[1] Lady Margaret goes to the woods, and her breaking a branch is questioned by Hind Etin, who takes her with him into the forest.
One day, her oldest son goes hunting with Hind Etin and asks him why his mother always weeps.
[2] In some variants, the mother's grief expresses itself as hostility to the children, wishing they were rats and she a cat, as in "Fair Annie"; her comments inspire a child's suggestion that they try to leave, which is accomplished easily, with no reason why they could not have fled before.
[4] In some versions, she is lured or forced back to her husband; this may end tragically, with her death from sorrow.
[5] The German variant, "Agnes and the Mermaid", has the husband say they must divide the children, and since they have an odd number, they must split one in two.