History Main / PosthumousSibling

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "The Juice is Loose", Peter babysits Stewie. Lois reminds Peter of what happened the last time he watched one of their children: he shook Peter Griffin Jr. to death. Since the flashback only shows Peter and Lois, it is implied that the three surviving Griffin children were all born after Peter Jr. died.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has Daenerys, who was born several months after her brother [[TheAce Rhaegar]] died in the war. She's also a posthumous aunt, since her niece and nephew (Rhaegar's kids) were slaughtered by the Lannisters shortly after Rhaegar's death. As a result, what she knows of him is filtered through her primary caretaker and older brother, middle child Viserys, with the outcome being that she has a very high opinion of him.

* A plot point in ''Seventh Son'', the first entry in ''Literature/TheTalesOfAlvinMaker'' series: the title character is to be the seventh son of a seventh son, which will endow him with supernatural powers, but only if the preceding six children are alive at the time of his birth. When the novel opens, Alvin's eldest brother Vigor has been mortally injured and desperately clings to life until Alvin is born. Later, Alvin's parents have an eighth child who, naturally, is born after Vigor has died.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has Daenerys, who was born several months after her brother [[TheAce Rhaegar]] died in the war. She's also a posthumous aunt, since her niece and nephew (Rhaegar's kids) were slaughtered by the Lannisters shortly after Rhaegar's death. As a result, what she knows of him is filtered through her primary caretaker and older brother, middle child Viserys, with the outcome being that she has a very high opinion of him.

* Plenty of examples in ''Literature/WarriorCats'', since life in the forest is dangerous and couples often have multiple litters in the books. For instance:
** Graystripe has three kits with his new mate, Millie, a few years after his daughter Feathertail died.
** Dustpelt and Ferncloud have several litters of kits. Shrewpaw from their first litter and Larchkit and Hollykit of their second litter are dead by the time that Icecloud and Foxleap are born.
** Sorreltail's kits Molepaw and Honeyfern have died before Lilyheart and Seedpaw are born.
** Birchface and Frecklewish die in ''Mapleshade's Vengeance'', long before their half brother Pinestar is born; this is mentioned in ''Pinestar's Choice''.

* Taken to the extreme in ''Literature/MySweetAudrina'', with it forming a main plot point. The title character was born shortly after her older sister, [[DeadGuyJunior also named Audrina]], was raped and murdered in the woods. Her family, particularly [[OverprotectiveDad her father]], is very protective of her and try to encourage to be [[ReplacementGoldfish more like her sister]] – her father even has her sit in the first Audrina's rocking chair in her old room and use a form of self-hypnosis to '[[GhostMemory gain the memories]]' of the "first and best Audrina" and become just as perfect as her (they're a pretty... [[BigScrewedUpFamily messed up family]]). Predictably, this doesn't do wonders for the poor second Audrina's psyche. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the "first and best" Audrina [[TheReveal never really existed]] – there is only ''one'' Audrina, whose family [[{{Gaslighting}} tricked]] her into [[RepressedMemories suppressing her memories]] of the rape and believing it happened to her non-existent older sister instead, in a misguided attempt to help her cope after the assault]].
* ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'': Anne and Gilbert's first child Joyce died in infancy, but they had six other children after her.
* In ''Middle School, My Brother is a Big Fat Liar!'', it is revealed that [[spoiler:Georgia was adopted by the Katchadorian family some time after Leo died.]]

* ''[[Literature/{{Moribito}} Traveler of the Void]]'': Tugum was born to the Mikado after the death of his oldest son, Sagum.

* In ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', a genetic heart condition runs through the maternal bloodline. Gemma is born with it and after she nearly dies of it as a baby, her parents decide not to have any more kids. Gemma marries and has two kids, Jackson and Thomas. Jackson, the oldest, does not inherit, but younger son, Thomas, does and he dies of it. Gemma later tells Nero that she wanted to have a dozen kids, but her husband, John, didn't want to risk anymore after Thomas. Gemma is extremely [[MyBelovedSmother protective]] of Jax. Jax has two sons, Able and Thomas (named after his younger brother). Fortunes reverse and Thomas does not inherit the heart condition, but Able does. Fortunately, with advances in medical technology, Able survives. Gemma is fiercely protective of both her grandsons, but often talks to baby Thomas as though he is the original son she lost.
* In the ''Series/{{Timeless}}'' episode "Space Race", its revealed that Garcia Flynn had an older half-brother named Gabriel Thompkins, who died before he was born. Using his stolen time machine, Flynn goes back in time to save his brother's life and spare his mother the trauma of [[OutlivingOnesOffspring losing a child]].

