Motif family
Jealous Stepmother and Persecuted Child
A jealous stepmother, wife, or rival caretaker endangers, falsely accuses, or demands violence against an innocent child; the focus is persecution within the household rather than the child's sacred destiny.
20 traditions
66 occurrences
66 mapped motifs
9 sub-families
- afro caribbean
- ainu
- akan
- caucasian
- celtic
- celtic irish
- egyptian
- estonian
- germanic
- hawaiian
- inuit
- islamic
- islamicate folklore
- japanese
- native american plains
- norse
- persian
- roman
- romanian
- slavic
Conserved neighbors: miraculous child · sacred love · divine judgment
Sub-families · the next landing down
Domestic Oppression, Labor, and Reward
7 motifs
- abandoned stepdaughter gains marriage wealth from supernatural encounter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- jealous stepfamily persecutes beautiful stepdaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- oppressed orphaned stepchild denied food despite labor 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- akan
- persecuted industrious stepdaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Persecuted stepchild reduced to kitchen ashes 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- persecuted stepdaughter given an impossible domestic task 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- rewarded kind stepchild and jealous stepfamily persecution 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
Orphan Hardship, Foster Care, and Household Restoration
4 motifs
- Abused orphan child in hostile household 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- foster adoption of a persecuted child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- mistreated orphan in a harsh household 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- neglected or ill-used orphan child whose welfare is restored 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
Expulsion, Pit Abandonment, and Supernatural Peril
5 motifs
- caregiver summons a nonhuman captor to take a disobedient child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
- Evil stepmother sends child into supernatural danger 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- persecuted stepdaughter sent into supernatural peril 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- well or pit abandonment instead of murder 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamic
Murder Demands, Lethal Plots, and Substituted Bodies
4 motifs
- animal heart substituted for murdered child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- ainu
- jealous stepmother demands child's heart 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- ainu
- Jealous stepmother murders child for inheritance advantage 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- Persecuted stepdaughter overhears murder plot 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
Newborn Theft and Falsified Births
3 motifs
- hostile mother-in-law steals newborn children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- jealous disguised woman removes newborns and lies about monstrous birth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- Jealous female relatives falsify a birth report 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
False Messages and Accusations Against the Innocent
2 motifs
- false message causing persecution of mother and child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- jealous stepmother falsely accuses innocent stepchild 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
Female Kin, Co-wives, and Rival Threats
4 motifs
- hostile older female persecutes a daughter-in-law 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- afro caribbean
- Jealous childless rival threatens another man's child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- inuit
- jealous kinswoman curses or destroys children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- Jealous second wife threatens her predecessor's children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
Direct Stepmother and Stepfamily Persecution
5 motifs
- cruel stepmother persecutes protected royal child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- Jealous stepmother endangers children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- jealous stepmother persecutes a child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- jealous wife or stepmother harms children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic irish
- wicked stepmother or hostile farmer's wife 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
Stepmother Favoritism, Betrayal, Magic, and Reversal
5 motifs
- repentance of the jealous stepmother 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- Stepmother’s own child intensifies threat to stepchild 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- Stepmother’s promised favor reverses into persecution 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- Stepmother uses witchcraft against stepchildren 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- unkind stepmother threatens father-child bond 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
Not yet placed in a sub-family
28 motifs
- cruel stepmother byword 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- hawaiian
- false accusation by rejected stepmother leading to paternal curse and exile 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- False animal birth accusation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- islamicate folklore
- Fraudulent stepmother and corrupted oracle create a sacrificial crisis 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- roman
- harm intended for stepdaughter rebounds on plotter’s own child 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- hostile grandmother sends supernatural boy toward fatal animal dangers 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american plains
- Hostile step-parent abandons child in inaccessible animal nest 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american plains
- Hostile stepmother after remarriage 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- hostile stepmother and violent retaliation 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- norse
- hostile stepmother seeks death of the helper animal 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- romanian
- infant substitution with animals as false proof 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- romanian
- jealous elder wife transformed into hostile stepmother in later versions 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- slavic
- jealous kin attempt poisoning of an elevated youth 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- persian
- Jealous stepmother 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- celtic
- jealous stepmother plots against rightful young bride 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- romanian
- mother or stepmother seeks to displace stepson for her own children 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- egyptian
- Named variants of a Cinderella heroine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- oppressed orphan consoled by beloved animal companion 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- estonian
- persecuted gifted stepdaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- persecuted stepchild aided by a magical animal 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- romanian
- Persecuted stepchild and hostile step-parent 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- persecuted stepdaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- caucasian
- persecuted virtuous stepdaughter 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- romanian
- stepfather exposes boy at a dangerous height 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- native american plains
- Stolen children and false accusation against mother 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- afro caribbean
- stolen infant and falsely condemned mother 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- germanic
- Virtuous stepdaughter persecuted by jealous stepmother 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
- wicked stepmother’s false accusation against an innocent heroine 1 occurrences · 1 traditions
- japanese
Each motif link opens its evidence page: every tagged passage with its quote, and a path into the book where the passage lives.