Some of its motifs reappear in later European fairy tales: • The birth of a child is long delayed (cf. "
Sleeping Beauty") • Death is foretold at birth (cf. "Sleeping Beauty", "The Youth who was Doomed to be Hanged", "
The Two Kings' Children") • The attempt to prevent doom by measures of isolation from the natural environment (cf. "Sleeping Beauty") •
Three is the number of the dangers/tasks awaiting the protagonist • Death of the mother, replaced by a stepmother who hates the protagonist(s) (cf. "
Snowwhite", "
Hansel and Gretel", "
Cinderella") • Leaving home to seek one's destiny/fortune • Hiding one's true identity (cf. "Snow White", "
Little Red Riding Hood";
Donkeyskin, "
Iron John") • Freeing a princess locked up in a high tower (cf. "
Rapunzel") • Competing with rivals and potential suitors to the princess in an engagement challenge, namely, jumping very high to reach the top of a tower (cf. "
The Princess on the Glass Hill", "Iron John") •
Talking animals (cf.
The Princess and the Frog;
ATU tale types ATU 554, "The Grateful Animals") • A person/animal setting (often unpalatable) conditions for helping the protagonist (cf.
The Princess and the Frog, "
Rumpelstiltskin") • Cheating death, the ability to overcome doom
Fate goddesses The Seven Hathors are goddesses that appear at the prince's birth to decree his fate. These characters may appear analogous to the
Moirai or
Parcae of Graeco-Roman mythology, or to the
Norns of
Norse mythology.
Inevitability of fate Since the tale ends on an ambiguous note, some versions and translations of the story conclude with the death of the prince, as if to keep with the idea of inevitability of fate or the futility of trying to escape it. Under this lens, the tale is close to
Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index tale type ATU 930, "The Prophecy that Poor boy shall marry rich girl". One example is Indian tale
The King Who Would Be Stronger Than Fate: the king tries to dispose of his predestined future son-in-law, but his actions only serve to ensure that such fate will come to pass. In
folkloristics, the tale is classified as ATU 934A, "The Predestined Death".
Avoidance of fate Once again, due to the unknown precise ending of the story, and also to the general direction of the traits (the dog's hesitance, the death of the snake, the crocodile's offer of help) one very likely conclusion of the tale is the general avoidance of the prince's gruesome fate and the more positive ending of having him avoid death by those creatures, eventually being free of his doomed fate. ==Versions==