Queen Adiaha Umo of Calabar, known for her lavish feasts, hosted domestic animals but excluded wild beasts out of fear. During one feast, the cow presided over the table but neglected to share food with the fly, dismissing its pleas. The fly complained to the queen, who decreed that flies could forever feed on cows’ eyes—a practice still observed today.
Source
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
by Elphinstone Dayrell
Longmans, Green & Co.
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1910
► Themes of the story
Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the natural phenomenon of flies persistently bothering cows, particularly around their eyes.
Good vs. Evil: The narrative contrasts the neglectful behavior of the cow with the fly’s pursuit of justice, highlighting the struggle between fairness and wrongdoing.
Cunning and Deception: The fly’s persistence and appeal to the queen demonstrate cleverness in seeking redress for the cow’s neglect.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Nigerian peoples
When Adiaha Umo was Queen of Calabar, being very rich and hospitable, she used to give big feasts to all the domestic animals, but never invited the wild beasts, as she was afraid of them. At one feast she gave there were three large tables, and she told the cow to sit at the head of the table, as she was the biggest animal present, and share out the food. The cow was quite ready to do this, and the first course was passed, which the cow shared out amongst the people, but forgot the fly, because he was so small. When the fly saw this, he called out to the cow to give him his share, but the cow said: “Be quiet, my friend, you must have patience.”
► Continue reading…
When the second course arrived, the fly again called out to the cow, but the cow merely pointed to her eye, and told the fly to look there, and he would get food later.
At last all the dishes were finished, and the fly, having been given no food by the cow, went supperless to bed. The next day the fly complained to the queen, who decided that, as the cow had presided at the feast, and had not given the fly his share, but had pointed to her eye, for the future the fly could always get his food from the cow’s eyes wherever she went; and even at the present time, wherever the cows are, the flies can always be seen feeding off their eyes in accordance with the queen’s orders.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 