 The ending of the story (commoner boy becoming Pope) harks back to similar legendary tales behind historical papacies, such as Pope Innocent III or Pope Sylvester II, or in fictional tales, such as "Gregorius" ("The Good Sinner").Sir James Frazer listed some variants of the papacy prophecy connected to tale collection "Seven Sages of Rome", and variations on the form of acquisition of animal speech.The story falls under the folklore motif of "The Outcast Child", i.e., the hero or heroine is expelled from home, but later rises through the ranks of society and returns home victorious.