The norms of the Civil Code regarding the legal status of mothers and fathers in the area of parental custody are partly based on stereotypical role models and traditional functional attributions. The most enduring notions of specific characters can be found in non-marital law. The author traces the development of maternal and paternal images in both marital and non-marital child custody law across historical periods. The study begins with the foundations of modern German family law during the Enlightenment and follows the development through the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi period, and into the present-day Federal Republic. It thoroughly examines the applicable norms, legislative materials, case law, and a wide range of contemporary legal literature. The author addresses old and new stereotypes in family law, such as those of the financial provider father and the father who is disinterested in his non-marital child, as well as the existence of a maternal myth.