Tag: 09. Trickster

A cunning figure using wit to outsmart others

The Turtle, the Frog, and the Serpent

A turtle marries a frog, but they quarrel, and the frog retreats to her hole. Attempts by a griffin and a vulture to coax her back fail, as she scorns their efforts. Finally, a serpent intervenes, threatening to enter her hole. The frog delays, but the serpent grows impatient and swallows her. This tale explains the eternal enmity between serpents and frogs.

Source
Moorish Literature
   romantic ballads, tales of the Berbers,
   stories of the Kabyles, folk-lore,
   and national traditions
The Colonial Press,
   London, New York, 1901

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The serpent employs cunning to deceive the frog, ultimately leading to her demise.

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson about the consequences of deceit and the perils of underestimating others.

Origin of Things: The fable provides an explanation for the natural enmity between serpents and frogs.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Berber peoples

Translated by Réne Basset
and Chauncey C. Starkweather

Once upon a time the turtle married a frog. One day they quarrelled. The frog escaped and withdrew into a hole. The turtle was troubled and stood in front of his door very much worried. In those days the animals spoke. The griffin came by that way and said: “What is the matter with you? You look worried this morning.”

“Nothing ails me,” answered the turtle, “except that the frog has left me.”

The griffin replied, “I’ll bring him back.”

“You will do me a great favor.”

► Continue reading…

The griffin took up his journey and arrived at the hole of the frog. He scratched at the door.

The frog heard him and asked, “Who dares to rap at the door of a king’s daughter?”

“It is I, the griffin, son of a griffin, who lets no carrion escape him.”

“Get out of here, among your corpses. I, a daughter of the King, will not go with you.”

He departed immediately.

The next day the vulture came along by the turtle and found it worrying before its door, and asked what was the trouble. It answered: “The frog has gone away.”

“I’ll bring her back,” said the vulture.

“You will do me a great favor.”

The vulture started, and reaching the frog’s house began to beat its wings.

The frog said: “Who conies to the east to make a noise at the house of the daughter of kings, and will not let her sleep at her ease?”

“It is I, the vulture, son of a vulture, who steals chicks from under her mother.”

The frog replied: “Get away from here, father of the dunghill. You are not the one to conduct the daughter of a king.”

The vulture was angry and went away much disturbed. He returned to the turtle and said: “The frog refuses to come back with me. Seek someone else who can enter her hole and make her come out. Then I will bring her back even if she won’t walk.”

The turtle went to seek the serpent, and when he had found him he began to weep. “I’m the one to make her come out,” said the serpent. He quickly went before the hole of the frog and scratched at the door.

“What is the name of this other one?” asked the frog.

“It is I, the serpent, son of the serpent. Come out or I’ll enter.”

“Wait awhile until I put on my best clothes, gird my girdle, rub my lips with nut-shells, put some koheul in my eyes; then I will go with you.” “Hurry up,” said the serpent. Then he waited a little while. Finally he got angry, entered her house, and swallowed her. Ever since that time the serpent has been at war with the frog. Whenever he sees one he chases her and eats her.

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The Physician’s Son and the King of the Snakes

Hasseeboo Kareem Ed Deen, born to a learned physician, struggles to find his trade until he stumbles upon a pit of honey, betrayed by companions, and imprisoned. Escaping, he encounters the king of snakes, Sultaanee Waa Neeoka, who befriends him. Hasseeboo unwittingly betrays the snake to save himself but follows its guidance to outwit a malicious vizir, heal the sultan, and rise as a revered physician.

Source
Zanzibar Tales
told by natives of the East Coast of Africa
translated from the original Swahili
by George W. Bateman
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1901

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The King of Snakes embodies the trickster archetype, using cunning to influence events and test Hasseeboo’s character.

Quest: Hasseeboo’s journey from the pit of honey to his eventual rise as a physician represents a quest for identity and purpose.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts lessons on betrayal, trust, and the virtues of resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Swahili people

Once there was a very learned physician, who died leaving his wife with a baby boy, whom, when he was old enough, she named, as his father wished, Hassee’boo Kareem’ Ed Deen’.

When the boy had been to school, and had learned to read, his mother sent him to a tailor, to learn his trade, but he could not learn it. Then he was sent to a silversmith, but he could not learn his trade either. After that he tried many trades, but could learn none of them. At last his mother said, “Well, stay at home for a while;” and that seemed to suit him.

► Continue reading…

One day he asked his mother what his father’s business had been, and she told him he was a very great physician.

“Where are his books?” he asked.

“Well, it’s a long time since I saw them,” replied his mother, “but I think they are behind there. Look and see.”

So he hunted around a little and at last found them, but they were almost ruined by insects, and he gained little from them.

At last, four of the neighbors came to his mother and said, “Let your boy go along with us and cut wood in the forest.” It was their business to cut wood, load it on donkeys, and sell it in the town for making fires.

“All right,” said she; “to-morrow I’ll buy him a donkey, and he can start fair with you.”

So the next day Hasseeboo, with his donkey, went off with those four persons, and they worked very hard and made a lot of money that day. This continued for six days, but on the seventh day it rained heavily, and they had to get under the rocks to keep dry.

Now, Hasseeboo sat in a place by himself, and, having nothing else to do, he picked up a stone and began knocking on the ground with it. To his surprise the ground gave forth a hollow sound, and he called to his companions, saying, “There seems to be a hole under here.”

Upon hearing him knock again, they decided to dig and see what was the cause of the hollow sound; and they had not gone very deep before they broke into a large pit, like a well, which was filled to the top with honey.

They didn’t do any firewood chopping after that, but devoted their entire attention to the collection and sale of the honey.

With a view to getting it all out as quickly as possible, they told Hasseeboo to go down into the pit and dip out the honey, while they put it in vessels and took it to town for sale. They worked for three days, making a great deal of money.

At last there was only a little honey left at the very bottom of the pit, and they told the boy to scrape that together while they went to get a rope to haul him out.

But instead of getting the rope, they decided to let him remain in the pit, and divide the money among themselves. So, when he had gathered the remainder of the honey together, and called for the rope, he received no answer; and after he had been alone in the pit for three days he became convinced that his companions had deserted him.

Then those four persons went to his mother and told her that they had become separated in the forest, that they had heard a lion roaring, and that they could find no trace of either her son or his donkey.

His mother, of course, cried very much, and the four neighbors pocketed her son’s share of the money.

To return to Hasseeboo.

He passed the time walking about the pit, wondering what the end would be, eating scraps of honey, sleeping a little, and sitting down to think.

While engaged in the last occupation, on the fourth day, he saw a scorpion fall to the ground–a large one, too–and he killed it.

Then suddenly he thought to himself, “Where did that scorpion come from? There must be a hole somewhere. I’ll search, anyhow.”

So he searched around until he saw light through a tiny crack; and he took his knife and scooped and scooped, until he had made a hole big enough to pass through; then he went out, and came upon a place he had never seen before.

Seeing a path, he followed it until he came to a very large house, the door of which was not fastened. So he went inside, and saw golden doors, with golden locks, and keys of pearl, and beautiful chairs inlaid with jewels and precious stones, and in a reception room he saw a couch covered with a splendid spread, upon which he lay down.

Presently he found himself being lifted off the couch and put in a chair, and heard some one saying: “Do not hurt him; wake him gently,” and on opening his eyes he found himself surrounded by numbers of snakes, one of them wearing beautiful royal colors.

“Hullo!” he cried; “who are you?”

“I am Sulta’nee Waa’ Neeo’ka, king of the snakes, and this is my house. Who are you?”

