Singing Cistern Reed of the Horned Sultan

Overview

Muhammed’s flute-playing is powerful enough to hold the royal camels’ attention, preventing them from eating and drinking during their grazing time. After discovering horns while cutting the sultan’s hair, he is warned not to reveal the secret. When alone, he plays the information on his flute. During one such occasion beside a cistern, the instrument slips into the water below. It continues the same song in his manner. In the inaccessible depth it sprouts higher and higher, repeating the revelation of the king’s horns.

The king and vizier follow the herder to investigate the thin camels and find them dancing around the cistern, absorbed in the music. Hearing the secret, the king weeps and reminds Muhammed that only an earlier promise to his sister prevents his execution. The vizier descends to cut the reed, but it grows again and resumes its song. A second descent ends differently: after cutting it again, he pours pitch over the stump, preventing further growth. The narrative later continues to the king’s death during another haircut; the reed is not restored in that ending. Its song belongs to a fallen instrument that becomes growing vegetation, without a dead victim’s bone or a speaking tree being substituted for this source’s actual form.

Origins & earliest records

Hans Stumme, Märchen der Schluḥ von Tázerwalt (Leipzig, 1895), tale 16, Aggelamusch: complete German pp. 131–146. Abdulla Ben Mhammed, dictating contributor; Leipzig recording context Preface v–vi.

Records & interpretation

Whole long German tale 16 read through Muhammed killing the horned ruler and vizier and becoming sultan. Hair thickness is not converted into body height; crow rescue, monster death, failed command imitation, abduction/reunion and flute-to-reed ending remain separate acts.

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 16, whole German pp. 131–146: animal assembly and crow pp. 133–135; Aggelamusch pp. 135–138; abduction and reunion pp. 138–144; horns and reed pp. 144–146; Preface pp. 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: AggelamuschResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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