; having finished his training, the young man orders his father to come with him to the shore and when he steps with one foot into the green man's boat, to say "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!"; after this the boat with the green man and the young man disappeared; they found themselves in the city of Perdonkorten ("Wundergarten"); in the castle a snake orders him to kiss it, he in turn orders it to disappear; the next night - the same thing, the snake has two heads; on the third - three-headed, he kisses it, it turns into a girl; After this, the castle and the town are disenchanted, the owner of the castle (and he is the girl's father) and the people greet the young man; he began to miss home, decided to visit his father; his wife gave him a ring that will allow him to be transported to his father and back; if he tells others about the ring, it will disappear; on earth, the lord wants to give the young man one of his two daughters; the young man tells them about the ring; they put him to sleep and steal the ring; after 5 years, the young man decides to go to Perdenkorten without the help of the ring; he comes to a woman, she has three dangerous brothers; the young man calls himself by the name of their missing fourth brother; they have seven-league shoes, an invisibility cloak, a hat that breaks through any obstacle; he asks permission to put all this on, disappears, comes to the house of the sun; his servant is there; the sun has returned, says that he does not know about Perdenkorten, tells him to turn to the moon; she also does not know, sends her to the wind; he says that tomorrow he will refresh with a breeze those gathered for the wedding of the local princess; thanks to his miraculous objects, the youth follows the wind through all obstacles; remaining invisible, the youth throws onto the floor the church books that the chaplain laid out for the wedding; the previous wedding is upset, the princess marries the youth; narrator: they gave me wine in a sieve and bread in a glass and one on the back with a shovel; after that I left]: Wratislaw 1890, No. 58: 301-312.

( Cf. Central Europe. Ukrainians (Galicia, Sambir district) [a rich man prayed to God for a son, but went into the forest, the baby got lost; a forester raised him; when the boy was 20, he ordered a club to be forged (the first one was too light, he ordered a heavier one to be forged), went wandering; three young ladies were bathing, he stole the dress and wings of the middle one; he got married; she asked to return it - she flew around the hut; she flew out of the window, ordered to look for her on Ovsyanaya Mountain; the hermit whistled for animals - no one knows Ovsyanaya Mountain; he sent them to his older brother; there - the same; to the oldest; the lion came last, the hermit orders him to take the boy; he took him, but threw him into a hole; the boy got out; he stopped the mill; he promised to start it again if the miller would deliver him to the princess; he hid the boy in a barrel of flour ; they brought her to the palace; there he is not allowed to open the doors, which are tied with bast; he entered; someone black asks to give bread and water; the guy gave it, he flew up and carried off the princess; the guy came to the widow, hired himself out to graze horses; the girl warned not to eat the food, what they offered was poison; he grazes for three days, beats the horses with his club, brings them home safe, the widow offers to choose which one she wants, he chose a little horse; he asks twice first to allow him to graze with the mother mare; after that he brings them to the rock on which the princess and the black man are; the guy threw his club at the black man and he disappeared]: Dragomanov 1876, No. 41: 367-372 (= Pankeev 1992: 124-130).