Motif
fate figures determining a child’s destiny at birth
fate_figures_determining_a_child_s_destiny_at_birth
A motif of the Miraculous Child and Sacred Birth family, within the sub-family Birth and Early-Life Omens, Marks, and Tests. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
norse
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Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas CHAPTER XIV: HERMOD / CHAPTER XV: VIDAR / CHAPTER XVI: VALI / CHAPTER XVII: THE NORNS; lines 6291-6393 confidence: high
Skuld decrees that the child will live only as long as the bedside taper; the eldest Norn extinguishes the taper and gives the stump to the mother with instructions not to light it until her son is weary of life.
The Norns come to determine the prince’s life, and Skuld’s decree fixes the condition of the child’s lifespan.
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