Black Horse

The Unfinished Stone in the Cave

In short: A stonecutter leaves one of two pillars in a cave unfinished. A conversation with his wife explains why the stone still juts out.

The Unfinished Stone in the Cave · A protruding piece of uncut stone FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 287 The Unfinished Stone in the Cave A stonecutter leaves one of two pillars in a cave unfinished. Origin Druze oral tradition. The place and date of the first telling are uncertain. Atlas record Undated First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF A protruding piece of uncut stone Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Druze oral tradition. The place and date of the first telling are uncertain.

In the Druze tale recorded by Salman Falah, the stonecutter’s wife stops to see neighbours who have lost their son while bringing her husband food. Listening to her, the stonecutter realises that death awaits him too and puts down his tools. The rough stone the teller draws attention to becomes a trace of that conversation. The Haifa pin marks the archive. The published transcript gives no location for the cave or date for the recording.

Dated records and sources

  1. Undated · Haifa · IFA archive
    Israel Folktale Archives · IFA 907 · recorded by Salman Falah · Field documentation

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Origin
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