There were once three brothers who desired the same woman. Each of the brothers wanted to win her heart, so each of them went out and found a gift.
The first brother presented a bundle of rare flowers. “I saw these and thought of you, as you are both beautiful.”
But the woman turned him down. “You are most flattering, but beauty is fleeting. These flowers will not remain beautiful forever, and nor shall I. That you thought first of my beauty is telling, and you would not make a good husband.”
The second brother presented a fresh kill. “I have slain this beast as proof of my prowess. So long as you are my wife, you shall not want for food or warm pelts.”
But the woman turned him down. “You are indeed skilled, but there is pride in your heart. That you thought first of me as a possession is telling, and you would not make a good husband.”
The third brother presented a knife. “I made this for you. It is simple and unadorned, but I can vouch for its edge. It is a tool and a promise. You can use it to defend yourself, and I ever become a threat, then I can only blame myself.”
The woman, nodding, accepted his gift. “You are humble, and acknowledge that things may change between us. That you give me the means to succeed, come what may, is telling, and you would make a good husband.”
She married the third brother, and for the time they remained together, they had more good times than bad, until they parted amicably.
—Traditional orc parable, explaining why knives are a customary gift in orcish courting rituals
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