10.01.2019

Reading Notes: Congo, part A

Congo: The Younger Brother Who Knew More Than The Elder
Story source: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898)
There were two brothers who fought often because the youngest would always say he was smarter. One day, the younger brother got tired of the fighting, took his wife, left town, and wandered into the woods. They stopped at a creek to drink, and noticed a footpath on the other side of the creek. They followed it until they heard voices. There were only 2 or 3 huts, and only a man and his wife living there. The brother asked if they could stay, and the man agreed. Five days later, the man proposed an idea: their wives were to dig a hole and disguise it so it can trap animals. If the animal were a male, the brother would keep it, and if it were a female, the man would keep it. Several days later, with only males being caught in the trap, the brother was stuffed-yet, he wouldn't share the food with the man and his wife. He sent out his wife into the woods to gather firewood so they could smoke the meat, but she hadn't returned by night. This worried the brother, and he asked for the man's help in finding her. The man advised to wait until morning. The brother woke the man in the early morning to have him help find his wife. The man wanted to check the trap first. When they checked the trap, the brothers wife was in there. When the brother stated that he was going to safe his wife, the man reminded him of the deal they had made: any female caught in the trap would be his, especially since the brother never shared any of the meat from the males he had trapped. The older brother had been out searching for his younger brother. He heard voices in the woods, and recognized his brother's voice. He ran up to his brother and introduced himself to the man. The man told the older brother what was going on, and the older brother stated that the man was right to have the wife and should jump in and kill her. The younger brother tried to restrain the man, but the man jumped into the trap. The older brother then called his younger brother a fool for trying to keep the man out of the trap, and he should have trusted his "superior wisdom." Now, the man was in the trap, and because he was a male he belongs to the younger brother. The older brother advised to spare the man's life, and he may give up the wife. The man realized how foolish he was, and agreed to give back the wife. 

Note: I may just change up the ending here. For example, the younger brother might kill the man in the trap, rescue his wife, and then the older brother takes the man's wife, and they live happily in the little town with huts. 

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