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

Overview

In Shelton’s twentieth tale, three hunter brothers live with their wives and their sister. The wives of the two elder brothers resent the affection shown to the sister and kill her while the men are hunting, despite the youngest wife’s objections. On the brothers’ return, a small bird repeatedly sings from a tree. One brother thinks the sound resembles his sister and asks it to perch on his hand if it is she. The bird does so, and all three mourn, recognizing her death.

At home they find the sister missing and the youngest wife in tears. They tell her that they have seen their sister and that her soul has entered a bird; she then explains the murder. The brothers kill the two perpetrators and jointly marry the surviving wife. That violent resolution belongs to this particular retelling, not a statement that such conduct is approved or customary among Tibetans.

The episode gives the murdered sister a recognizable posthumous animal manifestation. It does not name the bird’s species, describe its colour, make it speak human words or restore the woman to her former body. No further fate of the bird is supplied after recognition. The brothers, sister and wives remain unnamed; the title’s three hunters are siblings rather than three unrelated rescuers.

Soul entering a birdRepeated songRecognition by perchingNo bodily resurrection
01

Origins & earliest records

Tibetan narrated traditions, as mediated by the Shelton collection

02

Records & interpretation

Complete relevant tale, title-page credits, contents and Flora Beal Shelton’s preface read.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Tibetan Folk Tales

    A. L. Shelton, translator; Flora Beal Shelton, editor · 1925

    Tale20, The Story of the Three Hunters, pp.87–90 (illustration occupies ending pages); full tale and caption read.

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

A. L. Shelton, Tibetan Folk Tales, edited by Flora Beal Shelton (1925)

English collection. Tale20, pp.87–90 including illustration caption

Complete retained shelton20-complete.html/.txt read; opening page checked against contents. Brothers explicitly say sister’s soul entered bird; no species, human speech or bodily restoration inferred. Final violence and shared surviving wife attributed to tale. No artwork reuse.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

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

  1. Historical translated folktaleShelton, Tibetan Folk Tales (1925), tale20, pp.87–90Research 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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