English Original
Once upon a time, there lived two handsome but poor brothers who survived by fishing. One day, after a long and fruitless effort, they caught only a tiny fish. The elder brother wanted to eat it, but the younger pleaded for its life. The fish promised them good fortune in return for its freedom: two magnificent horses with armor, swords, and gold would await them on the shore the next morning. Skeptical but persuaded by his brother, the elder agreed to release it.
The next day, the promise was fulfilled. The brothers equipped themselves, agreed to use a magical fig-tree to signal their well-being (milk for safety, blood for danger), and set off on separate adventures.
The elder brother journeyed to a foreign kingdom where a seven-headed serpent terrorized the land, demanding a daily human sacrifice. The king's daughter was chained to a rock as the next victim. The brother fought and slew the monster, freeing the princess. She promised to marry him, but he asked her to wait seven years and seven months while he continued his travels. As proof of his deed, he took the serpent's seven tongues.
A slave arrived, saw the dead serpent and the freed princess, and threatened to kill her unless she credited him with the slaying. Forced to comply, the princess returned home, where the slave was hailed as a hero and promised her hand in marriage. She begged for a delay of seven years and seven months, which the king granted.
At the end of that period, the true hero returned just before the wedding. He presented the tongues and the princess's embroidered cloth as proof. The slave's treachery was exposed and punished, and the hero married the princess.
They lived happily until the hero saw a bright light on a distant mountain. Ignoring his wife's warnings about a powerful witch who lived there, he rode off to confront her. The witch turned him to stone with a single hair from her head.
Meanwhile, the younger brother, concerned, checked the fig-tree and saw blood flow from its bark. He raced to find his brother and arrived at the princess's city. Mistaken for his identical twin, he was welcomed as the returning husband but respectfully kept his distance from the grieving princess. From her words, he deduced his brother's fate and set off to rescue him.
An old man advised him that the witch's power resided in her hair. The younger brother bravely confronted her, seized her by the hair, and forced her to lead him to his petrified brother. After making her apply a life-restoring ointment, he beheaded her. The brothers revived other victims, shared the witch's treasure, and set off for home.
On the journey, the younger brother innocently remarked how foolish it was to leave such a beautiful wife. Enraged by misunderstanding, the elder brother slew him on the spot. Overcome with remorse upon returning home and learning from his wife how his "double" had behaved honorably, he realized his brother's loyalty. He rushed back, used the witch's ointment to revive his brother, begged for forgiveness, and they were joyfully reunited, never to part again.
中文翻译
从前，住着两位英俊但贫穷的兄弟，以捕鱼为生。一天，经过漫长而无果的努力后，他们只钓到一条小鱼。哥哥想吃了它，但弟弟为它求情。小鱼承诺，若放它自由，将给他们带来好运：第二天早上，岸上会有两匹配备盔甲、剑和黄金的骏马等着他们。哥哥虽怀疑，但在弟弟的劝说下同意了。
次日，诺言成真。兄弟俩装备妥当，约定用一棵神奇的无花果树来传递安危信号（流奶代表安全，流血代表危险），然后各自踏上冒险之旅。
哥哥来到一个陌生的王国，那里有一条七头蛇肆虐，要求每天献祭一人。国王的女儿被锁在岩石上，是下一个受害者。哥哥经过搏斗杀死了怪物，救出了公主。公主许诺嫁给他，但他请求公主等待七年零七个月，让他继续游历。作为凭证，他带走了蛇的七条舌头。
一个奴隶到来，看到死去的蛇和被救的公主，便威胁要杀死她，除非她说是他杀了蛇。公主被迫同意，回到家中。奴隶被奉为英雄，并得到了娶公主的许诺。公主恳求将婚期推迟七年零七个月，国王答应了。
期限将至时，真正的英雄在婚礼前归来。他出示了舌头和公主的绣花布作为证据。奴隶的奸计被揭穿并受到了惩罚，英雄与公主成婚。
他们幸福地生活着，直到英雄看到远处山上一道亮光。他不顾妻子关于那里住着一个强大女巫的警告，骑马前去挑战。女巫用自己的一根头发将他变成了石头。
与此同时，担心的弟弟查看了无花果树，看到树皮流出鲜血。他疾驰去寻找哥哥，来到了公主的城市。由于长相一模一样，他被误认为是归来的丈夫，但他对悲伤的公主始终以礼相待。从她的话语中，他推断出哥哥的遭遇，于是出发去营救。
一位老人告诉他，女巫的力量在她的头发里。弟弟勇敢地面对女巫，抓住她的头发，强迫她带自己找到被石化的哥哥。在迫使女巫用复活药膏救活哥哥后，他砍下了她的头。兄弟俩还救活了其他受害者，分享了女巫的财宝，然后启程回家。
途中，弟弟无意中感叹，离开如此美丽的妻子是多么愚蠢。哥哥误解了这句话，勃然大怒，当场杀死了弟弟。回家后，他从妻子那里得知那个“替身”行为何等端正，顿时悔恨交加，明白了弟弟的忠诚。他冲回去，用女巫的药膏救活了弟弟，恳求原谅。兄弟俩欢喜团聚，从此永不分离。