Money-bearing Bird in Pedroso’s Step-mother

Overview

A fairy shelters an abandoned girl and gives her a basin and small bouquet. At a window the girl addresses the spray of Intingil, asking that her love come. A bird immediately arrives bearing money, then flies away. This daily aid enables her to acquire clothes and jewellery. The account does not name the bird’s species or identify it as a human lover in animal form; the prince who later marries her enters only after the bird’s death.

The girl’s hostile stepsister watches the repeated visitation and throws broken glass at the bird. Severely wounded, it falls bleeding into the basin. The girl calls the fairy, who says she could have saved it if summoned sooner but can do nothing now that it is dead. Its loss remains permanent: the later marriage does not include a bird revival or transformation. The fairy’s admitted limit is part of the narrative rather than a statement about every fairy’s powers.

Origins & earliest records

Consiglieri Pedroso, Portuguese Folk-Tales, translated from the original manuscript by Henriqueta Monteiro, London: Elliot Stock for the Folk-Lore Society, 1882; tale XII, The Step-mother, pp. 49–53. No individual narrator or collecting locality is identified.

Records & interpretation

The located 1882 English translation presents this figure within a complete collected narrative. Pedroso’s introductory pp. 1–2 describe the thirty published selections from his larger collection.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Portuguese Folk-Tales XII: The Step-mother, pp. 49–53

   Collected by Consiglieri Pedroso; translated by Henriqueta Monteiro · 1882

   Complete tale read through its final recognition, marriage or helper’s refusal. The translator’s narrative is kept distinct from introductory comparative commentary.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary textPortuguese Folk-Tales, original 1882 edition scan and transcriptionResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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