Household Tales · Chapter
The Singing Bone explained
Two brothers set out to kill a wild boar that is terrorizing the land, with the reward being the king's daughter in marriage.
What happens
Two brothers set out to kill a wild boar that is terrorizing the land, with the reward being the king's daughter in marriage. The younger, pure-hearted brother receives a magic spear from a little man and kills the boar, but his envious elder brother murders him and takes credit. Years later, a shepherd finds a bone from the victim, which sings the truth when made into a horn, leading to the elder brother's execution and the younger's proper burial.
Themes in this chapter
Jealousy and Envy
The elder brother's envy of the younger's success drives him to murder.
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The innocent younger brother is honored posthumously, while the wicked elder is executed.
Family Dynamics and Betrayal
The elder brother betrays and murders his own sibling out of greed and jealousy.
Characters to notice
- the youth
The younger, innocent brother who kills the boar with a magic spear but is murdered by his elder brother.
- the boy
The elder, crafty brother who kills his sibling out of envy and claims the reward.
- the King
The ruler who promises his daughter's hand to the boar's slayer and later uncovers the truth.
- the princess
The king's daughter, married to the elder brother under false pretenses.
- the shepherd
The shepherd who finds the bone and brings the singing horn to the king.
Key passages
“Ah, friend, thou blowest upon my bone! Long have I lain beside the water; My brother slew me for the boar, And took for his wife the King’s young daughter.”
The bone sings that the younger brother was killed by his elder sibling for the boar, who then married the princess.
The bone's song reveals the murder and leads to justice.
“The King understood it all, and caused the ground below the bridge to be dug up, and then the whole skeleton of the murdered man came to light.”
The king realized the truth, ordered the bridge to be excavated, and discovered the victim's remains.
The king's investigation uncovers the crime.