1. In Jewish, Christian, and Islamic tradition, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve, the ancestors of the human race. The story of Cain and Abel is echoed in the mythologies of many cultures and suggests several symbolic interpretations.

2. According to the book of Genesis in the Bible, Cain and Abel were the first two sons born to Adam and Eve after their banishment from the Garden of Eden. Cain, the elder, became a farmer, while Abel became a shepherd. They offered sacrifices to Yahweh, or God.

3. Cain brought fruit and grain; Abel brought lambs. When Yahweh accepted Abel's offerings but rejected those of Cain, Cain was hurt and angry.

4. In a jealous rage, he killed his brother.

5. As punishment, Yahweh ordered Cain to go forth and become "a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth." Then he placed a sign, known as the mark of Cain, on the murderer's forehead to protect him from further punishment.

6. Tradition holds that Cain's son Enoch founded the first city and that other descendents of Cain invented music and metalworking. Cain may be a mythological representation of a Near Eastern people called the Kenites, who practiced metalworking and musicianship and who may have worn tattoos.

7. “He was of a race of monsters exiled from mankind by God-- He was of the race of Cain, that man punished for murdering his brother. From that family comes all evil beings-- monsters, elves, zombies. Also the giants who fought with God and got repaid with the flood.” The Adventures of Beowulf an Adaptation from the Old English by Dr. David Breeden Illustrated by Randy Grochoske