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

Overview

The cowherd’s second story concerns a violent brother who unjustly suspects his devout sibling. Both draw swords and sever each other’s heads. The violent man’s wife places the heads beside the bodies in darkness and prays; both revive by God’s grace, but she has accidentally interchanged their heads. The restored men dispute which is her husband.

The princess interrupts again, arguing that the body determines the relationship rather than the head. Her judgment serves the surrounding tale’s contest; it is not presented as a universal Persian or Islamic doctrine of identity. The two bodies and heads remain those of the same brothers, without new names, additional limbs or a separate species being invented.

Restored men in the cowherd’s second dispute taleSpecific narrative frame
01

Origins & earliest records

Bakhtiari storytelling, Iran

02

Records & interpretation

Complete surrounding tale and embedded account directly read in retained original-edition transcription.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Persian Tales

    D. L. R. Lorimer and E. O. Lorimer, collectors/translators · 1919

    Bakhtiari tales; XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; second embedded tale pp. 247–248

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

Direct primary record

D. L. R. and E. O. Lorimer, Persian Tales (Macmillan, 1919)

Bakhtiari tales. XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; second embedded tale pp. 247–248

Complete XXXVI236–243 and XXXVII244–250 read. Framed storytellers and complete outcomes preserved; no anatomy beyond source.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical translated folktaleOriginal 1919 edition of Persian Tales, XXXVII, The Cowherd Who Woke the Princess, pp. 244–250; second embedded tale pp. 247–248Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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