There is a folktale in the oral Irish tradition about a prince who, while under a spell in the shape of a black crow, falls in love with a beautiful girl. He persuades her to marry him, and this allows him to throw off his crow-like cloak for three nights. But on the third night, his new bride fails the test he puts to her to ensure that he will remain human. The rest of the story is taken up with their efforts to reunite and to cast off the spell.