L94E. White Wolf. .16.(.27.).31.32.34.

A supernatural character who helps the hero or heroine under certain conditions - the white wolf.

French (Gascony), Walloons, Germans (Schleswig-Holstein, Pomerania, East Prussia, Austria), Lithuanians, Chuvash, Kazan Tatars, Altai.

Western Europe. French (Gascony) [a green man with one eye in his forehead; he has three beautiful daughters; the youngest is the most beautiful, she is still 10 years old; the noise of wings, a bird the size of a bull, it is the king of the ravens, asks for one of the daughters; all refused, the raven pecked out their father's only eye; after this the youngest agreed; the raven returned his sight; the next day the sky darkened with ravens; they built an altar, in front of it the king of the ravens under a white veil; a priest, who appeared from nowhere, performed the ceremony and disappeared; at noon the ravens carried the newlywed to an icy country where there is no vegetation; a huge castle is empty; there is only one place setting on the table; at midnight the king of the ravens appeared, ordered to put out the lights; he used to be a king on earth; a sorcerer turned him and his people into ravens; after 7 years he consummates the marriage, but all this time the wife must not see him; He took off his raven disguise and went to bed, putting his sword between himself and his wife; years passed; one day the wife was walking and saw a mountain not covered with snow; she climbed to the top; there an old woman was washing black linen; as soon as the girl took up the work, the linen turned white; old woman: advice does not help; come back here when you are in great need; when the last night remained before the expiration of 7 years, the wife lit a candle and saw a handsome man; a drop of wax fell on him; he told his wife to go away; the sorcerer chained him and tied him to a mountain on an island in the sea; left a white wolf to guard him during the day and a black one at night; the wife came to the old woman at the top of the mountain; she gave a pair of iron shoes (having worn them out, she will reach her goal), a bag in which bread never ends, a calabash with inexhaustible wine, a knife to cut the singing grass that breaks iron; the girl walked for a year through a country where the sun never sets; she reached the blue grass; it asks her not to cut it - it does not sing; the same for another year (a country where the moon shines forever; singing, but not iron-breaking blue grass); the third year - through a country without moon and sun, there is blue singing grass that breaks iron; she cut it, her shoes fell apart; she went barefoot, the sun rose; she sailed in a boat to an island; hearing the singing of the grass, the white wolf fell asleep; she stabbed both wolves with a knife; the grass withered and fell silent, {the shackles fell off}, the king of the ravens called his people; the king himself and the ravens became people; 7 thousand ships sail, sent by the king's friend to transport everyone to their homeland]: Bladé 1986(1), no. 2: 15-31 (translated in Karlin 1991: 271-279); Walloons[the youngest daughter asks for a singing leaf; the white wolf brings it to the king, who leaves his daughter in the forest; the wolf becomes the girl's husband; leaves her in the care of a servant; lets her go to the wedding of her eldest sister, teaches her when to come and call him; the middle sister; the princess is late; the witch gives her three nuts; they contain a precious bracelet, necklace, and crown; for them the princess buys from the new wife an hour's walk with her husband (or time in the bedroom), but he feels nothing and does not remember anything; the third time she calls him the way he taught her (White wolf, come look for me!), he wakes up; the plot is known in many versions]: Laport 1932, no. 425G: 56-57; Germans (Schleswig) [the king got lost while hunting; the little black man offered to lead him out of the forest if he would give him the first person to come out to meet him at home; it was not a dog that came out, but a daughter; in 8 days she must go to the groom; a white wolf came up, she sat astride him and he ran; exhausted, she asked three times how far it was to the glass mountain; wolf: far, and if you ask, I'll throw you off; the fourth time he threw her off and disappeared; she came to an old woman, she was cooking a chicken; she advised her to turn to the wind, and take all the chicken bones with her; the wind sent her to the sun, the sun - to the moon; everyone feeds soup and tells them to take the bones; the moon says that there is a wedding on the glass mountain now; the girl remembered that this is where she needs to go; she sticks the bones into a steep slope, a staircase is formed; she lost one bone, so she cut off her little finger phalanx; on the mountain there is a black man, but he turned into a handsome prince, celebrates his wedding with another woman; the princess began to sing about everything that happened to her; the prince heard, remembered everything, sent away that bride, married the princess; they arrived at her father's; if they have not died, then they are still alive]: Müllenhoff 1845, No. 595: 405-408; Germans(Eastern Pomerania) [a peasant is going to town; the eldest daughter asks him to bring a black dress, the middle one - a shawl, the youngest - a songbook; on the way back the father remembered that he had forgotten the songbook; but it was too late and he did not go back; a white wolf comes towards him; he asks what the peasant is worried about; gives him the book on the condition that he return it tomorrow at 10 am and give him whoever comes out to meet him first; the peasant thought that a dog would come out, but the youngest daughter came out; ; but he sent the wolf the shepherd's daughter instead of his daughter; the wolf carried her off; the girl: in this place my father was grazing cows; the same with the broom maker's daughter (here the father cut twigs); the wolf carried each one back, and having received the peasant's daughter, brought her to the glass mountain; at night he turned into a prince; he sent the girl to the wedding of her eldest sister; he brought her there and gave her a twig: wave it, and a coachman will appear to take her back; and not to tell about her husband; everything went well; then to the middle sister's wedding; here the girl was given a drink and she blabbed; when she was getting ready to go back, the coachman did not appear; an old woman came to her; she cooked a chicken for her: let her keep the bones, with their help she will climb the glass mountain; she also gave a spindle, a reel and a stool; when you climb the mountain, sit down to spin; a woman will come out and start asking for these items; there were not enough bones; the girl cut off her finger, making the last step out of it; having given the items, the girl bought three nights with the woman's husband; but she gives him wine and he falls asleep each time; but the third time the husband quietly poured the wine down his collar; in the morning the White Wolf asks his wife which key is better {the lost and found or the new one}; she answers that the old one; the girl lives with the White Wolf again; the old woman came; the girl says that she would like to see her husband in the guise of a prince during the day; she advises to throw the wolf skin into the fire at night; The wolf finally became a prince and they went to live with his parents – the king and queen]: Stanitzke 1928: 6-11; Germans(East Prussia) [the king got lost in the forest; on the third day he met a white wolf: I will find you out if you give me your daughter; she must wait for me in front of the palace; the king ordered a shepherdess to be dressed up as a princess; having brought her to a clearing, the wolf asked why the girl was crying; "The father was also grazing cattle in this clearing"; the wolf carried the shepherdess back and threatened to raze the castle to the ground; the king gave his daughter; in the clearing she replies that she had never done so much work in her entire life, that she was the king's daughter; the wolf was pleased; he brought the princess to a castle where there was gold, silver and diamonds everywhere; the princess lived there for several years in complete contentment; she saw in the mirror that everything was fine at home too; but one day a bird sang sadly: the princess's mother was ill; the wolf agreed to let her go: if the mother recovered, then for a day, and if she died, then for three; the mother recovered, but the princess still spent three days; when she returned, instead of a castle there was a thicket, and under a bush a dying wolf; she embraced him and burst into tears; then he jumped up and became a prince; the princess did not believe her, she needed a wolf! but the prince showed the white skin that had fallen off him; wedding]: Lemke 1887, No. 19: 117-122; Germans (Austria) [the king got lost while hunting; a hunter in black clothes showed the way in exchange for a promise to give what he would be the first to come out to meet the king; the daughter came out; three days later a white wolf came running, she sat on him, he ran away; three days later the wolf threw her off; she came to the house of the Moon; they ate the chicken, he collected the bones, wrapped them up, told the girl to keep them; the same with the Sun; with the Wind; he brings them to the mountain; you have to throw the bones, climb them like steps; there were not enough bones, the Wind orders to cut off the little finger; at the door is a black hunter, he turned into a rich king, who was the white wolf; wedding]: Tserf 1992: 211-216.