** It's later revealed that Rhaegar's children, Rhaenys and Aegon, are this to his secret child [[spoiler: Jon Snow]], who was born shortly after they were murdered in the Sack of King's Landing. It's for this reason [[spoiler: Ned Stark]] kept his true parentage a secret [[spoiler: raising him as his bastard son]] so that he wouldn't meet the same fate.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', Kratos had fathered a boy named Atreus decades after his accidental murder of his wife Lysandra and their daughter Calliope. However, Atreus appears to be unaware of them.

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* ''[[Literature/{{Moribito}} Traveler of the Indigo Road]]'': Tugum was born to the Mikado after the death of his oldest son, Sagum.

* ''[[Literature/{{Moribito}} Traveler of the Indigo Road]]'': Tugum was born to the Mikado fourteen years after the death of his oldest son, Sagum.

* As in the Literature example, Daenerys Targaryen is this to her much-older brother Rhaegar in ''Series/GameOfThrones.''

* In ''VideoGame/WhatRemainsofEdithFinch'', Molly is this to her younger brothers. Subverted for her younger sister Barbara, who would have been about 3 years old when she died.

* On ''Series/TheWaltons'', there are seven living children; there should actually be ten. Third sister Anne and Jim-Bob's twin brother Joe both died at birth, before Elizabeth came on the scene.
* As in the Literature example, Danaerys Targaryen is this to her much-older brother Rhaegar in ''Series/GameOfThrones.''
** The three Baratheon children also (in a departure from the books) have one of these. Cersei, in one of her rare kinder moments, reminisces about her firstborn, "a little black-haired beauty" who died when he was a baby.

* It's not seen in the music itself, but the story included in the liner notes of the Music/TransSiberianOrchestra's album ''Beethoven's Last Night'' uses this as a plot point. [[spoiler:The Devil wants to steal Beethoven's tenth and greatest symphony, ''and'' his soul. Fate writes out a contract on a page from the Bible which states that he will take the tenth symphony of Beethoven's parents' oldest son, Ludwig... only for Twist, the misshapen son of Fate, to reveal that Ludwig ''isn't'' the firstborn. He had an older brother who died before he was born, and his parents gave him the same name. Beethoven himself knew nothing of this, and cannot be held to the contract, which makes the Devil furious.]]

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', Kratos fathered a boy named Atreus decades after his accidental murder of his wife Lysandra and their daughter Calliope. However, Atreus appears to be unaware of them.

* It's not seen in the music itself, but the story included in the liner notes of Music/TransSiberianOrchestra's ''Beethoven's Last Night'' uses this as a plot point. [[spoiler:The Devil wants to steal Beethoven's tenth and greatest symphony, ''and'' his soul. Fate writes out a contract on a page from the Bible which states that he will take the tenth symphony of Beethoven's parents' oldest son, Ludwig... only for Twist, the misshapen son of Fate, to reveal that Ludwig ''isn't'' the firstborn. He had an older brother who died before he was born, and his parents gave him the same name. Beethoven himself knew nothing of this, and cannot be held to the contract, which makes the Devil furious.]]

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', Kratos had fathered a boy named Atreus decades after his accidental murder of his wife Lysandra and their daughter Calliope. However, Atreus appears to be unaware of them.

* ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'' reveals that Saki had an older sister who was [[spoiler:offed by the community's elders and rendered as an {{Unperson}}]] before she was born, with only her parents being able to speak of her death in private. Her parents shakily decided to have another child despite how her sister died.

* Taken to the extreme in ''Literature/MySweetAudrina'', with it forming a main plot point. The title character was born shortly after her older sister, [[DeadGuyJunior also named Audrina]], was raped and murdered in the woods. Her family, particularly [[OverprotectiveDad her father]], is very protective of her and try to encourage to be [[ReplacementGoldfish more like her sister]] – her father even has her sit in the first Audrina's rocking chair in her old room and use a form of self-hypnosis to '[[GhostMemory gain the memories]]' of the "first and best Audrina" and become just as perfect as her (they're a pretty...[[BigScrewedUpFamily messed up family]]). Predictably, this doesn't do wonders for the poor second Audrina's psyche. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the "first and best" Audrina [[TheReveal never really existed]] – there is only ''one'' Audrina, whose family [[{{Gaslighting}} tricked]] her into [[RepressedMemories suppressing her memories]] of the rape and believing it happened to her non-existent older sister instead, in a misguided attempt to help her cope after the assault]].

