Papuan Fairy Tales/Borevui and her Three Brothers
BOREVUI AND HER THREE BROTHERS.
There was once a woman who had three sons but no daughters. After a time she died and was buried, and her sons mourned for her. And it came to pass
that one day a little red-leaved plant sprung up on the woman's grave, and became a beautiful bush, called Borevui. The red leaves waved in the wind, and the lads saw that they were fair, but they knew not that it was their little sister who was there.
One day they went hunting game, which was to be eaten at the death feast in honour of their mother. While they were all away Borevui stepped down from the grave and became a girl. Then she entered her brothers' house, and cooked some food for them. After she had done this, she ran back to the grave and became Borevui once more. Now the three lads were hungry when they came from their long day's hunting, and they found a big pot of food waiting for them. They turned to their old grandmother, who sat in the corner, and said, "Grandmother, who cooked our food?"
"Who knows?" said the old woman.
So the lads ate their meal, and knew not who had made it ready. On the morrow the same thing befell, and the brothers resolved to find out who had cooked the food. When it was morning, the two elder brothers hid the youngest in a stack of sugarcane, which they leaned against the wall. Then they left him, and it came to pass that the little sister came once more into the house to cook for her brothers. The youngest brother watched while she took a piece of taro and peeled it with a sharp pearl shell. Then he came quickly from his hiding-place, and laid hold of the girl. He saw how fair she was, and said, "Aio, be my wife!"
But the girl made answer, "I cannot be thy wife, for I am thy sister."
Then the two brothers came home and saw the beautiful girl, and they said, "She is to be my wife," "She is to be my wife." But the girl told them that she was their sister, and would take care of them all and cook their food day by day.
On the morrow the brothers went out hunting, as was their custom, and Borevui went to the spring to fill her coconut water bottles. Now as she was leaning over the spring, a man who was hiding there leapt out, picked her up in his arms, and carried her off to his home far in the mountains.
After a time, when the brothers had waited in vain for Borevui to return, the eldest said that he would go and look for her. After searching for long, he found her at last, and was greeted by his sister and her husband.
"Go to the gardens," said the man to Borevui, "and bring food home and cook it, that our brother may eat." The girl did as he bade her, and returned with some food, but, alas! she found that her brother had been killed by her husband, and that his flesh was to be eaten.
But she did not cry out or reproach her husband. She said quietly, "Eat, and give me his liver that I may eat it."
So he gave her the liver, and she placed it in a bowl made from a coconut shell, into which she poured water.
Then it was the turn of the second brother. He said, 'Now will I go to look for our sister and brother." He journeyed until he came to where Borevui lived. There the same thing came to pass. While the girl was at the gardens getting food, her husband killed her brother. And he also cooked his flesh. She said after the same manner, "Eat, and give me his liver that I may eat it."
But she placed the liver in the coconut bowl, where it lay in the water with which she had filled it.
The youngest brother, who was now at home alone with their grandmother, said, ' "I must needs go to see why my brothers have not yet returned." And he set out. But the same fate overtook him, and ere long his flesh was cooking over the fire. And Borevui could do nought but save the lad's liver, which she placed in the bowl of water where the others already lay.
Then her husband bade her follow him to their mountain garden. There they toiled for long, and Borevui cut down a tree which was in the road, and helped her husband clear the ground for a great distance. At last he said, "Go home now, when thou shalt have dug up some food, and cook it. I will follow thee."
Borevui obeyed and went home, carrying the heavy bag of food slung from her head. She cooked a great pot full, and then went to the bowl of water where lay the livers of her three brothers. Leaning over the bowl, she blew gently on the water, and slowly the brothers began to take form, until at last they stood before her alive and well as they had been before.
When Borevui saw them thus her heart was filled with joy.
"Eat, my brothers," she cried, and set before them the food she had cooked.
They sat down at her word, and soon made an end of the food. Then Borevui cooked some stalks and poor food, such as was the portion for the pigs, and laid it ready for her husband. And it came to pass that when she heard his voice at the door, she went out, saying, "Come in, my lord, and eat."
The man entered the house, but when he saw the refuse which had been made ready for him, he lifted up his voice in fury, and would have fallen upon Borevui but that her brothers, hearing his shout, rose up and fell upon him, and slew him. Then they cut his body in pieces and laid them in the house, and they set fire to the house ere they left. Then they took their dearly loved sister, Borevui, home to their own village, where they dwelt in safety for ever.
Now let us break a piece of yam, when it be roasted, upon the head of Komeria, for the tale is done.