“I am Hasseeboo Kareem Ed Deen.”

“Where do you come from?”

“I don’t know where I come from, or where I’m going.”

“Well, don’t bother yourself just now. Let’s eat; I guess you are hungry, and I know I am.”

Then the king gave orders, and some of the other snakes brought the finest fruits, and they ate and drank and conversed.

When the repast was ended, the king desired to hear Hasseeboo’s story; so he told him all that had happened, and then asked to hear the story of his host.

“Well,” said the king of the snakes, “mine is rather a long story, but you shall hear it. A long time ago I left this place, to go and live in the mountains of Al Kaaf’, for the change of air. One day I saw a stranger coming along, and I said to him, ‘Where are you from?’ and he said, ‘I am wandering in the wilderness.’ ‘Whose son are you?’ I asked. ‘My name is Bolookee’a. My father was a sultan; and when he died I opened a small chest, inside of which I found a bag, which contained a small brass box; when I had opened this I found some writing tied up in a woolen cloth, and it was all in praise of a prophet. He was described as such a good and wonderful man, that I longed to see him; but when I made inquiries concerning him I was told he was not yet born. Then I vowed I would wander until I should see him. So I left our town, and all my property, and I am wandering, but I have not yet seen that prophet.’

“Then I said to him, ‘Where do you expect to find him, if he’s not yet born? Perhaps if you had some serpent’s water you might keep on living until you find him. But it’s of no use talking about that; the serpent’s water is too far away.’

“‘Well,’ he said, ‘good-bye. I must wander on.’ So I bade him farewell, and he went his way.

“Now, when that man had wandered until he reached Egypt, he met another man, who asked him, ‘Who are you?’

“‘I am Bolookeea. Who are you?’

“‘My name is Al Faan’. Where are you going?’

“‘I have left my home, and my property, and I am seeking the prophet.

“‘H’m!’ said Al Faan; ‘I can tell you of a better occupation than looking for a man that is not born yet. Let us go and find the king of the snakes and get him to give us a charm medicine; then we will go to King Solomon and get his rings, and we shall be able to make slaves of the genii and order them to do whatever we wish.’

“And Bolookeea said, ‘I have seen the king of the snakes in the mountain of Al Kaaf.’

“‘All right,’ said Al Faan; ‘let’s go.’

“Now, Al Faan wanted the ring of Solomon that he might be a great magician and control the genii and the birds, while all Bolookeea wanted was to see the great prophet.

“As they went along, Al Faan said to Bolookeea, ‘Let us make a cage and entice the king of the snakes into it; then we will shut the door and carry him off.’

“‘All right,’ said Bolookeea.

“So they made a cage, and put therein a cup of milk and a cup of wine, and brought it to Al Kaaf; and I, like a fool, went in, drank up all the wine and became drunk. Then they fastened the door and took me away with them.

“When I came to my senses I found myself in the cage, and Bolookeea carrying me, and I said, ‘The sons of Adam are no good. What do you want from me?’ And they answered, ‘We want some medicine to put on our feet, so that we may walk upon the water whenever it is necessary in the course of our journey.’ ‘Well,’ said I, ‘go along.’

“We went on until we came to a place where there were a great number and variety of trees; and when those trees saw me, they said, ‘I am medicine for this;’ ‘I am medicine for that;’ ‘I am medicine for the head;’ ‘I am medicine for the feet;’ and presently one tree said, ‘If any one puts my medicine upon his feet he can walk on water.’

“When I told that to those men they said, ‘That is what we want;’ and they took a great deal of it.

“Then they took me back to the mountain and set me free; and we said good-bye and parted.

“When they left me, they went on their way until they reached the sea, when they put the medicine on their feet and walked over. Thus they went many days, until they came near to the place of King Solomon, where they waited while Al Faan prepared his medicines.

“When they arrived at King Solomon’s place, he was sleeping, and was being watched by genii, and his hand lay on his chest, with the ring on his finger.

“As Bolookeea drew near, one of the genii said to him ‘Where are you going?’ And he answered, ‘I’m here with Al Faan; he’s going to take that ring.’ ‘Go back,’ said the genie; ‘keep out of the way. That man is going to die.’

“When Al Faan had finished his preparations, he said to Bolookeea, ‘Wait here for me.’ Then he went forward to take the ring, when a great cry arose, and he was thrown by some unseen force a considerable distance.

“Picking himself up, and still believing in the power of his medicines, he approached the ring again, when a strong breath blew upon him and he was burnt to ashes in a moment.

“While Bolookeea was looking at all this, a voice said, ‘Go your way; this wretched being is dead.’ So he returned; and when he got to the sea again he put the medicine upon his feet and passed over, and continued to wander for many years.

“One morning he saw a man sitting down, and said ‘Good-morning,’ to which the man replied. Then Bolookeea asked him, ‘Who are you?’ and he answered: ‘My name is Jan Shah. Who are you?’ So Bolookeea told him who he was, and asked him to tell him his history. The man, who was weeping and smiling by turns, insisted upon hearing Bolookeea’s story first. After he had heard it he said:

“‘Well, sit down, and I’ll tell you my story from beginning to end. My name is Jan Shah, and my father is Tooeegha’mus, a great sultan. He used to go every day into the forest to shoot game; so one day I said to him, “Father, let me go with you into the forest to-day;” but he said, “Stay at home. You are better there.” Then I cried bitterly, and as I was his only child, whom he loved dearly, he couldn’t stand my tears, so he said: “Very well; you shall go. Don’t cry.”

“‘Thus we went to the forest, and took many attendants with us; and when we reached the place we ate and drank, and then every one set out to hunt.

“‘I and my seven slaves went on until we saw a beautiful gazelle, which we chased as far as the sea without capturing it. When the gazelle took to the water I and four of my slaves took a boat, the other three returning to my father, and we chased that gazelle until we lost sight of the shore, but we caught it and killed it. Just then a great wind began to blow, and we lost our way.

“‘When the other three slaves came to my father, he asked them, “Where is your master?” and they told him about the gazelle and the boat. Then he cried, “My son is lost! My son is lost!” and returned to the town and mourned for me as one dead.

“‘After a time we came to an island, where there were a great many birds. We found fruit and water, we ate and drank, and at night we climbed into a tree and slept till morning.

“‘Then we rowed to a second island, and, seeing no one around, we gathered fruit, ate and drank, and climbed a tree as before. During the night we heard many savage beasts howling and roaring near us.

“‘In the morning we got away as soon as possible, and came to a third island. Looking around for food, we saw a tree full of fruit like red-streaked apples; but, as we were about to pick some, we heard a voice say, “Don’t touch this tree; it belongs to the king.” Toward night a number of monkeys came, who seemed much pleased to see us, and they brought us all the fruit we could eat.

“‘Presently I heard one of them say, “Let us make this man our sultan.” Then another one said: “What’s the use? They’ll all run away in the morning.” But a third one said, “Not if we smash their boat.” Sure enough, when we started to leave in the morning, our boat was broken in pieces. So there was nothing for it but to stay there and be entertained by the monkeys, who seemed to like us very much.

“‘One day, while strolling about, I came upon a great stone house, having an inscription on the door, which said, “When any man comes to this island, he will find it difficult to leave, because the monkeys desire to have a man for their king. If he looks for a way to escape, he will think there is none; but there is one outlet, which lies to the north. If you go in that direction you will come to a great plain, which is infested with lions, leopards, and snakes. You must fight all of them; and if you overcome them you can go forward. You will then come to another great plain, inhabited by ants as big as dogs; their teeth are like those of dogs, and they are very fierce. You must fight these also, and if you overcome them, the rest of the way is clear.”

