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Overview
A yellow-haired, beautiful child joins nine brothers while they bathe, then disappears. The parents observe him emerging from a rock. Their father spreads a net over it and captures the child as he returns. He offers adoption and promises to prevent the brothers from scolding him.
The brothers invite the child to shoot at a prized pig tusk and promise to forgive him whatever happens. When the tusk breaks, they reproach him anyway. The child weeps, sings, and goes back into the rock, despite his father's pleading.
The father then kills his nine sons. The tale has one central child; it does not describe a population of rock spirits. Coombe adds a moral comparison of her own, which is treated here as her interpretation and not as part of the narrative.
Origins & earliest records
Anonymous Mota-language islander narrative translated in Florence Coombe, Islands of Enchantment (1911), Part I ch. III, pp. 38–40. This is the earliest source inspected, an attestation and not an oral origin.
Records & interpretation
One translated narrative in a historical missionary compilation. The narrator is anonymous, and translation choices are Coombe's.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Islands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes
Selected bibliography; translated tale, Part I ch. III pp. 38–40.
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.
- Historical book (digitised full text)Islands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes (full OCR text)Research access: 2026-10-07
- Catalogue recordIslands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes (catalogue record)Research access: 2026-10-07
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.