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Overview
The emperor and empress eat a golden fish after a divine dream promises a child. A maid sucks a bone left on the empress’s plate. The empress’s son Busujok and the maid’s son Siminok are born that same night, identical in appearance and extraordinarily quick to learn. They grow together and address each other as brothers, although the narrative assigns them different mothers and does not identify the maid’s child’s father. Busujok’s mother ties locks of his hair to distinguish her son.
When he discovers the mark, Busujok departs, leaving a handkerchief that will show three drops of blood if he dies. The sign later summons Siminok to search. He avoids taking his companion’s place as husband: an animated sword scratches the princess when she wrongly identifies him. He then confronts the Wood Witch and forces her to disgorge Busujok, horse and hounds. The restored Busujok distrusts the account and suspects his rescuer of winning his wife.
The pair blindfold their horses and ride without directing them. Siminok falls into a spring and drowns. After the truth-revealing sword wounds Busujok’s own finger, he recognizes his jealousy as mistaken. Grieving, he repeats the blindfolded ride and dies in the same spring. At that instant he appears as the morning star and Siminok as the evening star. The tale’s celestial transformation is its final event; it does not give them later encounters or supply an astronomical explanation.
Origins & earliest records
Roumanian Fairy Tales, collected by Mite Kremnitz, adapted and arranged by J. M. Percival (New York: Henry Holt, 1885), The Morning Star and The Evening Star, pp. 121–129.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected English narrative through both deaths and celestial transformation. Preface assigns tale 13 to P. Ispirescu.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Roumanian Fairy Tales: The Morning Star and The Evening Star, pp. 121–129
Preface assigns tale 13 to P. Ispirescu. Different mothers and unassigned second father retained; original Romanian not collated.
Family, evolution & connections
Busujok and Siminok — separate births and social brotherhood
Complete English adaptation, pp. 121–129; separate mothers, brother-address and royal marriage.
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- Two separate source households — no shared ancestor asserted
- The emperor and empress
- Busujok, husband of the unnamed princess; later morning star
- Unnamed maid-servant; father unspecified
- Siminok; later evening star
Two stated birth relationships rendered side by side; top grouping is not a shared ancestor. Siminok’s father is unstated. Identical appearance, simultaneous births and mutual brother-address do not prove common biological parents. Only Busujok marries the princess. Fish consumption does not identify a fish parent, and the closing stars preserve individual identity. Romanian originals have not been collated.
The emperor and empress, Busujok’s parents
The empress gives birth to Busujok, subsequently identified as the emperor’s son. Siminok’s similar appearance does not make him another child of this royal couple.
The unnamed maid-servant, Siminok’s mother
The maid-servant gives birth to Siminok on the same night as Busujok. His father is unstated. The fish-bone episode is a marvelous birth circumstance, not an identified biological fish father.
Busujok and Siminok, mutual brother-address
The youths repeatedly call each other brothers, although the narrative gives them different mothers and supplies no father for Siminok. The graph retains the two births rather than inventing a common parent.
Busujok’s unnamed princess wife
Busujok has married the princess whom Siminok visits. She initially mistakes Siminok for her husband, but the mistake is corrected; Siminok does not become her second spouse.
Busujok as morning star; Siminok as evening star
The ending explicitly assigns the morning star to Busujok and the evening star to Siminok. They remain the two previously named youths, not new children or one merged stellar being.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary historical English adaptationKremnitz/Percival 1885: The Morning Star and The Evening StarResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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