“‘I consulted with my attendants over this information, and we came to the conclusion that, as we could only die, anyhow, we might as well risk death to gain our freedom.

“‘As we all had weapons, we set forth; and when we came to the first plain we fought, and two of my slaves were killed. Then we went on to the second plain, fought again; my other two slaves were killed, and I alone escaped.

“‘After that I wandered on for many days, living on whatever I could find, until at last I came to a town, where I stayed for some time, looking for employment but finding none.

“‘One day a man came up to me and said, “Are you looking for work?” “I am,” said I. “Come with me, then,” said he; and we went to his house.

“‘When we got there he produced a camel’s skin, and said, “I shall put you in this skin, and a great bird will carry you to the top of yonder mountain. When he gets you there, he will tear this skin off you. You must then drive him away and push down the precious stones you will find there. When they are all down, I will get you down.”

“‘So he put me in the skin; the bird carried me to the top of the mountain and was about to eat me, when I jumped up, scared him away, and then pushed down many precious stones. Then I called out to the man to take me down, but he never answered me, and went away.

“‘I gave myself up for a dead man, but went wandering about, until at last, after passing many days in a great forest, I came to a house, all by itself; the old man who lived in it gave me food and drink, and I was revived.

“‘I remained there a long time, and that old man loved me as if I were his own son.

“‘One day he went away, and giving me the keys, told me I could open the door of every room except one which he pointed out to me.

“‘Of course, when he was gone, this was the first door I opened. I saw a large garden, through which a stream flowed. Just then three birds came and alighted by the side of the stream. Immediately they changed to three most beautiful women. When they had finished bathing, they put on their clothes, and, as I stood watching them, they changed into birds again and flew away.

“‘I locked the door, and went away; but my appetite was gone, and I wandered about aimlessly. When the old man came back, he saw there was something wrong with me, and asked me what was the matter. Then I told him I had seen those beautiful maidens, that I loved one of them very much, and that if I could not marry her I should die.

“‘The old man told me I could not possibly have my wish. He said the three lovely beings were the daughters of the sultan of the genii, and that their home was a journey of three years from where we then were.

“‘I told him I couldn’t help that. He must get her for my wife, or I should die. At last he said, “Well, wait till they come again, then hide yourself and steal the clothes of the one you love so dearly.”

“‘So I waited, and when they came again I stole the clothes of the youngest, whose name was Sayadaa’tee Shems.

“‘When they came out of the water, this one could not find her clothes. Then I stepped forward and said, “I have them.” “Ah,” she begged, “give them to me, their owner; I want to go away.” But I said to her, “I love you very much. I want to marry you.” “I want to go to my father,” she replied. “You cannot go,” said I.

“‘Then her sisters flew away, and I took her into the house, where the old man married us. He told me not to give her those clothes I had taken, but to hide them; because if she ever got them she would fly away to her old home. So I dug a hole in the ground and buried them.

“‘But one day, when I was away from home, she dug them up and put them on; then, saying to the slave I had given her for an attendant, “When your master returns tell him I have gone home; if he really loves me he will follow me,” she flew away.

“‘When I came home they told me this, and I wandered, searching for her, many years. At last I came to a town where one asked me, “Who are you?” and I answered, “I am Jan Shah.” “What was your father’s name?” “Taaeeghamus.” “Are you the man who married our mistress?” “Who is your mistress?” “Sayadaatee Shems.” “I am he!” I cried with delight.

“‘They took me to their mistress, and she brought me to her father and told him I was her husband; and everybody was happy.

“‘Then we thought we should like to visit our old home, and her father’s genii carried us there in three days. We stayed there a year and then returned, but in a short time my wife died. Her father tried to comfort me, and wanted me to marry another of his daughters, but I refused to be comforted, and have mourned to this day. That is my story.’

“Then Bolookeea went on his way, and wandered till he died.”

Next Sultaanee Waa Neeoka said to Hasseeboo, “Now, when you go home you will do me injury.”

Hasseeboo was very indignant at the idea, and said, “I could not be induced to do you an injury. Pray, send me home.”

“I will send you home,” said the king; “but I am sure that you will come back and kill me.”

“Why, I dare not be so ungrateful,” exclaimed Hasseeboo. “I swear I could not hurt you.”

“Well,” said the king of the snakes, “bear this in mind: when you go home, do not go to bathe where there are many people.”

And he said, “I will remember.” So the king sent him home, and he went to his mother’s house, and she was overjoyed to find that he was not dead.

Now, the sultan of the town was very sick; and it was decided that the only thing that could cure him would be to kill the king of the snakes, boil him, and give the soup to the sultan.

For a reason known only to himself, the vizir had placed men at the public baths with this instruction: “If any one who comes to bathe here has a mark on his stomach, seize him and bring him to me.”

When Hasseeboo had been home three days he forgot the warning of Sultaanee Waa Neeoka, and went to bathe with the other people. All of a sudden he was seized by some soldiers, and brought before the vizir, who said, “Take us to the home of the king of the snakes.”

“I don’t know where it is,” said Hasseeboo.

“Tie him up,” commanded the vizir.

So they tied him up and beat him until his back was all raw, and being unable to stand the pain he cried, “Let up! I will show you the place.”

So he led them to the house of the king of the snakes, who, when he saw him, said, “Didn’t I tell you you would come back to kill me?”

“How could I help it?” cried Hasseeboo. “Look at my back!”

“Who has beaten you so dreadfully?” asked the king.

“The vizir.”

“Then there’s no hope for me. But you must carry me yourself.”

As they went along, the king said to Hasseeboo, “When we get to your town I shall be killed and cooked. The first skimming the vizir will offer to you, but don’t you drink it; put it in a bottle and keep it. The second skimming you must drink, and you will become a great physician. The third skimming is the medicine that will cure your sultan. When the vizir asks you if you drank that first skimming say, ‘I did.’ Then produce the bottle containing the first, and say, ‘This is the second, and it is for you.’ The vizir will take it, and as soon as he drinks it he will die, and both of us will have our revenge.” Everything happened as the king had said. The vizir died, the sultan recovered, and Hasseeboo was loved by all as a great physician.

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Goso, the Teacher

This folktale recounts the story of Goso, a beloved teacher who was accidentally killed by a falling calabash. His students, seeking justice, embarked on a comical chain of blame, questioning various entities from the wind to a fly. Ultimately, they identified Paa, the gazelle, as the culprit, who was struck speechless with guilt. Convinced of his responsibility, the students killed him to avenge Goso.

Source
Zanzibar Tales
told by natives of the East Coast of Africa
translated from the original Swahili
by George W. Bateman
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1901

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The narrative showcases the students’ misguided attempts to identify the culprit through a series of deceptive interrogations.

Trickster: The gazelle, Paa, embodies the trickster archetype, inadvertently causing chaos and ultimately facing the repercussions.

Community and Isolation: The students’ collective quest for justice underscores themes of community action, while the gazelle’s isolation reflects the perils of being singled out.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Swahili people

Once there was a man named Go’so, who taught children to read, not in a schoolhouse, but under a calabash tree. One evening, while Goso was sitting under the tree deep in the study of the next day’s lessons, Paa, the gazelle, climbed up the tree very quietly to steal some fruit, and in so doing shook off a calabash, which, in falling, struck the teacher on the head and killed him.

When his scholars came in the morning and found their teacher lying dead, they were filled with grief; so, after giving him a decent burial, they agreed among themselves to find the one who had killed Goso, and put him to death.

► Continue reading…

After talking the matter over they came to the conclusion that the south wind was the offender.

