De'il and the Feathery Wife, The

DESCRIPTION: "By a' the plagues that's on the earth," hunger and a scolding wife are the worst. The devil comes to a farmer, offering to make him solvent. The devil will take his soul unless the farmer finds a beast he can't name. The farmer feathers his wife and wins
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1831 ("High-Kilted Muse" manuscript, #38)
LONG DESCRIPTION: "By a' the plagues that's on the earth," hunger and a scolding wife are the worst. The devil appears to a poor farmer, offering to make him solvent. In return, the devil will take his soul unless the farmer shows him a beast he can't name. The farmer disguises his wife in feathers, says there are more like her, and wins the bet
KEYWORDS: devil clothes disguise animal humorous hardtimes gambling
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
Roud #12551
RECORDINGS:
Judy Cook, "The Devil and the Feathery Wife" (Piotr-Archive #300, recorded 10/11/2022)
NOTES [20 words]: This motif -- "Bringing the Devil an Unknown Animal" -- is sufficiently well-known that it is Thomsom motif K216.2. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: DPio300

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