Power-Bearing Bird of Hammed and Muhammed

Overview

A poor holy man collecting firewood finds a beautiful bird and brings it home for his two sons. It lays an egg that a buyer purchases for a surprisingly large sum; successive eggs bring the household substantial wealth. When the father leaves on pilgrimage, his wife and the buyer kill the bird and leave it cooking while visiting the baths. The hungry children return from school and secretly take two parts: Hammed eats the head and Muhammed the heart. On returning, the buyer recognises that the portions containing the bird’s magical power have already been eaten and proposes recovering them from the children’s bodies. A household maid refuses to kill the boys, substitutes another bird’s head and heart, and lets them escape.

The gifts become distinct as the brothers part. Muhammed has received the ability to give just judgments; arriving outside a city whose king has died, he is made ruler and proves a better judge than his predecessor. Hammed has a magic ring after eating the head. It supplies a palace and spirits who furnish disguises and transport for the difficult quests demanded of a sick king’s sons-in-law. The narrative thus connects the head with ring-mediated wonders and the heart with judicial ability, rather than giving both brothers an identical fortune.

Hammed exposes the other sons-in-law by producing their surrendered tokens and body parts, marries the youngest princess and receives half the kingdom. The brothers’ father later brings a complaint against their mother before Muhammed without initially recognising his son. The family is reunited, but the conclusion includes the mother and buyer’s imprisonment and burning, followed by their ashes being scattered. The source makes the bird the origin of the brothers’ changed lives; it remains a killed creature, with no later resurrection narrated. Its feathers and species are not described beyond its beauty.

Origins & earliest records

Hans Stumme, Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt (Leipzig, 1895), tale 15, Die Geschichte von den beiden Knaben, die das Herz und den Kopf des Vogels gegessen hatten, und von der Bhalia Bint Manssor: complete German pp. 119–131. Abdulla Ben Mhammed, dictating contributor; recording context Preface v–vi.

Records & interpretation

Complete long German tale 15 read through all three medicinal quests, Bhalia’s invasion and defeat, wedding exposure and final family judgment. Head/ring and heart/justice roles distinct. Religious identities of individual villain characters are source framing, not evidence about communities.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt

   Abdulla Ben Mhammed, dictating contributor; Hans Stumme, recorder and German translator · 1895

   Tale 15, whole German pp. 119–131; bird119–123, lion king125, Bhalia/carrier/guardian127–129, resolutions130–131; 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.

1. Primary collected Tashelhit transcription with German translationOriginal bilingual collection: The Bird’s Head and Heart / Bhalia Bint ManssorResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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