Household Tales · Chapter
Brother Lustig explained
Brother Lustig, a discharged soldier, encounters St.
What happens
Brother Lustig, a discharged soldier, encounters St. Peter in disguise and shares his meager provisions. St. Peter, a skilled healer, revives a sick peasant and later a dead princess, but refuses payment. Brother Lustig, greedy and foolish, takes the gold and later tries to revive another princess on his own, failing because he cannot arrange the bones correctly. St. Peter intervenes, and after a series of events, Brother Lustig tricks his way into Heaven by hiding in his knapsack.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
Brother Lustig's initial generosity is rewarded with gold, but his greed and foolishness lead to his failure in reviving the princess, though he ultimately gains entry to Heaven through trickery.
Greed and Its Downfall
Brother Lustig's greed is evident when he nudges St. Peter to accept payment and later tries to revive a princess for reward, but his incompetence prevents success.
Magic and the Supernatural
St. Peter uses a healing salve and a ritual to revive the dead, while Brother Lustig's failed attempt highlights the supernatural nature of true resurrection.
Characters to notice
- Brother Lustig
A discharged soldier who shares his bread and money with St. Peter in disguise, later tries to revive a dead princess but fails, and ultimately tricks his way into Heaven.
- St. Peter
Appears as a beggar and a discharged soldier, heals a sick peasant and a dead princess, and later confronts Brother Lustig for his greed and incompetence.
- the Devil
The ninth devil who escaped from Brother Lustig's knapsack and later prevents him from entering Hell.
- the hermit
A pious man who tells Brother Lustig about the two roads to heaven and hell.
Key passages
“There are two roads, one is broad and pleasant, and leads to hell, the other is narrow and rough, and leads to heaven.”
The hermit explains that there are two paths: an easy one to hell and a difficult one to heaven.
This sets up Brother Lustig's choice and his eventual trick to enter heaven.
“Then he cut off all the dead girl’s limbs, and threw them in the water, lighted a fire beneath the kettle, and boiled them.”
St. Peter dismembers the princess's body and boils it in a kettle as part of the resurrection ritual.
This gruesome method is a key part of the resurrection process in the tale.
“I have divided it exactly; there is one share for me, one for thee, and one for him who ate the lamb’s heart.”
St. Peter divides the gold into three portions, claiming one is for the person who ate the lamb's heart.
This leads to Brother Lustig's confession and his taking all the gold.