The Singing Bone

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A boar was causing a lot of destruction. The king announced that whoever could free the country of the wild beast would win his daughter’s hand in marriage. Two brothers—one shrewd and the other innocent—decided to kill the boar.

The younger brother was sincere and tried to think of ways to kill the boar. One day. he met a quaint little man in the forest who told him, “Take this black spear. Attack the beast with it.” He did as told and killed the animal.

Meanwhile, the older brother was drinking and making merry, confident that he would kill the boar easily. But when he saw his younger brother carrying the dead boar, he was very jealous. He took his brother to a bridge and pushed him off. He then told the king that he had killed the boar, and won his daughters hand as reward.

But evil deeds do not remain hidden. Years later, a shepherd, while crossing that bridge. found a bone and began to blow it. At once the bone started singing,

“Ali 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 shepherd took the bone to the king and it sang the same song over and over again. The king realized what had happened and the older brother’s treachery was revealed to all. He was put in a sack and drowned as punishment.

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