When Lion fell ill, Jackal avoided visiting, noticing no visitors returned. Hyena accused him of neglect, prompting Lion to summon Jackal. Jackal explained he sought a witch doctor’s remedy: wearing Hyena’s freshly removed skin. Lion, believing this, captured Hyena, skinned her while she howled, and wore the warm hide, sparing Jackal and turning Hyena’s accusation against her.
Source
South-African Folk Tales
by James A. Honey, M.D.
New York,1910
► Themes of the story
Cunning and Deception: Jackal uses cleverness to avoid harm by deceiving Lion into targeting Hyena instead.
Revenge and Justice: Hyena’s false accusation leads to her punishment, serving as a form of poetic justice.
Moral Lessons: The tale imparts lessons about the consequences of deceit and false accusations.
► From the same Region or People
Lion, it is said, was ill, and they all went to see him in his suffering. But Jackal did not go, because the traces of the people who went to see him did not turn back. Thereupon, he was accused by Hyena, who said, “Though I go to look, yet Jackal does not want to come and look at the man’s sufferings.”
Then Lion let Hyena go, in order that she might catch Jackal; and she did so, and brought him.
Lion asked Jackal: “Why did you not come here to see me?”
► Continue reading…
Jackal said, “Oh, no! when I heard that my uncle was so very ill, I went to the witch (doctor) to consult him, whether and what medicine would be good for my uncle against the pain. The doctor said to me, ‘Go and tell your uncle to take hold of Hyena and draw off her skin, and put it on while it is still warm. Then he will recover.’ Hyena is one who does not care for my uncle’s sufferings.”
Lion followed his advice, got hold of Hyena, drew the skin over her ears, whilst she howled with all her might, and put it on.
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