The Five Queer Brothers
by Unknown · from Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know
Adapted Version
Once there was a kind Mama. She had five special sons. Each son had a secret power! Brother Ocean drank the sea. Brother Stone-Neck had a hard neck. Brother Long-Legs had long legs. Brother Fire-Proof was safe in fire. Brother No-Breath did not need air.
Brother Ocean was a fisher. He went to the sea. He took his friends' boys. He helped them catch fish. He drank the sea water. The bottom was dry. The boys found many fish.
Brother Ocean called the boys. They did not listen. They played too long. He could not hold water more. He let the water go. Big waves came. The boys got lost. They did not come back. The people were sad.
The people were angry. They were very sad. They said Brother Ocean hurt their boys. They wanted him punished. The Judge listened. The Judge said, "Big chop!" This was bad.
Brother Ocean went to Mama. He said goodbye to her. He was very sad. Brother Stone-Neck saw this. He loved his brother much. He took his brother's place. The man with the big knife came. He tried to chop. The knife hit Brother Stone-Neck's neck. The knife broke! Brother Stone-Neck was safe. His neck was too hard.
The Judge was surprised. He said, "Throw him in deep water!" Brother Stone-Neck went to Mama. He told her. Brother Long-Legs took his place. They threw Brother Long-Legs in the water. His legs grew very long. He stood on the bottom. He was safe. His legs were too long.
The Judge was surprised again. He said, "Boil him in hot water!" Brother Long-Legs went to Mama. He told her. Brother Fire-Proof took his place. Brother Fire-Proof sat in the hot water. He was happy and warm. He asked for more heat! He was safe. The heat did not hurt him.
The Judge and people tried again. They said, "Bury him
Original Story
The Five Queer Brothers
n old woman had five grown-up sons that looked just alike. The eldest could gulp up the ocean at a mouthful; the second was hard enough to nick steel; the third had extensible legs; the fourth was unaffected by fire; the fifth lived without breathing. They all concealed their peculiar traits, and their neighbours did not even guess that they were queer.
The eldest supported the family by fishing, going alone to the sea, and bringing back loads of spoil. The neighbours often besought him to teach their sons how to fish, and he at last let all their boys go with him, one day, to learn his art. On reaching the shore, he sucked the sea into his mouth, and directed the boys to the dry bottom, to collect the fish. When he was tired of holding the water, he beckoned to the boys to return, but they were playing amongst strange objects, and paid no heed to him. When he could contain the sea no longer, he had to let it flow back into its former basin, and all the boys were drowned.
As he went homeward, he passed the doors of the parents, who inquired how many fish their sons had caught, and how long they would be in coming back. He told them the facts, yet they would not excuse him, and they dragged him before the magistrate to account for the loss of their children. He defended himself by saying that he had not invited the boys to go with him, and had consented to their going only when the parents had repeatedly urged him; that, after the boys were on the ocean-bed, he had done his utmost to induce them to come ashore; that he had held the water as long as he could, and had then thrown it in the sea-basin solely because nothing else would contain it. Notwithstanding this defence, the judge decided that, since he took the boys away and did not bring them back, he was guilty of murder, and sentenced him to decapitation. He entreated leave to pay one visit to his aged mother before his execution, and this was granted. He went alone and told his brothers of his doom, and the second brother returned in his stead to the judge, thanked him for having given him permission to perform a duty required by filial piety, and said he was then ready to die. He knelt with bowed head, and the headsman brought the knife down across the back of his neck, but the knife was nicked and the neck was left unscathed. A second knife, and a third of finer steel, were brought and tried by headsmen who were accustomed to sever heads clean off at one stroke. Having spoiled their best blades without marring his neck, they took him back to prison and informed the judge that the sentence could not be executed.
The judge then decreed that he should be dropped into the sea which covered his victims. When he heard this decision, he said that he had taken leave of his mother supposing that his head was to be cut off, and that, if he was to be drowned, he must go to her and make known his fate, and get her blessing anew. Permission being given, he went and told his brothers what had happened, and the third brother took the place of the second, and presented himself before the judge as the criminal that was to be sunk in the sea. He was carried far from shore and thrown overboard, but he stretched his legs till his feet touched bottom and he stood with his head in the air. They hauled him aboard and took him farther from land, but still his extensible legs supported him above the waters. Then they sailed to mid-ocean, and cast him into its greatest depths, but his legs still lengthened so that he was not drowned. They brought him back to the judge, reported what had been done, and said that some other method of destroying him must be followed.