So they caught the south wind and beat it.

But the south wind cried: “Here! I am Koo’see, the south wind. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Koosee; it was you who threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Koosee said, “If I were so powerful would I be stopped by a mud wall?”

So they went to the mud wall and beat it.

But the mud wall cried: “Here! I am Keeyambaa’za, the mud wall. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Keeyambaaza; it was you who stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Keeyambaaza said, “If I were so powerful would I be bored through by the rat?”

So they went and caught the rat and beat it.

But the rat cried: “Here! I am Paan’ya, the rat. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Paanya; it was you who bored through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Paanya said, “If I were so powerful would I be eaten by a cat?”

So they hunted for the cat, caught it, and beat it.

But the cat cried: “Here! I am Paa’ka, the cat. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Paaka; it is you that eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Paaka said, “If I were so powerful would I be tied by a rope?”

So they took the rope and beat it.

But the rope cried: “Here! I am Kaam’ba, the rope. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Kaamba; it is you that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Kaamba said, “If I were so powerful would I be cut by a knife?”

So they took the knife and beat it.

But the knife cried: “Here! I am Kee’soo, the knife. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Keesoo; you cut Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Keesoo said, “If I were so powerful would I be burned by the fire?”

And they went and beat the fire.

But the fire cried: “Here! I am Mo’to, the fire. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Moto; you burn Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Moto said, “If I were so powerful would I be put out by water?”

And they went to the water and beat it.

But the water cried: “Here! I am Maa’jee, the water. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Maajee; you put out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Maajee said, “If I were so powerful would I be drunk by the ox?”

And they went to the ox and beat it.

But the ox cried: “Here! I am Ng’om’bay, the ox. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Ng’ombay; you drink Maajee, the water; that puts out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Ng’ombay said, “If I were so powerful would I be tormented by the fly?”

And they caught a fly and beat it.

But the fly cried: “Here! I am Een’zee, the fly. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Eenzee; you torment Ng’ombay, the ox; who drinks Maajee, the water; that puts out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

But Eenzee said, “If I were so powerful would I be eaten by the gazelle?”

And they searched for the gazelle, and when they found it they beat it.

But the gazelle said: “Here! I am Paa, the gazelle. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”

And they said: “Yes, we know you are Paa; you eat Eenzee, the fly; that torments Ng’ombay, the ox; who drinks Maajee, the water; that puts out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”

The gazelle, through surprise at being found out and fear of the consequences of his accidental killing of the teacher, while engaged in stealing, was struck dumb.

Then the scholars said: “Ah! he hasn’t a word to say for himself. This is the fellow who threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. We will kill him.” So they killed Paa, the gazelle, and avenged the death of their teacher.

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The Hare and the Lion

This folktale narrates the clever escapades of Soongoora, the hare, as he repeatedly outsmarts Simba, the lion. Soongoora deceives others, like Bookoo the rat and Kobay the tortoise, into helping him steal honey from Simba’s tree. Each time Simba intervenes, the hare uses cunning tricks to escape, leaving others to bear the lion’s wrath. In the end, Simba, exhausted and outwitted, gives up the chase.

Source
Zanzibar Tales
told by natives of the East Coast of Africa
translated from the original Swahili
by George W. Bateman
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1901

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Soongoora’s clever tricks highlight the triumph of wit over strength.

Cunning and Deception: The hare’s success depends on outsmarting others through clever deceit.

Conflict with Authority: The story revolves around the hare challenging the lion’s dominance.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Swahili people

One day Soongoo’ra, the hare, roaming through the forest in search of food, glanced up through the boughs of a very large calabash tree, and saw that a great hole in the upper part of the trunk was inhabited by bees; thereupon he returned to town in search of some one to go with him and help to get the honey.

As he was passing the house of Boo’koo, the big rat, that worthy gentleman invited him in. So he went in, sat down, and remarked: “My father has died, and has left me a hive of honey. I would like you to come and help me to eat it.”

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Of course Bookoo jumped at the offer, and he and the hare started off immediately.

When they arrived at the great calabash tree, Soongoora pointed out the bees’ nest and said, “Go on; climb up.” So, taking some straw with them, they climbed up to the nest, lit the straw, smoked out the bees, put out the fire, and set to work eating the honey.

In the midst of the feast, who should appear at the foot of the tree but Sim’ba, the lion? Looking up, and seeing them eating, he asked, “Who are you?”

Then Soongoora whispered to Bookoo, “Hold your tongue; that old fellow is crazy.” But in a very little while Simba roared out angrily: “Who are you, I say? Speak, I tell you!” This made Bookoo so scared that he blurted out, “It’s only us!”

Upon this the hare said to him: “You just wrap me up in this straw, call to the lion to keep out of the way, and then throw me down. Then you’ll see what will happen.”

So Bookoo, the big rat, wrapped Soongoora, the hare, in the straw, and then called to Simba, the lion, “Stand back; I’m going to throw this straw down, and then I’ll come down myself.” When Simba stepped back out of the way, Bookoo threw down the straw, and as it lay on the ground Soongoora crept out and ran away while the lion was looking up.

After waiting a minute or two, Simba roared out, “Well, come down, I say!” and, there being no help for it, the big rat came down.

As soon as he was within reach, the lion caught hold of him, and asked, “Who was up there with you?”

“Why,” said Bookoo, “Soongoora, the hare. Didn’t you see him when I threw him down?”

“Of course I didn’t see him,” replied the lion, in an incredulous tone, and, without wasting further time, he ate the big rat, and then searched around for the hare, but could not find him.

Three days later, Soongoora called on his acquaintance, Ko’bay, the tortoise, and said to him, “Let us go and eat some honey.”

“Whose honey?” inquired Kobay, cautiously.

“My father’s,” Soongoora replied.

“Oh, all right; I’m with you,” said the tortoise, eagerly; and away they went.

When they arrived at the great calabash tree they climbed up with their straw, smoked out the bees, sat down, and began to eat.

Just then Mr. Simba, who owned the honey, came out again, and, looking up, inquired, “Who are you, up there?”

Soongoora whispered to Kobay, “Keep quiet;” but when the lion repeated his question angrily, Kobay became suspicious, and said: “I will speak. You told me this honey was yours; am I right in suspecting that it belongs to Simba?”

So, when the lion asked again, “Who are you?” he answered, “It’s only us.” The lion said, “Come down, then;” and the tortoise answered, “We’re coming.”

Now, Simba had been keeping an eye open for Soongoora since the day he caught Bookoo, the big rat, and, suspecting that he was up there with Kobay, he said to himself, “I’ve got him this time, sure.”

Seeing that they were caught again, Soongoora said to the tortoise: “Wrap me up in the straw, tell Simba to stand out of the way, and then throw me down. I’ll wait for you below. He can’t hurt you, you know.”

“All right,” said Kobay; but while he was wrapping the hare up he said to himself: “This fellow wants to run away, and leave me to bear the lion’s anger. He shall get caught first.” Therefore, when he had bundled him up, he called out, “Soongoora is coming!” and threw him down.

So Simba caught the hare, and, holding him with his paw, said, “Now, what shall I do with you?” The hare replied, “It’s of no use for you to try to eat me; I’m awfully tough.” “What would be the best thing to do with you, then?” asked Simba.

“I think,” said Soongoora, “you should take me by the tail, whirl me around, and knock me against the ground. Then you may be able to eat me.”

So the lion, being deceived, took him by the tail and whirled him around, but just as he was going to knock him on the ground he slipped out of his grasp and ran away, and Simba had the mortification of losing him again.