* It's not seen in the music itself, but the story included in the liner notes of Music/TransSiberianOrchestra's ''Beethoven's Last Night'' uses this as a plot point. [[spoiler:The Devil wants to steal Beethoven's tenth and greatest symphony, ''and'' his soul. They write out a contract on a page from the Bible which states that he will take the tenth symphony of Beethoven's parents' oldest son, Ludwig... only for Twist, the misshapen son of Fate, to reveal that Ludwig ''isn't'' the firstborn. He had an older brother who died before he was born, and his parents gave him the same name.]]

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': The main plot will inevitably result the death of the PlayerCharacter's oldest daughter. Another plotline has the PlayerCharacter try for a new child in hope it will be a boy. The oldest daughter's death happens before the youngest child's birth.

On the other hand the child may struggle with [[WellDoneSonGuy never feeling good enough]]. It can be hard enough to struggle with comparing to an older sibling, it can be downright impossible to compare with the unlimited potential represented by that older sibling's death.

MySiblingWillLiveThroughMe and TwoSiblingsInOne can be related; specifically if the child is born close to the older sibling's death.

* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'', King Oberon had three sons with his first wife Cymnea, of whom only Benedict still lives in the books. The unnamed other two have perished long before the protagonist Corwin and his many brothers, sisters, half-brothers, and half-sisters were even born.
* Ruth Cole, the protagonist of Creator/JohnIrving's novel ''Literature/AWidowForOneYear'', was born when her parents tried for a ReplacementGoldfish child after their two sons were killed in a car accident. It completely fails to repair the parents' marriage.

* Taken to the extreme in ''Literature/MySweetAudrina'', with it forming a main plot point. The title character was born shortly after her older sister, [[DeadGuyJunior also named Audrina]], was raped and murdered in the woods. Her family, particularly [[OverprotectiveDad her father]], is very protective of her and try to encourage to be [[ReplacementGoldfish more like her sister]] – her father even has her sit in the first Audrina's rocking chair in her old room and use a form of self-hypnosis to '[[GhostMemory gain the memories]]' of the "first and best Audrina" and become just as perfect as her (they're a pretty...[[BigScrewedUpFamily messed up family]]). Predictably, this doesn't do wonders for the poor second Audrina's psyche. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the "first and best" Audrina [[TheReveal never really existed]] – there is only ''one'' Audrina, who's family [[{{Gaslighting}} tricked]] her into [[RepressedMemories suppressing her memories]] of the rape and believing it happened to her non-existent older sister instead, in a misguided attempt to help her cope after the assault]].

* In the ''Series/{{Timeless}}'' episode "Space Race", its revealed that Garcia Flynn had an older half-brother named Gabriel Thompkins who died before he was born. Using his stolen time machine, Flynn goes back in time to save his brother's life and spare his mother the trauma of [[OutlivingOnesOffspring losing a child]].

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', Kratos had fahtered a boy named Atreus decades after his accidental murder of his wife Lysandra and their daughter Calliope. However, Atreus appears to be unaware of them.

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* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': The main plot will inevitably result the death of the PlayerCharacter's oldest daughter. Another plotline has PlayerCharacter try for a new child in hope it will be a boy. The oldest daughter's death happens before the youngest child's birth.

* Literature/TheBibl:

* Literature/TheBible,

* In ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'', Richieu Spiegelman died in Nazi Germany, while his brother Art was born after WWII ended. Their parents continued to blame themselves for not sending Richieu out of Germany when they had the chance. The final pages of the comic are Art's father, on his death bed, mistaking Art for Richieu.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has Daenerys, who was born several months after her brother [[TheAce Rhaegar]] died in the war. She's also a posthumous aunt, since her niece and nephew (Rhaegar's kids) were slaughtered by the Lannisters shortly after Rhaegar's death ([[spoiler:Though if the theory mentioned below is true, at least one of her nephews is still alive]]). As a result, what she knows of him is filtered through her primary caretaker and older brother, middle child Viserys, with the outcome being that she has a very high opinion of him.
** If the most popular [[EpilepticTrees fan theory]] about [[spoiler:Jon Snow's parentage]] are true, then the trope applies to [[spoiler:him]] as well, since [[spoiler:his father Rhaegar's]] two children by his wife ([[spoiler:Jon's]] older half-siblings) were killed alongside their mother by the Lannisters while [[spoiler:Jon's]] mother was still pregnant with [[spoiler:him]]. [[spoiler:His half-brother Aegon might still be alive though]].

* A possible UrExample comes from Literature/TheBible, where Seth was born to Adam and Eve after the murder of their second-born Abel by his own older brother Cain.

* In "VideoGame/WhatRemainsofEdithFinch", Molly is this to her younger brothers. Subverted for her younger sister Barbara, who would have been about 3 years old when she died.