Jim C -- Yes indeed. I was just thinking, last night, about how thick on the ground hunchbacks are in folktales, and how rarely they're encountered today. So I looked up the term on Wikipedia (a flimsy source on its own, but it's good for learning basic terminology, and potential search terms for later reference). Apparently, malnution during pregnancy and early childhood is one of the main causes. So it's easy to see how this would be a more common affliction in the Days of Yore, before refrigeration.

It is a fascinating subject. Though, if you are disabled, it is rarely encouraging, since the stories often go right to the root of all the bigotry and exclusion we face every day.

However, if the Brothers Grimm could fine-tune the stories to inspire political and social change in their own society, I have equal right to do so in my own time and place. And closely examining the knot may make it possible for me to undo it, without destroying it completely.