Black Horse

Udea and Her Seven Brothers

In short: Seven brothers see the wrong signal and continue into the desert. Years later Udea goes looking for them.

Udea and Her Seven Brothers · A sickle instead of a handkerchief FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 267 Udea and Her Seven Brothers Seven brothers see the wrong signal and continue into the desert. Origin Tripoli · Arabic storytelling tradition Atlas record 1898 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF A sickle instead of a handkerchief Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 2 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

Tripoli · Arabic storytelling tradition

In Lang’s English telling, the brothers ask for a white handkerchief if a sister is born and a sickle if a brother is born. Their aunt raises the sickle even though the baby is a girl. When Udea learns about her brothers, she also hears that others blame her for their departure. Her search begins when she questions the story people tell about her.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1898 · Tripoli · Arabic storytelling tradition
    Hans Stumme · Die Geschichte von Udêa · Märchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis · Published collection
  2. 1900 · London, United Kingdom
    Andrew Lang (ed.) · The Grey Fairy Book · first edition 1900, digitised reprint 1905 · Public retelling

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Udea and Her Seven Brothers. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-udea-seven-brothers/