Angry and disappointed, he turned to the tree and called to Kobay, “You come down, too.”

When the tortoise reached the ground, the lion said, “You’re pretty hard; what can I do to make you eatable?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” laughed Kobay; “just put me in the mud and rub my back with your paw until my shell comes off.”

Immediately on hearing this, Simba carried Kobay to the water, placed him in the mud, and began, as he supposed, to rub his back; but the tortoise had slipped away, and the lion continued rubbing on a piece of rock until his paws were raw. When he glanced down at them he saw they were bleeding, and, realizing that he had again been outwitted, he said, “Well, the hare has done me to-day, but I’ll go hunting now until I find him.”

So Simba, the lion, set out immediately in search of Soongoora, the hare, and as he went along he inquired of every one he met, “Where is the house of Soongoora?” But each person he asked answered, “I do not know.” For the hare had said to his wife, “Let us remove from this house.” Therefore the folks in that neighborhood had no knowledge of his whereabouts. Simba, however, went along, continuing his inquiries, until presently one answered, “That is his house on the top of the mountain.”

Without loss of time the lion climbed the mountain, and soon arrived at the place indicated, only to find that there was no one at home. This, however, did not trouble him; on the contrary, saying to himself, “I’ll hide myself inside, and when Soongoora and his wife come home I’ll eat them both,” he entered the house and lay down, awaiting their arrival.

Pretty soon along came the hare with his wife, not thinking of any danger; but he very soon discovered the marks of the lion’s paws on the steep path. Stopping at once, he said to Mrs. Soongoora: “You go back, my dear. Simba, the lion, has passed this way, and I think he must be looking for me.”

But she replied, “I will not go back; I will follow you, my husband.”

Although greatly pleased at this proof of his wife’s affection, Soongoora said firmly: “No, no; you have friends to go to. Go back.”

So he persuaded her, and she went back; but he kept on, following the footmarks, and saw–as he had suspected–that they went into his house.

“Ah!” said he to himself, “Mr. Lion is inside, is he?” Then, cautiously going back a little way, he called out: “How d’ye do, house? How d’ye do?” Waiting a moment, he remarked loudly: “Well, this is very strange! Every day, as I pass this place, I say, ‘How d’ye do, house?’ and the house always answers, ‘How d’ye do?’ There must be some one inside to-day.”

When the lion heard this he called out, “How d’ye do?”

Then Soongoora burst out laughing, and shouted: “Oho, Mr. Simba! You’re inside, and I’ll bet you want to eat me; but first tell me where you ever heard of a house talking!”

Upon this the lion, seeing how he had been fooled, replied angrily, “You wait until I get hold of you; that’s all.”

“Oh, I think you’ll have to do the waiting,” cried the hare; and then he ran away, the lion following. But it was of no use. Soongoora completely tired out old Simba, who, saying, “That rascal has beaten me; I don’t want to have anything more to do with him,” returned to his home under the great calabash tree.

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

The Monkey, the Shark, and the Washerman’s Donkey

Kee’ma, a monkey, and Pa’pa, a shark, became friends, sharing food daily. One day, Pa’pa invited Kee’ma to his home, revealing mid-journey that his sick sultan needed a monkey’s heart as medicine. Cleverly, Kee’ma claimed he left his heart in his tree. Returning to fetch it, he outwitted the shark, escaping to safety, and ended their friendship, referencing the tale of a washerman’s donkey to teach a lesson on trust.

Source
Zanzibar Tales
told by natives of the East Coast of Africa
translated from the original Swahili
by George W. Bateman
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1901

► Themes of the story

Good vs. Evil: The narrative contrasts the shark’s deceitful intent to sacrifice the monkey for the sultan’s cure against the monkey’s cleverness to preserve his own life.

Trials and Tribulations: The monkey faces the challenge of evading the shark’s plot, testing his wit and resourcefulness.

Trickster: The monkey embodies the trickster archetype, using intelligence and cunning to navigate and survive dangerous circumstances.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Swahili people

Once upon a time Kee’ma, the monkey, and Pa’pa, the shark, became great friends.

The monkey lived in an immense mkooyoo tree which grew by the margin of the sea–half of its branches being over the water and half over the land.

Every morning, when the monkey was breakfasting on the kooyoo nuts, the shark would put in an appearance under the tree and call out, “Throw me some food, my friend;” with which request the monkey complied most willingly.

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This continued for many months, until one day Papa said, “Keema, you have done me many kindnesses: I would like you to go with me to my home, that I may repay you.”

“How can I go?” said the monkey; “we land beasts can not go about in the water.”

“Don’t trouble yourself about that,” replied the shark; “I will carry you. Not a drop of water shall get to you.”

“Oh, all right, then,” said Mr. Keema; “let’s go.”

When they had gone about half-way the shark stopped, and said: “You are my friend. I will tell you the truth.”

“Why, what is there to tell?” asked the monkey, with surprise.

“Well, you see, the fact is that our sultan is very sick, and we have been told that the only medicine that will do him any good is a monkey’s heart.”

“Well,” exclaimed Keema, “you were very foolish not to tell me that before we started!”

“How so?” asked Papa.

But the monkey was busy thinking up some means of saving himself, and made no reply.

“Well?” said the shark, anxiously; “why don’t you speak?”

“Oh, I’ve nothing to say now. It’s too late. But if you had told me this before we started, I might have brought my heart with me.”

“What? haven’t you your heart here?”

“Huh!” ejaculated Keema; “don’t you know about us? When we go out we leave our hearts in the trees, and go about with only our bodies. But I see you don’t believe me. You think I’m scared. Come on; let’s go to your home, where you can kill me and search for my heart in vain.”

The shark did believe him, though, and exclaimed, “Oh, no; let’s go back and get your heart.”

“Indeed, no,” protested Keema; “let us go on to your home.”

But the shark insisted that they should go back, get the heart, and start afresh.

At last, with great apparent reluctance, the monkey consented, grumbling sulkily at the unnecessary trouble he was being put to.

When they got back to the tree, he climbed up in a great hurry, calling out, “Wait there, Papa, my friend, while I get my heart, and we’ll start off properly next time.”

When he had got well up among the branches, he sat down and kept quite still.

After waiting what he considered a reasonable length of time, the shark called, “Come along, Keema!” But Keema just kept still and said nothing.

In a little while he called again: “Oh, Keema! let’s be going.”

At this the monkey poked his head out from among the upper branches and asked, in great surprise, “Going? Where?”

“To my home, of course.”

“Are you mad?” queried Keema.

“Mad? Why, what do you mean?” cried Papa.

“What’s the matter with you?” said the monkey. “Do you take me for a washerman’s donkey?”

“What peculiarity is there about a washerman’s donkey?”

“It is a creature that has neither heart nor ears.”

The shark, his curiosity overcoming his haste, thereupon begged to be told the story of the washerman’s donkey, which the monkey related as follows:

“A washerman owned a donkey, of which he was very fond. One day, however, it ran away, and took up its abode in the forest, where it led a lazy life, and consequently grew very fat.

“At length Soongoo’ra, the hare, by chance passed that way, and saw Poon’da, the donkey.

“Now, the hare is the most cunning of all beasts–if you look at his mouth you will see that he is always talking to himself about everything.

“So when Soongoora saw Poonda he said to himself, ‘My, this donkey is fat!’ Then he went and told Sim’ba, the lion.

“As Simba was just recovering from a severe illness, he was still so weak that he could not go hunting. He was consequently pretty hungry.

“Said Mr. Soongoora, ‘I’ll bring enough meat to-morrow for both of us to have a great feast, but you’ll have to do the killing.’

