contains in somewhat different form the same fundamental theme, that is in close relation with some of the following examples where the same characteristics appear transferred to the male.
A spell or curse lay on Sarah that every man who was to marry her perished on the wedding night. Through the magic means of the intestines of a fish which were procured for him by a benevolent being—here in the form of an angel—Tobias was delivered from this spell on his wedding night. The Biblical tale gives to this content throughout a not fully corresponding moralizing form:
The old, blind Tobias prays God to allow him to die after all the affliction and the abuses he endured through his friends: "Oh Lord, grant me mercy and take my spirit in peace; for I would much rather be dead than to live" (Tob., III, VI).
And it came to pass in these days that Sarah, a daughter of Ragnel, in the Medean city Rags was also evilly slandered and rebuked by a servant of her father's.
There had been seven men given, one after another, and an evil spirit, named Asmodi, had killed them all as soon as they lay with her. Thereupon her father's servant rebuked her and said: "God grant that we will never see a son or daughter of thine on earth thou murderess of men" (Tob., III, 7–10).
After these words she went into an upper chamber in the house and neither ate nor drank for three days and three nights and continued to pray and lament and begged God that he would free her from the disgrace.
In the same hour these two prayers were both heard by the Lord in Heaven.
And the holy Raphael, the angel of the Lord, was sent, to help both because their prayers were offered at the same time to the Lord.
The old Tobias cried out in the belief that he would soon die and to his son, the young Tobias, he gave admonitions and disclosed to him that Ragnel in the city of Rags in Medea still owed him ten pounds of silver which he should collect.
The old Tobias advised him also to take a companion on his journey.
Then the young Tobias went out and found a fine young fellow who had dressed himself and was ready to travel.
