Mythology and folklore are filled with incredible stories, acting as wish fulfillment throughout history. Tales of unlikely pregnancies brought comfort to those who struggled to conceive, offering fantastical hope through strange and unbelievable circumstances.
Eating a Human Heart
Sicilian Folklore
In the Sicilian folktale “Saint Oniria,” two hunters stumble upon a cottage in the woods and find a human heart buried under the firewood. The heart has a magnetic pull, and the innkeeper’s daughter can’t resist eating it.
Despite being a virgin, she becomes pregnant. After being beaten by her father, the child is born and revealed to be Saint Oniria, returned to Earth to teach moral lessons. Similar tales exist across Europe, often involving a dead hermit whose heart is consumed to bring him back to life, but this version uniquely includes a Second Coming theme.
Eating a Grain of Wheat as a Chicken
Welsh Mythology
During King Arthur’s reign, the enchantress Ceridwen creates a potion to grant beauty and wisdom to her son. The servant boy, Gwion Bach, accidentally absorbs the potion, gaining its enchantment.
Ceridwen, furious, chases Gwion, who shapeshifts into various animals to escape. Eventually, he turns into a grain of wheat, and Ceridwen becomes a hen, swallowing him. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to Taliesin, the famed Welsh poet, who survives being thrown into the ocean and later rescued.
Pregnant by Water and Sunbeam
Navajo Mythology
In Navajo mythology, the Changing Woman and White Shell Woman sought male companionship and lay on a rock to meet the Sun. White Shell Woman lay in a mountain stream to marry the water. The sun and water happily obliged, and the sisters became pregnant.
Changing Woman gave birth to Monster Slayer, and White Shell Woman had Water Child. In some versions, Changing Woman is the mother of both sons, impregnated by water shortly after Monster Slayer’s birth.
Pregnant by Snow and Fire
European Folklore
Many versions of “The Snow Child” appear throughout Europe: a husband returns from years at sea to find his wife with a child, claiming she was impregnated by a snowflake or falling into a snowbank.
In “The Snow Daughter and the Fire Son” from Bukovina, a childless couple wishes for children. The wife swallows an icicle, giving birth to a snow daughter, and a spark flies into her lap, leading to a fire son. Due to their opposing natures, the siblings can’t coexist and eventually destroy each other.
Eating a Flower
Norwegian Folklore
Eating a flower in fairy tales can lead to bizarre outcomes, such as giving birth to a snake or twin daughters. In “Prince Lindorm,” an infertile queen eats two flowers and gives birth to snake, which eventually transforms into a handsome prince.
In “Tatterhood,” another queen eats flowers and has twin girls: Tatterhood, an ugly girl riding a goat, and a beautiful, favored daughter. Tatterhood becomes a warrior, fights trolls, and restores her sister’s head after a witch replaces it with a calf’s head.
Putting an Almond on Your Breast
Greek Mythology
Agdistis, a hermaphroditic deity, had her penis ripped off by fearful gods, turning her into a female. The detached penis grew into an almond tree.
A nymph, Nana, placed an almond on her breast, where it dissolved and made her pregnant with Attis. Abandoned and raised by a male goat, Attis became incredibly handsome, leading the now-female Agdistis to fall in love with him, driving him to madness and self-castration during his wedding.
Being Showered by Gold
Greek Mythology
Zeus, known for his infidelity, transformed into gold rain to impregnate Danae. King Akrisios locked Danae away to prevent her from conceiving, fearing a prophecy that her son would kill him.
Zeus showered Danae with gold, and she gave birth to Perseus. Akrisios cast them out to sea, but they survived, and Perseus eventually fulfilled the prophecy by killing his grandfather.
Stepping on a God’s Footprint
Chinese Folklore
Houji, the mythical founder of agriculture in China, owes his existence to a giant footprint. Jiang Yuan, the infertile wife of Emperor Ku, stepped on a footprint left by the sky god Shangdi.
Overcome by a strange sensation, she became pregnant. Jiang Yuan abandoned Houji three times, but impressed by his survival, she decided to keep him, recognizing his special nature.
A Snake Sliding Into a Uterus
Italian Folklore
In “Biancabella and the Snake,” a marquis’s wife is impregnated when a snake slithers into her womb as she sleeps. She gives birth to Biancabella, who has a snake coiled around her neck.
The snake, named Samaritana, claims to be Biancabella’s twin sister. Samaritana instructs Biancabella to bathe in milk while the snake licks her, making her even more beautiful. After a period of alienation, Samaritana transforms into a human, ending Biancabella’s distress.
A Ball of Hummingbird Feathers
Aztec Mythology
The Aztec goddess Coatlicue became pregnant after tucking a ball of hummingbird feathers into her belt. Coatlicue already had 400 children, the stars of the Milky Way, who, unhappy with the new sibling, conspired to kill her.
Her daughter, Coyolxauhqui, led the attack, but Coatlicue’s son, Huitzilopochtli, burst from her womb fully grown and armed, defeating them all in a dramatic and violent birth.
These bizarre tales of conception from mythology and folklore highlight humanity’s enduring fascination with the origins of life, offering fantastical explanations in times of mystery and uncertainty. These stories reflect cultural values, fears, and hopes, providing a lens through which to understand historical perspectives on fertility and creation.
Which of these bizarre means of conception surprised you the most? Leave your comment below.