He was then condemned to death by being boiled in oil; and while the caldron was being heated, he begged and obtained leave to go and tell his mother of his late survival, and, of the manner in which he was soon to be taken off. His brothers having heard the latest judgment, the fourth one went to bear the penalty of the law, and was lowered into the kettle of boiling oil, where he disported himself as if in a tepid bath, and even asked the executioners to stir up the fire a little to increase the warmth. Finding that he could not be fried, he was remanded to prison.
Then the populace, the bereaved parents, and the magistrate joined in effort to invent a sure method of putting him to death. Water, fire and sword all having failed, they finally fixed upon smothering him in a vast cream-cake. The whole country round made contributions of flour for the tough pastry, sugar for the viscid filling, and bricks for a huge oven; and it was made and baked on a plain outside the city walls. Meanwhile the prisoner was allowed to go and bid his mother farewell, and the fifth brother secretly became his substitute. When the cake was done, a multitude of people, with oxen, horses, and ropes, dragged it to the execution ground, and within it the culprit was interred. As he was able to exist without air, he rested peacefully till the next midnight. Then he safely crawled forth, and returned to his home, where he dwelt happily for many years with his remarkable brothers.
Story DNA
Moral
Even in the face of insurmountable odds and injustice, cleverness and loyalty can lead to triumph.
Plot Summary
Five brothers, each possessing a unique superpower, live quietly until the eldest accidentally drowns several boys while fishing. He is condemned to death, but his second brother secretly takes his place, surviving decapitation due to his hard neck. The judge then orders drowning, but the third brother substitutes and survives by extending his legs. Next, the fourth brother survives boiling oil due to his fire immunity. Finally, the fifth brother takes the place of the fourth and survives being smothered in a giant cream-cake because he can live without breathing. He escapes and returns home, and all five brothers live happily ever after, having outsmarted the unjust authorities.
Themes
Emotional Arc
injustice to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This tale is a variant of 'The Five Chinese Brothers' or 'Tikki Tikki Tembo,' often attributed to Chinese folklore, highlighting the importance of family and cleverness.
Plot Beats (13)
- An old woman has five sons, each with a unique, hidden superpower: gulping the ocean, hard neck, extensible legs, fire immunity, and living without breathing.
- The eldest son, a fisherman, takes neighborhood boys to sea and, to help them collect fish, sucks the ocean into his mouth.
- The boys ignore his call to return, and when he can no longer hold the water, he releases it, drowning all the boys.
- The parents accuse him of murder, and despite his defense, the judge sentences him to decapitation.
- The eldest son visits his mother, and the second brother secretly takes his place for the execution.
- The headsman's knives break on the second brother's hard neck, making decapitation impossible.
- The judge then condemns him to be drowned in the sea; the second brother visits his mother, and the third brother takes his place.
- The third brother is thrown into the sea but stretches his legs to the bottom, repeatedly surviving attempts to drown him in deeper waters.
- The judge condemns him to be boiled in oil; the third brother visits his mother, and the fourth brother takes his place.
- The fourth brother sits comfortably in the boiling oil, even asking for more heat, proving immune to fire.
- The judge, parents, and populace devise a new execution: smothering him in a giant cream-cake; the fourth brother visits his mother, and the fifth brother takes his place.
- The fifth brother is interred in the massive cake, where he peacefully waits until midnight, able to live without air.
- At midnight, the fifth brother crawls out of the cake and returns home, where all five brothers live happily for many years.
Characters
The Old Woman
A frail, stooped elderly woman, likely with the weathered hands and face of someone who has lived a long, hard life. Her exact height and build are not specified, but she would appear delicate.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothing, likely a dark, coarse linen or wool dress, possibly with a plain apron and a headscarf, reflecting her humble status and age.
Wants: To see her sons safe and happy, to maintain her family.
Flaw: Her age and inability to directly protect her sons from the outside world.
Remains a constant, unchanging figure of maternal love and home.
Loving, concerned, resilient. She is the matriarch who raised five unusual sons and is a constant point of return for them.
First Brother (Gulp-up-the-Ocean)
A robust, strong adult man, likely with a broad chest and powerful build, suitable for a fisherman. He appears outwardly normal, concealing his extraordinary ability.
Attire: Practical, sturdy fisherman's attire: a coarse linen tunic, simple trousers, and possibly a wide-brimmed straw hat to protect from the sun, in muted earth tones.
Wants: To support his family through fishing, to teach others his trade.
Flaw: His inability to control the actions of others (the boys playing) and his unique ability having unforeseen, tragic consequences.
Starts as a responsible provider, becomes a condemned man, but is ultimately saved by his brothers.
