Always fascinating with these olden-days relations between powerful family members, in particular brothers (since they often feud for entire geopolitical territories as inheritance)
No Mutants Allowed
zegh8578
zegh8578
We have these cutesie fairy tales, structurally they're the same as other ones around the world, often having a "cleverness"-moral, and often about 3 siblings, with one silent, shy, awkward one who comes out on top. I liked that! - but -
zegh8578
While the awkward shy kiddo ended up winning, the added ending payoff tended to be horrifically cruel, with him gleefully having both his siblings either executed, tortured - or both, for then to "live happily"- etc, often with the daughter of the king that he just impressed and won over
zegh8578
One example I remember in detail was, the "ash-lad" winning "the princess and half the kingdom" (aww, good for him! hopefully the princess was down with that, but who cares 
) - for then to order his brothers apprehended, having long strips of flesh cut out of their back, salt rubbed into the open wounds, and THEN kick them into a snake pit. "THE END!"
) - for then to order his brothers apprehended, having long strips of flesh cut out of their back, salt rubbed into the open wounds, and THEN kick them into a snake pit. "THE END!"
KingArthur
Yep. Suppose there’s another moral hidden there; that you’ll never live “happily ever after” with siblings to squabble with
zegh8578
Cutting all the loose ends! That's indeed an important moral! 
KingArthur
Heh. It’s why I cut off almost all my non-NMA friends. They sucked and dragged me down. They were all loose ends waiting to be cut, from a chapter of my life I don’t care to remember.
Ayelander
My brother is a dick too but I don't have a throne to ascend to, life sucks.