Black and white rams below the well

Overview

Before leaving the underground palace in “The Cinder-Youth,” the youngest princess warns the hero that his brothers may abandon him. If they do, she says, two rams visit the palace well each day: holding the white one will bring him to the surface, while holding the black one will take him to the seventh world. When the brothers leave him below, he returns to wait for them. The white ram passes first, followed by the black; he catches the black and immediately finds himself in the seventh world. Only that descent is performed in the narrative. The white ram’s promised ascent is advice rather than a separately narrated journey, and neither animal speaks or receives a personal name.

Origins & earliest records

Turkish storytelling collected in Anatolia, through Hungarian and English publication

Records & interpretation

Complete English tale and final comparative footnote read, preserving separate opponents and journeys.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Turkish Fairy Tales and Folk Tales

   Ignácz Kúnos (collector); R. Nisbet Bain (translator from Hungarian) · 1901

   “The Cinder-Youth,” pp. 84–96; footnote10 compares the flesh-offering incident with Bird Zhar and Bird Mogol tales. London: A. H. Bullen. English through Hungarian1889, as stated in preface.

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.

Primary records and illustrations

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Historical English folktale translation through HungarianKúnos/Bain1901, The Cinder-YouthResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.