History CainAndAbel / Literature

* Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'':

* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', Granny Weatherwax reveals a deep-set resentment of her older sister -- not because she's evil, but because her choice forced Granny to be the good one. Lily, a KnightTemplar who believes she's the fairy godmother battling the wicked witch, is totally shocked at this interpretation.

* In "The Knight's Tale" from the ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales'' by Creator/GeoffreyChaucer, Palamon and Arcite quarrel over Emelye. Granted, they are cousins, but until they saw Emelye they were as close as brothers. [[spoiler: Subverted in the end when Arcite ends up defeating, but not killing, Palamon in a fight, gloating about his victory, [[PrideBeforeAFall and being struck down by the gods for his pride]].]]

* It's the BackStory of Literature/{{Kane}}. Humankind was created by a MadGod as his playthings. Kane rebelled and killed his younger brother who had tried to oppose it, thus ending the era of humanity's innocence. As a punishment he was cursed with immortality.

* Lucasfilm's ''Literature/AlienChronicles'' had a pair of children in a master and pet / slave relationship, which later grew into a deeper friendship. One grew up to be Empress of TheEmpire, while the other became the leader of LaResistance.

* Lucasfilm's ''Literature/AlienChronicles'' had a pair of childhood friends in a pet or slave/master relationship that later grew into a deeper friendship. One grew up to be Empress of TheEmpire, while the other became the leader of LaResistance.

** Andromeda Tonks is a WhiteSheep within the Black family, while her sisters are Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, the former of whom is a Death Eater while the latter is a sympathizer. The sisters are never actually seen together, though Bellatrix offhandedly disowns Andromeda when some Death Eaters crack jokes in her expense for having a relative who married a "half-breed" (Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora, is the wife of Remus Lupin, a werewolf). Then of course, Bellatrix murders Nymphadora, shortly before she is killed herself.

* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'': [[spoiler:Clary has this relationship with her villainous brother, Sebastian, especially after he becomes TheStarscream after the angel Raziel kills their father.]]

* Kyle and Ian from ''Literature/TheHost'' ''just'' skirt being this. Jeb and Maggie also come close, in a rare brother-sister variation of the trope.

** ''Watchers'': Einstein and the Outsider are considered the two children of the Francis Project--one beloved, the other hated and feared (and aware of both facts, which is why the Outsider seeks to kill Einstein).

* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', Granny Weatherwax reveals a deep-set resentment of her older sister--not because she's evil, but because her choice forced Granny to be the good one. Lily, a KnightTemplar who believes she's the fairy godmother battling the wicked witch, is totally shocked at this interpretation.

** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Sméagol murders his best friend Déagol for possession of Sauron's One Ring, which slowly twists him into the wretched creature Gollum. Not quite brothers, but as close as.

* Creator/JRRTolkien's [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Legendarium]]'':

** These examples both showcase the strange way that Applegate likes to handle these kind of characters, [[spoiler:as in both cases the Abel ends up killing the Cain.]]

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

** Domeric Bolton & his bastard half-brother [[BastardBastard Ramsay Snow]]. Domeric seeks Ramsay out in hopes of befriending him; Ramsay poisons Domeric for his trouble, intending to become heir to the Dreadfort.

** Princess Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II. Their father Viserys I wanted Rhaenyra, the only surviving child of his first marriage, to succeed him. However after his death Aegon declared himself King, leading to "The Dance of the Dragons", one of the biggest civil wars in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. Aegon ended up feeding Rhaenyra to his dragon, though he was shortly after poisoned, meaning the throne passed to Rhaenyra's son Aegon III. It's hard to determine who was worse though, as Rhaenyra acted in a tyrannical fashion in her pursuit of her enemies or "perceived" enemies, leading to the people of King's Landing rising against her. There was also Viserys' brother Daemon Targaryen "the Rogue Prince", who spent his brother's reign scheming to gain more power by any means, even marrying his niece Rhaenyra and becoming her main supporter.

* In the "I.K.S. Gorkon" ''Franchise/StarTrek'' novels, Klag and Dorrek have this kind of relationship, stemming from some complicated business involving their father. [[spoiler:At the end of the second book, Klag--as Head of House--disinherits Dorrek in a variation on IHaveNoSon, and it ends up being the Klingon governing council who end up killing Dorrek, instead of Klag.]]

** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/HorusHeresy novel ''False Gods'', Horus truthfully tells Russ that Magnus has engaged in sorcery forbidden by the Emperor--[[MaliciousSlander his actual motive was that Magnus's loyalty to the Emperor would interfere with his own plans]]--and eggs him on until Russ does not think it necessary to capture Magnus alive. Since all three of them are, in a manner of speaking, brothers, it's a little complex.
** And then there's ''Galaxy in Flames'', ''Flight of the Eisenstein'', and ''Fulgrim'', which are absolutely rife with this; each Legion is a brotherhood, and no less than ''four'' of them--the World Eaters, Sons of Horus, Death Guard and Emperor's Children--are ripped in half by Horus' ambition, leading directly to brother vs. brother combat on a gargantuan scale.

* ''Literature/TheRomanceOfCertainOldClothes'': In thie Creator/HenryJames horror story, sisters Rosalind and Perdita [[MeaningfulName Wingrave]] vie for the love of Arthur Lloyd. One wins him and dies in childbirth; the surviving sister marries the widower and then is [[spoiler:slain by her dead sister's ghost]].
* ''Literature/RobRoy'' has Frank and Rashleigh Osbaldistone. Rashleigh sets out to destroy his cousin's life because his unrequited love Diana fell for Frank... and because Frank slapped him once after drinking a lot. As for Frank, he did not hate his cousin until he found out about Rasleigh's attempt to groom a younger Diana. Rashleigh later stealing a huge amount of money from Frank's father ensured Frank would see him as nothing more than his enemy.

* Creator/JRRTolkien's Middle-earth:

** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
*** Sméagol murders his best friend Déagol for possession of Sauron's One Ring, which slowly twists him into the wretched creature Gollum. Not quite brothers, but as close as.