I have a brother, 1st class. Recently I read my brother English tales, the tale was called Nothing-Nothing, I read there the following:
At first, the giant’s daughter did not know how to help her sweetheart. I thought, I finally came up with it: I cut off my fingers on my hands and feet and made stairs of them. Nothing-Nothing climbed on a tree and pulled the eggs out of the nest.

This is the gesture my mother read to me as a child, maybe that’s why I’m?! to