Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) - Types of Folktales
780: The Singing Bone
Description
The brother kills his brother (sister) and buries him in the earth. From the bones a shepherd makes a flute which brings the secret to light. In different versions the murder is revealed in several different ways [N271]: (a) an instrument (harp,… Variants
780A. The Cannabalistic Brothers
I. The Murder. Six brothers live with their sister. One day, while cooking, she cuts her finger and blood falls into the food. The older brothers find the food delicious and decide to kill and eat their sister [G36.2]. The youngest refuses, or (a)…
780B. The Speaking Hair
A stepmother buries a girl alive. Her hair grows as wheat or bush and sings her misfortunes [E631]. Thus she is discovered and dug up alive. The stepmother is buried in the same hole [Q581].
780C. The Tell-tale Calf's Head
In the murderer's hands it turns into the murdered man's head [Q551.3.3].
Examples
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