Long ago, a terrible wild boar terrorized the kingdom. It was as big as a horse, with tusks like swords and eyes that glowed like embers. Farmers fled their fields, and no one dared enter the dark forest where the beast lived.
The worried King made a royal proclamation: whoever could slay the wild boar would marry his beautiful daughter and become a prince. Two brothers, sons of a poor woodcutter, heard the news and decided to try their luck.
The elder brother was clever but cold-hearted. The younger brother was simple but kind. The King told them to enter the forest from opposite sides. The elder went west; the younger went east, his heart full of hope.
Deep in the forest, a tiny old man with a long white beard appeared before the younger brother. 'Because your heart is pure,' he said, 'I give you this magic spear. With it, you can defeat the boar.' The young man thanked him gratefully.
Soon the monstrous boar came crashing through the trees! The young man stood brave and held out the magic spear. The beast charged blindly, and the spear pierced its heart. The wild boar fell with a tremendous crash.
Joyfully, the younger brother carried the boar on his back toward the castle. At the edge of the forest, he found an inn where his elder brother sat drinking wine, too afraid to hunt the beast himself.
'Dear brother!' called the elder. 'Come rest and celebrate your victory!' The trusting younger brother went inside and told him everything—about the little man and the magic spear. Jealousy burned in the elder brother's heart.
That night, as they crossed a wooden bridge over a dark stream, the wicked brother struck his brother from behind. The younger brother fell into the water and was gone forever. The murderer buried him under the bridge and took the boar to claim the reward.
The elder brother married the princess and became a prince. When people asked about his brother, he said, 'The boar must have killed him.' Everyone believed him, and years passed in silence.
One day, a shepherd walking across the old bridge spotted something white in the sand below—a small bone, smooth as ivory. He picked it up and carved it into a mouthpiece for his horn.
When the shepherd blew his horn, the bone began to sing! 'Ah, friend, you blow upon my bone! My brother slew me for the boar, and took for his wife the King's young daughter.' The shepherd was amazed and ran to tell the King.
The King commanded the ground beneath the bridge to be dug up. There lay the skeleton of the murdered brother. The wicked prince could not deny his crime. Justice was served, and the good brother's bones were laid to rest in a beautiful tomb, where flowers bloom to this day.