“‘All right, good friend,’ exclaimed Simba, joyfully; ‘you’re very kind.’

“So the hare scampered off to the forest, found the donkey, and said to her, in his most courtly manner, ‘Miss Poonda, I am sent to ask your hand in marriage.’

“‘By whom?’ simpered the donkey.

“‘By Simba, the lion.’

“The donkey was greatly elated at this, and exclaimed: ‘Let’s go at once. This is a first-class offer.’

“They soon arrived at the lion’s home, were cordially invited in, and sat down. Soongoora gave Simba a signal with his eyebrow, to the effect that this was the promised feast, and that he would wait outside. Then he said to Poonda: ‘I must leave you for a while to attend to some private business. You stay here and converse with your husband that is to be.’

“As soon as Soongoora got outside, the lion sprang at Poonda, and they had a great fight. Simba was kicked very hard, and he struck with his claws as well as his weak health would permit him. At last the donkey threw the lion down, and ran away to her home in the forest.

“Shortly after, the hare came back, and called, ‘Haya! Simba! have you got it?’

“‘I have not got it,’ growled the lion; ‘she kicked me and ran away; but I warrant you I made her feel pretty sore, though I’m not strong.’

“‘Oh, well,’ remarked Soongoora; ‘don’t put yourself out of the way about it.’

“Then Soongoora waited many days, until the lion and the donkey were both well and strong, when he said: ‘What do you think now, Simba? Shall I bring you your meat?’

“‘Ay,’ growled the lion, fiercely; ‘bring it to me. I’ll tear it in two pieces!’

“So the hare went off to the forest, where the donkey welcomed him and asked the news.

“‘You are invited to call again and see your lover,’ said Soongoora.

“‘Oh, dear!’ cried Poonda; ‘that day you took me to him he scratched me awfully. I’m afraid to go near him now.’

“‘Ah, pshaw!’ said Soongoora; ‘that’s nothing. That’s only Simba’s way of caressing.’

“‘Oh, well,’ said the donkey, ‘let’s go.’

“So off they started again; but as soon as the lion caught sight of Poonda he sprang upon her and tore her in two pieces.

“When the hare came up, Simba said to him: ‘Take this meat and roast it. As for myself, all I want is the heart and ears.’

“‘Thanks,’ said Soongoora. Then he went away and roasted the meat in a place where the lion could not see him, and he took the heart and ears and hid them. Then he ate all the meat he needed, and put the rest away.

“Presently the lion came to him and said, ‘Bring me the heart and ears.’

“‘Where are they?’ said the hare.

“‘What does this mean?’ growled Simba.

“‘Why, didn’t you know this was a washerman’s donkey?’

“‘Well, what’s that to do with there being no heart or ears?’

“‘For goodness’ sake, Simba, aren’t you old enough to know that if this beast had possessed a heart and ears it wouldn’t have come back the second time?’

“Of course the lion had to admit that what Soongoora, the hare, said was true.

“And now,” said Keema to the shark, “you want to make a washerman’s donkey of me. Get out of there, and go home by yourself. You are not going to get me again, and our friendship is ended. Good-bye, Papa.”

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

The ‘Nsasak Bird and the Odudu Bird

In King Adam’s time, a contest was held to determine which bird could endure hunger longest, with the winner to become a chief. The small, cunning ‘Nsasak bird secretly created a hidden escape in his house, allowing him to feast while the larger Odudu bird starved. After seven days, the ‘Nsasak bird triumphed, earning the title of king of small birds in Ibibio folklore.

Source
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
by Elphinstone Dayrell
Longmans, Green & Co.
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1910

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The ‘Nsasak bird uses cleverness to outwit the Odudu bird by secretly creating an escape route to access food during the endurance contest.

Trickster: The ‘Nsasak bird exemplifies the trickster archetype, employing deceit to achieve its goal of winning the contest.

Good vs. Evil: The narrative contrasts the ‘Nsasak bird’s deceitful actions with the Odudu bird’s honest approach, illustrating the moral implications of their choices.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Nigerian peoples

A long time ago, in the days of King Adam of Calabar, the king wanted to know if there was any animal or bird which was capable of enduring hunger for a long period. When he found one the king said he would make him a chief of his tribe. The ‘Nsasak bird is very small, with a shining breast of green and red; he also has blue and yellow feathers and red round the neck, and his chief food consists of ripe palm nuts. The Odudu bird, on the other hand, is much larger, about the size of a magpie, with many feathers, but a very thin body; he has a long tail, and his colouring is black and brown with a cream-coloured breast. He lives chiefly on grasshoppers, and is also very fond of crickets, which make a noise at night.

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Both the ‘Nsasak bird and the Odudu were great friends, and used to live together. They both made up their minds that they would go before the king and try to be made chiefs, but the Odudu bird was quite confident that he would win, as he was so much bigger than the ‘Nsasak bird. He therefore offered to starve for seven days.

The king then told them both to build houses which he would inspect, and then he would have them fastened up, and the one who could remain the longest without eating would be made the chief.

They both then built their houses, but the ‘Nsasak bird, who was very cunning, thought that he could not possibly live for seven days without eating anything. He therefore made a tiny hole in the wall (being very small himself), which he covered up so that the king would not notice it on his inspection. The king then came and looked carefully over both houses, but failed to detect the little hole in the ‘Nsasak bird’s house, as it had been hidden so carefully. He therefore declared that both houses were safe, and then ordered the two birds to go inside their respective houses, and the doors were carefully fastened on the outside.

Every morning at dawn the ‘Nsasak bird used to escape through the small opening he had left high up in the wall, and fly away a long distance and enjoy himself all day, taking care, however, that none of the people on the farms should see him. Then when the sun went down he would fly back to his little house and creep through the hole in the wall, closing it carefully after him. When he was safely inside he would call out to his friend the Odudu and ask him if he felt hungry, and told him that he must bear it well if he wanted to win, as he, the ‘Nsasak bird, was very fit, and could go on for a long time.

For several days this went on, the voice of the Odudu bird growing weaker and weaker every night, until at last he could no longer reply. Then the little bird knew that his friend must be dead. He was very sorry, but could not report the matter, as he was supposed to be confined inside his house.

When the seven days had expired the king came and had both the doors of the houses opened. The ‘Nsasak bird at once flew out, and, perching on a branch of a tree which grew near, sang most merrily; but the Odudu bird was found to be quite dead, and there was very little left of him, as the ants had eaten most of his body, leaving only the feathers and bones on the floor. The king therefore at once appointed the ‘Nsasak bird to be the head chief of all the small birds, and in the Ibibio country even to the present time the small boys who have bows and arrows are presented with a prize, which sometimes takes the shape of a female goat, if they manage to shoot a ‘Nsasak bird, as the ‘Nsasak bird is the king of the small birds, and most difficult to shoot on account of his wiliness and his small size.

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

The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise; or, Why the Hippopotamus lives in the Water

Long ago, the hippo, Isantim, was a powerful king on land, second only to the elephant. Despite his prominence, only his seven wives knew his name. At a feast, Isantim challenged guests to guess his name, threatening to send them away hungry. Clever tortoise uncovered Isantim’s secret and revealed it at the next feast. Ashamed, Isantim and his family retreated to the water, where hippos dwell to this day.

Source
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
by Elphinstone Dayrell
Longmans, Green & Co.
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1910

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The tortoise uses cunning to outsmart the more powerful hippopotamus.

Cunning and Deception: The tortoise’s cleverness leads to the revelation of Isantim’s name.

