The Legend of Doruntine

The only daughter of a large family of nine brothers marries a king far away from home. All of her brothers were against her marriage but for Constantine, the youngest brother. He made a pledge that he would bring the sister home even if he was buried deeply underground.

But a snake poisons the milk and all nine brothers die. Illyrians blame the snake for brining death on earth. In another version brothers die of war or plague.

Mother cursed the warrior in his grave for breaking the sacred oath. Constantine comes from the dead to break the curse upon him. His stone became his horse. Doruntine welcomes her brother but becomes suspicious of his muddy armor, his bad smell from the grave, his worn face. She complains that they travel only at night and that birds stop singing, the sun stops shining, flowers wither as they travel along them on the way home.

When Doruntine arrives home her brother returns to the grave. 'Who brought you here' - mother asks her daughter in disbelief. 'Constantine' was the answer of Doruntine. 'your nine brothers have nine years that rot in the graves' screams horrified mother. Both mother and daughter die of despair.