Responsible, hardworking, dutiful, but perhaps a bit naive or trusting. He tries to do good but faces severe consequences.
Second Brother (Hard-as-Steel)
Physically identical to his brothers, appearing as a normal adult man, but with an internal fortitude that makes his neck impervious to blades.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing, similar to his brothers, perhaps a plain tunic and trousers in muted colors, indicating a humble background.
Wants: To save his brother's life, driven by filial piety and brotherly love.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, his strength is his lack of weakness to blades.
Steps in to save his brother, demonstrating his unique ability and loyalty.
Brave, loyal, stoic, self-sacrificing. He willingly faces death for his brother.
Third Brother (Extensible Legs)
Physically identical to his brothers, appearing as a normal adult man, but with legs that can stretch to immense lengths.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing, similar to his brothers, perhaps a plain tunic and trousers in muted colors, suitable for a common man.
Wants: To save his brother's life, driven by brotherly love.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, his strength is his ability to avoid drowning.
Steps in to save his brother, demonstrating his unique ability and loyalty.
Brave, loyal, resourceful. He uses his unique ability to escape death by drowning.
Fourth Brother (Unaffected by Fire)
Physically identical to his brothers, appearing as a normal adult man, but immune to the effects of fire and heat.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing, similar to his brothers, perhaps a plain tunic and trousers in muted colors.
Wants: To save his brother's life, driven by brotherly love.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, his strength is his immunity to fire.
Steps in to save his brother, demonstrating his unique ability and loyalty.
Brave, loyal, playful, unflappable. He treats his execution as a casual experience.
Fifth Brother (Lives Without Breathing)
Physically identical to his brothers, appearing as a normal adult man, but able to exist indefinitely without air.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing, similar to his brothers, perhaps a plain tunic and trousers in muted colors.
Wants: To save his brother's life, driven by brotherly love.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, his strength is his ability to live without air.
Steps in to save his brother, demonstrating his unique ability and loyalty, and ultimately secures the happy ending for the family.
Brave, loyal, patient, resilient. He endures being buried and escapes unharmed.
The Magistrate
A man of authority, likely of average build, but with an air of sternness. He is not described in detail, suggesting a generic figure of justice.
Attire: Formal, official robes, likely in dark, rich colors like deep red or blue, possibly with some simple embroidery, indicating his position but not excessive wealth. The style would be appropriate for a historical, non-Western setting, perhaps a simple, long-sleeved tunic over trousers, with a more elaborate outer robe.
Wants: To uphold the law, to satisfy the demands of the populace and the bereaved parents.
Flaw: His inflexibility and susceptibility to public pressure, leading to unjust decisions.
Remains a static figure of flawed justice, repeatedly trying and failing to execute the brothers.
Rigid, unyielding, focused on the letter of the law rather than context or intent. He is easily swayed by public opinion.
The Parents (of the drowned boys)
A group of common villagers, likely of varying builds and heights, but united in their grief and anger. Their appearance would be that of working-class people.
Attire: Simple, worn peasant clothing, similar to the Old Woman and the brothers, but perhaps more disheveled due to their distress. Muted, earthy tones.
Wants: To avenge the deaths of their sons, to see the First Brother punished.
Flaw: Their overwhelming grief and anger blind them to nuance and mercy.
Remain static in their role as accusers and demanders of justice.
Grief-stricken, vengeful, persistent in their demands for justice (or retribution).
Locations
Seashore
The edge of the vast ocean, where the eldest brother goes to fish. The bottom of the sea becomes dry land when the water is gulped away, revealing strange objects and fish.
Mood: Initially industrious, then perilous and tragic
The eldest brother fishes, gulps the sea, and accidentally drowns the village boys.
Magistrate's Court / Execution Ground
A place of judgment and attempted execution. Features a magistrate's bench, a headsman's block, and later, a large cauldron for boiling oil. The atmosphere is stern and unforgiving.
Mood: Somber, judicial, tense, ultimately futile
The brothers are repeatedly sentenced to death and miraculously survive various execution attempts.
Mid-ocean
The vast, deep expanse of the sea, far from any shore. The water is deep enough to attempt drowning, but the third brother's extensible legs reach the bottom.
Mood: Desolate, immense, yet surprisingly benign for the third brother
The third brother is thrown into the sea but uses his extensible legs to stand on the bottom.
Plain outside the city walls
A wide, flat expanse of land just beyond the city's fortifications, chosen for its space to construct a massive oven and bake an enormous cream-cake. It becomes the final execution ground.
Mood: Public spectacle, industrious, then quiet and triumphant
The fifth brother is interred in a giant cream-cake, survives, and escapes.