Origin of Things: The story explains why hippos live in water.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Nigerian peoples

Many years ago the hippopotamus, whose name was Isantim, was one of the biggest kings on the land; he was second only to the elephant. The hippo had seven large fat wives, of whom he was very fond. Now and then he used to give a big feast to the people, but a curious thing was that, although every one knew the hippo, no one, except his seven wives, knew his name.

At one of the feasts, just as the people were about to sit down, the hippo said, “You have come to feed at my table, but none of you know my name. If you cannot tell my name, you shall all of you go away without your dinner.”

► Continue reading…

As they could not guess his name, they had to go away and leave all the good food and tombo behind them. But before they left, the tortoise stood up and asked the hippopotamus what he would do if he told him his name at the next feast? So the hippo replied that he would be so ashamed of himself, that he and his whole family would leave the land, and for the future would dwell in the water.

Now it was the custom for the hippo and his seven wives to go down every morning and evening to the river to wash and have a drink. Of this custom the tortoise was aware. The hippo used to walk first, and the seven wives followed. One day when they had gone down to the river to bathe, the tortoise made a small hole in the middle of the path, and then waited. When the hippo and his wives returned, two of the wives were some distance behind, so the tortoise came out from where he had been hiding, and half buried himself in the hole he had dug, leaving the greater part of his shell exposed. When the two hippo wives came along, the first one knocked her foot against the tortoise’s shell, and immediately called out to her husband, “Oh! Isantim, my husband, I have hurt my foot.” At this the tortoise was very glad, and went joyfully home, as he had found out the hippo’s name.

When the next feast was given by the hippo, he made the same condition about his name; so the tortoise got up and said, “You promise you will not kill me if I tell you your name?” and the hippo promised. The tortoise then shouted as loud as he was able, “Your name is Isantim,” at which a cheer went up from all the people, and then they sat down to their dinner.

When the feast was over, the hippo, with his seven wives, in accordance with his promise, went down to the river, and they have always lived in the water from that day till now; and although they come on shore to feed at night, you never find a hippo on the land in the daytime.

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The King’s Magic Drum

Efriam Duke, a peaceful king of Calabar, owned a magical drum that produced abundant food when beaten, avoiding war by hosting feasts. After a cunning tortoise tricked him into parting with the drum, calamities befell the tortoise due to the drum’s curse. A subsequent magical foo-foo tree granted food daily, but greed caused its Juju to break, leaving the tortoise and his family destitute, living under a prickly tie-tie palm.

Source
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
by Elphinstone Dayrell
Longmans, Green & Co.
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1910

► Themes of the story

Divine Punishment: The tortoise faces supernatural retribution due to his greed and misuse of the magical items.

Sacred Objects: The story revolves around magical items—the drum and the foo-foo tree—that possess special powers.

Trickster: The tortoise embodies the trickster archetype, using cunning to achieve his goals, ultimately leading to his downfall.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Nigerian peoples

Efriam Duke was an ancient king of Calabar. He was a peaceful man, and did not like war. He had a wonderful drum, the property of which, when it was beaten, was always to provide plenty of good food and drink. So whenever any country declared war against him, he used to call all his enemies together and beat his drum; then to the surprise of every one, instead of fighting the people found tables spread with all sorts of dishes, fish, foo-foo, palm-oil chop, soup, cooked yams and ocros, and plenty of palm wine for everybody. In this way he kept all the country quiet, and sent his enemies away with full stomachs, and in a happy and contented frame of mind.

► Continue reading…

There was only one drawback to possessing the drum, and that was, if the owner of the drum walked over any stick on the road or stept over a fallen tree, all the food would immediately go bad, and three hundred Egbo men would appear with sticks and whips and beat the owner of the drum and all the invited guests very severely.

Efriam Duke was a rich man. He had many farms and hundreds of slaves, a large store of kernels on the beach, and many puncheons of palm-oil. He also had fifty wives and many children. The wives were all fine women and healthy; they were also good mothers, and all of them had plenty of children, which was good for the king’s house.

Every few months the king used to issue invitations to all his subjects to come to a big feast, even the wild animals were invited; the elephants, hippopotami, leopards, bush cows, and antelopes used to come, for in those days there was no trouble, as they were friendly with man, and when they were at the feast they did not kill one another. All the people and the animals as well were envious of the king’s drum and wanted to possess it, but the king would not part with it.

One morning Ikwor Edem, one of the king’s wives, took her little daughter down to the spring to wash her, as she was covered with yaws, which are bad sores all over the body. The tortoise happened to be up a palm tree, just over the spring, cutting nuts for his midday meal; and while he was cutting, one of the nuts fell to the ground, just in front of the child. The little girl, seeing the good food, cried for it, and the mother, not knowing any better, picked up the palm nut and gave it to her daughter. Directly the tortoise saw this he climbed down the tree, and asked the woman where his palm nut was. She replied that she had given it to her child to eat. Then the tortoise, who very much wanted the king’s drum, thought he would make plenty palaver over this and force the king to give him the drum, so he said to the mother of the child–

“I am a poor man, and I climbed the tree to get food for myself and my family. Then you took my palm nut and gave it to your child. I shall tell the whole matter to the king, and see what he has to say when he hears that one of his wives has stolen my food,” for this, as every one knows, is a very serious crime according to native custom.

Ikwor Edem then said to the tortoise–

“I saw your palm nut lying on the ground, and thinking it had fallen from the tree, I gave it to my little girl to eat, but I did not steal it. My husband the king is a rich man, and if you have any complaint to make against me or my child, I will take you before him.”

So when she had finished washing her daughter at the spring she took the tortoise to her husband, and told him what had taken place. The king then asked the tortoise what he would accept as compensation for the loss of his palm nut, and offered him money, cloth, kernels or palm-oil, all of which things the tortoise refused one after the other.

The king then said to the tortoise, “What will you take? You may have anything you like.”

And the tortoise immediately pointed to the king’s drum, and said that it was the only thing he wanted.

In order to get rid of the tortoise the king said, “Very well, take the drum,” but he never told the tortoise about the bad things that would happen to him if he stept over a fallen tree, or walked over a stick on the road.

The tortoise was very glad at this, and carried the drum home in triumph to his wife, and said, “I am now a rich man, and shall do no more work. Whenever I want food, all I have to do is to beat this drum, and food will immediately be brought to me, and plenty to drink.”

His wife and children were very pleased when they heard this, and asked the tortoise to get food at once, as they were all hungry. This the tortoise was only too pleased to do, as he wished to show off his newly acquired wealth, and was also rather hungry himself, so he beat the drum in the same way as he had seen the king do when he wanted something to eat, and immediately plenty of food appeared, so they all sat down and made a great feast. The tortoise did this for three days, and everything went well; all his children got fat, and had as much as they could possibly eat. He was therefore very proud of his drum, and in order to display his riches he sent invitations to the king and all the people and animals to come to a feast. When the people received their invitations they laughed, as they knew the tortoise was very poor, so very few attended the feast; but the king, knowing about the drum, came, and when the tortoise beat the drum, the food was brought as usual in great profusion, and all the people sat down and enjoyed their meal very much. They were much astonished that the poor tortoise should be able to entertain so many people, and told all their friends what fine dishes had been placed before them, and that they had never had a better dinner. The people who had not gone were very sorry when they heard this, as a good feast, at somebody else’s expense, is not provided every day. After the feast all the people looked upon the tortoise as one of the richest men in the kingdom, and he was very much respected in consequence. No one, except the king, could understand how the poor tortoise could suddenly entertain so lavishly, but they all made up their minds that if the tortoise ever gave another feast, they would not refuse again.