( Cf. Balkans. Serbs [a poor widow has 9 sons and a daughter; she has nothing to feed her sons with – let them turn into wolves; the brothers ran away as wolves; the girl grew up; having learned what happened to her brothers, she went to look for them; she came to the house where the old woman was; she hid her from the wolves on the roof; the wolves came running, became young men; the old woman showed them the girl, they are happy; in order to disenchant them, the sister must remain silent for 9 years; she is grazing cows, a prince saw her; he married her; when she gave birth, the mother-in-law threw the baby out of the window into the lake, but a white wolf picked him up; this happened three times; instead of babies, puppies; the prince agreed to hang his wife; at the last moment, 9 knights rode up on white horses, brought three children; the time has expired, the spell is lifted; the prince banished the mother]: Eschker 1992, no. 23: 121-127).

Baltoscandia. Lithuanians [the king asks his three daughters what they should bring back from the city; the eldest wants a dress, the middle one a kerchief, the youngest a cape made of fresh flowers; there is none like that anywhere, but when they are not far from the castle, the king sees a white wolf with fresh flowers on his head; the wolf: I will give you the cape if you give me the first thing in the house that comes out to meet you; the youngest daughter came out; but the king sent a servant, dressed up,; when they stopped, BV asks the girl what her father would do with this tract of land; the girl: my father is a poor man, he cuts down trees in the forest; BV carried her back and warned that he could raze the castle to the ground; they had to give up the princess, she passed the test; BV brought her to the castle; he is a prince; in six months he let her go to the wedding of his eldest sister; let her come out at the signal of the pipe, for she will not find her way back alone; then to the wedding of the middle sister; the princess together with BV; mother watched as BV shed his skin and became a man; threw the skin into the fire; BV immediately disappeared; the princess went to look for her husband, came to the Wind; the Wind does not know where BV is; gave a slipper that can instantly cover a hundred miles, and sent it to the Star; the Star gave a slipper that can travel two hundred miles, sent it to the Moon; he gave a slipper that can travel 400 miles, sent it to the Sun; Sun: BV is getting married today; gave a slipper that can travel 500 miles; a spindle that moss turns into silk; a knife (turns shavings into gold); at the foot of the glass mountain there is a blacksmith; let him make chains for his hands and feet to climb up; in BV's house, the princess dressed up as an old woman, became a servant; sat down to spin silk from moss; the bride agrees to let BV spend the night under his bed if she gets such a spindle; slipped a sleeping pill into BV; under the bed the princess tells the whole story out loud; the servant hears, tells BV; at the wedding he asks the guests: lost the key, ordered a new one, but found the old one; everyone says that the old one should be preferred; BV sent away the new bride and married the princess]: Leskien, Brugman 1882, No. 23: 438-443.

