“My point is you APPEARED to assume that Abel was weaker than Cain, in your comparison to the Uke-Rus tragedy.”
Per the Bible, Cain was older than Abel. Per the Bible, Cain worked and tilled the soil (hard, back-breaking labor, especially back in antiquity), whereas Abel was a shepherd (compared to farming, an almost leisurely job, and historically often performed by youngsters). Strength was essential for farming; it was not essential for sheep herding.
The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is heavy on metaphor. Thus, older equates to larger and stronger (physical labor, power); while younger equates to smaller and weaker (i.e., lamb-like). Abel himself is but a metaphor for the lamb (gentleness, peacefulness); and so is Cain a metaphor for power (physicality, domination). Artists throughout the ages recognized this, and often portrayed the two accordingly: Cain — big, strong, and aggressive; Abel — small, not strong, and gentle.
So, it’s just not me.
You would do well to visit an amish community such the one in Lawrence county, TN. They market a lot of vegetables. After primary and secondary tillage (done by the men with draft horses) mostly the women and children take over, planting, weeding, and harvesting.
Being a shepherd isn’t all posing with a staff and walking around. There is wrestling (body slamming to shear wool, and also castration (can’t have a bunch of rams fighting each other all the time), and dealing with predators.
Assuming age guarantees physical superiority is sketchy. When I turned 18 my next younger brother was 14 and wearing my clothes. A quiet, mild-mannered kid, he never intimidated me until a year later, when I heard he leveled one of the school bullies with one punch. I stopped in at the local small town cafe (Alexis,Il) one evening, and a classmate of his couldn’t wait to tell me what my brother had done, “.... he bloodied Brian’s nose AND mouth with ONE punch!”
The principal called my mother to say he had to suspend my brother for a day. She said, “Good for him!” And the next day baked him a cake, and let him watch tv all day. Lol
Also, how much ground was tilled, and how many head of sheep were needed for just four people (Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel)? There is no mention of other offspring until Seth was born, (although they obviously had sisters).