Hi, Lesley - this is what I found right off the bat at the Traditional Ballad Index. You may ant to search for Twa Brothers there and check the other 8 entires that should come up there.
-Joe Offer-
Twa Brothers, The [Child 49]
DESCRIPTION: Two brothers agree to wrestle on their way to school. In the process, one is wounded by the other's knife. The unwounded brother (often) tries to save the wounded one, but it is too late; all that is left is to arrange for his burial and make excuses
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: contest death fight stepmother brother
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland), US(Ap,MA,NE,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Child 49, "The Twa Brothers" (8 texts)
Bronson 49, "The Twa Brothers" (41 versions)
Randolph 10, "The Two Brothers" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Eddy 9, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 96-99, "Edward Ballad [listed as Child 13]"; pp. 230-232, "Martyr John" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Leach, pp. 163-167, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 136-138, "Two Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune)
OBB 63, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 169, "The Twa Brothers" (2 texts)
Niles 20, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune -- a fragmentary text that opens like "The Twa Brothers," but has an ending that might be anything)
Gummere, pp. 174-175+343, "The Twa Brothers" (1 text)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 11, "The Two Brothers" (1 text, 1 tune -- a composite version)
DT 49, TWOBROS TWOBROS2* TWOBROS3* TWOBROS4* ROLLSTON*
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Sir Hugh, or, The Jew's Daughter" [Child 155] (lyrics)
cf. "The Unquiet Grave" [Child 78] (lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Rolling of the Stones
The Murdered Boy
Notes: In Friedman's A version, the brother is killed, not wrestling for fun, but in a fit of passion. - PJS
File: C049Go to the Ballad Search form
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