Volga - Perm. Chuvash [while hunting, the tsar wanted to shoot a fox, but saw that it was pregnant; he thought about his pregnant wife and decided to spare the fox; on the other side of the mountain, the same fox was met by the tsar's confidant and he also did not shoot, thinking about his pregnant wife; having met, the tsar and the confidant agreed that if they had children of different sexes, they would marry them, and if only one, then let them be friends; both had sons; the young men grew up; the prince saw a portrait of the princess in a book, fell in love; the tsar says that 40 years ago he himself unsuccessfully tried to win this princess; gives the prince an army; it grumbles, the prince sends it home; he sees how 40 people beat one, and he laughs, ransoms the lying man for 40 camels loaded with gold; that man, Garambur, promises to get the princess; poured out all night to burn fires, so that he, G., having got the princess, would find the prince; in the morning the prince is asleep, the last fire has gone out; G. scolds him, but continues to serve; the princess is in the chest; G. orders the prince to tie himself to her hair and beat her with a nogait until she comes down to the ground, promises to become her wife and gives a hair from her right armpit; the same - from the left; from the pubis ("from the chest"); they came to the house; the prince entered, 12 robbers were feasting there, they threw the prince into the cellar; G. quietly carried 12 swords out of the house, put them with the points up, rolled a millstone over them; 11 swords bent, and the 12th cut the millstone in half; G. took this sword, hacked to death the robbers; the prince with his wife and G. began to live in the house; They forbade the prince's wife to unlock the barn; she unlocked it, two wolves came out, a white and a gray one, and carried her away; G. became a fly, flew to the wolves, and they made the prince's wife their servant; G. tells her to find out where the wolves' souls are; they first answer that they are under the window in the doorframe; the princess decorated the doorframe; in the broom - the same; white wolf: in the sky there is a red bull, in the bull a ram, in the ram a hare, in the hare a duck, in the duck two eggs; to get the eggs, you have to whistle through the king's ring; G. to the prince: the ring is on your finger; G. whistled through the ring, and a bull came down from the sky; the wolves ask not to destroy them; G. tells them to create a palace next to the king's and to transfer the prince and his wife there to the bed, so that they wake up in their own bed; the wolves did everything; pir]: Chuvash tales 1937: 255-264; Kazan Tatars[the king sent his three sons to study; he went with the queen to a distant land, got lost, the king of the divas kidnapped the queen; the sons returned, each one went in search of his mother; a white wolf came to the tent of the eldest, asked who gave him permission to walk through his forest; the prince answered boldly, and was turned into stone along with his men; the same with the middle one; the youngest was polite, asked permission to shoot a bird, the wolf turned into a young man, agreed to revive the petrified ones, but ordered them to be sent home; he ordered the young man to go to a huge willow, to hide on it, a stallion would come and rub against the willow, he had to jump on it, not let go; the stallion carried him through fire, water and forest, after which he promised to help, and took him to a sand mountain near Mount Kaf; the wolf turned into a Samrug bird and carried him on; the young man came to one, two, three kidnapped women, the third was his mother; She gave a water miracle that weakens people, and to her son – one that gives strength, he cut off 7 heads of the miracle; everything is fine, the mother returned, the brothers got married]: Bashirov, Yarmukhametov 1956: 12-31.

Southern Siberia – Mongolia. Altaians [Kan-Gerede sends Altyn-Kuchkash (a golden bird, a tit?) to Kuday to find out what the birds should eat; he orders a grain of barley to be taken to the ground; the bird spends the night in a hollow, wakes up in the bed of K.'s daughter, turns into a man, takes her as his wife; the white wolf Ak-Pöri intends to eat AK, agrees to take his newborn son in exchange; carries him off; two snakes sent by Erlik do not find the baby (he was supposed to die, the wolf saved him); the wolf names the boy Aru-Mandai; sends him to abduct Tengere Khan's daughter for himself, but gives her to him as his wife; AM lure Erlik into the world, but he returns and brings out four young women]: Nikiforov 1915: 222-232.