The Animal Brothers

Once a woman gave birth to three boys and a girl but the three boys were not human.

The oldest of the three boys was a rat and so the mother chased him out of her house with a broom. The second oldest boy was a snake and so she chased him out of her house with a stick and the third of the sons was a big black hairy spider and so she chased him up a wall and out of a window.

But the girl was human and so she loved the girl and cared for her.

One day, however, when the girl went out and was walking through the woods she met an evil ogre who grabbing her with his large clawed hands carried her off to his cave and tied her up.

“I’ll come back and eat you later”, he said, cackling evily, then went out of the cave and off into the woods.

After the ogre had left, however, a rat crawled into the cave and started to chew through the ropes that bound the girl.

“Why are you helping me?”, she asked, “Rats are horrible creatures. Mother told me”.

“Many rats are but I’m not”, said the rat, “I’m your brother, your eldest brother”.

The girl said that she wanted to thank the rat but that she was still afraid of it and repulsed by it.

“That’s alright”, said the rat, “I understand”.

Then the rat crawled away and the girl, now free, went home.

But she didn’t tell her mother about what had happened because she knew her mother hated rats.

A few days later, however, the girl went out into the forest and she met a large ravenous wolf that, growling fiercely, said that it would eat her up and, screaming, the girl cowered against a tree and thought certain she would be killed.

But then, just as the wolf was about to pounce upon her, a snake crawled up to the wolf and started to bite it upon its tail.

And soon the wolf, because of the snakes venom, fell down dead.

“Don’t be afraid”, said the snake to the girl, “The wolf is dead. I killed it”.

“But why would you help me?”, she asked, “You’re a snake and snakes are horrible creatures”.

“Many snakes are”, said the snake, “But I’m your brother. Your second oldest brother”.

The girl said that she wanted to thank the snake but that she was still frightened by it.

“That’s alright”, said the snake, “I understand”.

Then the snake slithered away and the girl went safely home.

But she didn’t tell her mother about what had happened because she knew her mother hated snakes.

A few days after that, however, something else happened. This time, a wizard abducted the girl and locked her in a tower.

“And there you shall stay as my pretty prisoner”, he said going off upon his flying broom.

Now the girl couldn’t climb down from the tower because it was just too high up and she couldn’t get out of the towers door because, not only was it bolted shut but also sealed with a magic spell.

But then, as the girl was crying and sobbing and wondering whether she would ever be free; a big, black hairy spider started to weave a rope of silk threads up to the window of the tower and then, climbing up and sitting upon her window, said.

“Don’t worry. I’ve woven a rope for you to climb down”.

And looking down out of the window, the girl saw the rope.

“But why would you help me?”, she asked, “You’re a spider and spiders are horrible creatures”.

“Many spiders are”, said the spider, “But I’m your brother. The third of your brothers”.

The girl said she wanted to thank the spider but that she was still scared of him.

“I know”, he said, “It’s alright. I don’t blame you”.

Then the spider crawled off down the side of the tower and the girl climbed down the slightly sticky rope that it had woven and went home to her mother.

When she got home to her mother however, she felt that she couldn’t keep her encounters with her brothers a secret anymore and told her all about how they had each rescued her.

But her mother, though she was not angry with her daughter told her,

“It doesn’t matter that they helped you. A rat is still a rat; a snake is still a snake and a spider is still a spider and if you make friends with any of them they will only try to bite you”.

But then the daughter told her mother that if she would not let her three sons back into her home then she would leave her and never return.

And so the mother, afraid of losing her daughter, agreed to let the three sons live with them in their house on the condition that they each took a vow not to bite her or her daughter and, because they kept their vow, the sons lived in the house with their mother and sister for a long time until, eventually, one day, the mother stopped hating them and when that happened the sons started to become human.