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Overview
Two orphaned siblings become lost while hunting and reach the house of a monstrous being. In Stumme’s German translation its owner is a dark figure seven metres tall, carrying an iron block at his neck that weighs seven Zentner. He drops this weight upon anyone entering his house, crushes the visitor and eats the remains. The children have acquired two matching white dogs during their journey. When the householder attempts his customary attack, the dogs leap upon him and apparently kill him. The boy finds seven keys and opens rooms containing money, flour, grain and other provisions. He leaves his sister to cook while he hunts for meat.
On the third day the sister sees the supposedly dead figure move. He asks her to nurse him back to health and promises to marry her. Following his instructions, she applies ointment from a box. He then supplies a little flour for her brother’s midday meal and tells her not to eat it. When the boy returns, she refuses to share the food. A dog knocks away his first spoonful and does the same to the second. The boy decides they must leave. He locks the house and throws its keys into a river before the siblings continue to a city threatened by a different, seven-headed serpent. The episode establishes survival of the initial attack and attempted poisoning; it does not describe the giant’s eventual fate after the locked house is abandoned.
Origins & earliest records
Hans Stumme, Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt (Leipzig, 1895), tale 4, Die Geschichte von zwei Kindern, einem Knaben und einem Mädchen. Der Knabe tötete die Schlange: complete German translation pp. 81–83. Preface v–vi identifies Abdulla Ben Mhammed and Leipzig dictation context.
Records & interpretation
Whole German tale 4 read through the boy’s marriage and succession, including the dogs’ initial appearances, giant attack, sister’s healing/meal plot and the complete serpent/false-claimant resolution. Source-specific roles and stated dimensions retained; original Tashelhit is not independently retranslated.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt
Tale 4, whole German pp. 81–83; contributor/collection Preface v–vi.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected Tashelhit transcription with German translationOriginal bilingual collection: Two Children and the SerpentResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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