When the tortoise had been in possession of the drum for a few weeks he became lazy and did no work, but went about the country boasting of his riches, and took to drinking too much. One day after he had been drinking a lot of palm wine at a distant farm, he started home carrying his drum; but having had too much to drink, he did not notice a stick in the path. He walked over the stick, and of course the Ju Ju was broken at once. But he did not know this, as nothing happened at the time, and eventually he arrived at his house very tired, and still not very well from having drunk too much. He threw the drum into a corner and went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning the tortoise began to feel hungry, and as his wife and children were calling out for food, he beat the drum; but instead of food being brought, the house was filled with Egbo men, who beat the tortoise, his wife and children, badly. At this the tortoise was very angry, and said to himself–

“I asked every one to a feast, but only a few came, and they had plenty to eat and drink. Now, when I want food for myself and my family, the Egbos come and beat me. Well, I will let the other people share the same fate, as I do not see why I and my family should be beaten when I have given a feast to all people.”

He therefore at once sent out invitations to all the men and animals to come to a big dinner the next day at three o’clock in the afternoon.

When the time arrived many people came, as they did not wish to lose the chance of a free meal a second time. Even the sick men, the lame, and the blind got their friends to lead them to the feast. When they had all arrived, with the exception of the king and his wives, who sent excuses, the tortoise beat his drum as usual, and then quickly hid himself under a bench, where he could not be seen. His wife and children he had sent away before the feast, as he knew what would surely happen. Directly he had beaten the drum three hundred Egbo men appeared with whips, and started flogging all the guests, who could not escape, as the doors had been fastened. The beating went on for two hours, and the people were so badly punished, that many of them had to be carried home on the backs of their friends. The leopard was the only one who escaped, as directly he saw the Egbo men arrive he knew that things were likely to be unpleasant, so he gave a big spring and jumped right out of the compound.

When the tortoise was satisfied with the beating the people had received he crept to the door and opened it. The people then ran away, and when the tortoise gave a certain tap on the drum all the Egbo men vanished. The people who had been beaten were so angry, and made so much palaver with the tortoise, that he made up his mind to return the drum to the king the next day. So in the morning the tortoise went to the king and brought the drum with him. He told the king that he was not satisfied with the drum, and wished to exchange it for something else; he did not mind so much what the king gave him so long as he got full value for the drum, and he was quite willing to accept a certain number of slaves, or a few farms, or their equivalent in cloth or rods.

The king, however, refused to do this; but as he was rather sorry for the tortoise, he said he would present him with a magic foo-foo tree, which would provide the tortoise and his family with food, provided he kept a certain condition. This the tortoise gladly consented to do. Now this foo-foo tree only bore fruit once a year, but every day it dropped foo-foo and soup on the ground. And the condition was, that the owner should gather sufficient food for the day, once, and not return again for more. The tortoise, when he had thanked the king for his generosity, went home to his wife and told her to bring her calabashes to the tree. She did so, and they gathered plenty of foo-foo and soup quite sufficient for the whole family for that day, and went back to their house very happy.

That night they all feasted and enjoyed themselves. But one of the sons, who was very greedy, thought to himself–

“I wonder where my father gets all this good food from? I must ask him.”

So in the morning he said to his father–

“Tell me where do you get all this foo-foo and soup from?”

But his father refused to tell him, as his wife, who was a cunning woman, said–

“If we let our children know the secret of the foo-foo tree, some day when they are hungry, after we have got our daily supply, one of them may go to the tree and gather more, which will break the Ju Ju.”

But the envious son, being determined to get plenty of food for himself, decided to track his father to the place where he obtained the food. This was rather difficult to do, as the tortoise always went out alone, and took the greatest care to prevent any one following him. The boy, however, soon thought of a plan, and got a calabash with a long neck and a hole in the end. He filled the calabash with wood ashes, which he obtained from the fire, and then got a bag which his father always carried on his back when he went out to get food. In the bottom of the bag the boy then made a small hole, and inserted the calabash with the neck downwards, so that when his father walked to the foo-foo tree he would leave a small trail of wood ashes behind him. Then when his father, having slung his bag over his back as usual, set out to get the daily supply of food, his greedy son followed the trail of the wood ashes, taking great care to hide himself and not to let his father perceive that he was being followed. At last the tortoise arrived at the tree, and placed his calabashes on the ground and collected the food for the day, the boy watching him from a distance. When his father had finished and went home the boy also returned, and having had a good meal, said nothing to his parents, but went to bed. The next morning he got some of his brothers, and after his father had finished getting the daily supply, they went to the tree and collected much foo-foo and soup, and so broke the Ju Ju.

At daylight the tortoise went to the tree as usual, but he could not find it, as during the night the whole bush had grown up, and the foo-foo tree was hidden from sight. There was nothing to be seen but a dense mass of prickly tie-tie palm. Then the tortoise at once knew that some one had broken the Ju Ju, and had gathered foo-foo from the tree twice in the same day; so he returned very sadly to his house, and told his wife. He then called all his family together and told them what had happened, and asked them who had done this evil thing. They all denied having had anything to do with the tree, so the tortoise in despair brought all his family to the place where the foo-foo tree had been, but which was now all prickly tie-tie palm, and said–

“My dear wife and children, I have done all that I can for you, but you have broken my Ju Ju; you must therefore for the future live on the tie-tie palm.”

So they made their home underneath the prickly tree, and from that day you will always find tortoises living under the prickly tie-tie palm, as they have nowhere else to go to for food.

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How a Hunter obtained Money from his Friends

Effiong, a once-prosperous Calabar hunter, borrows money from a friend and several animals but cannot repay them. He devises a plan, leaving his creditors to confront each other. A series of violent encounters ensues, leaving all the animal creditors dead. Effiong manipulates his human friend to cancel the debt and profits from selling a leopard skin. The tale warns against lending money to unreliable individuals.

Source
Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria
by Elphinstone Dayrell
Longmans, Green & Co.
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta, 1910

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Effiong embodies the trickster archetype, using his wit and cunning to outsmart others for his benefit.

Revenge and Justice: The violent outcomes among the creditors can be interpreted as a form of poetic justice, where deceit leads to unintended retribution.

Conflict with Authority: Effiong’s actions challenge social norms and the expectations of trust and reciprocity within his community.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Nigerian peoples

Many years ago there was a Calabar hunter called Effiong, who lived in the bush, killed plenty of animals, and made much money. Every one in the country knew him, and one of his best friends was a man called Okun, who lived near him.

But Effiong was very extravagant, and spent much money in eating and drinking with every one, until at last he became quite poor, so he had to go out hunting again; but now his good luck seemed to have deserted him, for although he worked hard, and hunted day and night, he could not succeed in killing anything.

► Continue reading…

One day, as he was very hungry, he went to his friend Okun and borrowed two hundred rods from him, and told him to come to his house on a certain day to get his money, and he told him to bring his gun, loaded, with him.

Now, some time before this Effiong had made friends with a leopard and a bush cat, whom he had met in the forest whilst on one of his hunting expeditions; and he had also made friends with a goat and a cock at a farm where he had stayed for the night. But though Effiong had borrowed the money from Okun, he could not think how he was to repay it on the day he had promised. At last, however, he thought of a plan, and on the next day he went to his friend the leopard, and asked him to lend him two hundred rods, promising to return the amount to him on the same day as he had promised to pay Okun; and he also told the leopard, that if he were absent when he came for his money, he could kill anything he saw in the house and eat it. The leopard was then to wait until the hunter arrived, when he would pay him the money; and to this the leopard agreed. The hunter then went to his friend the goat, and borrowed two hundred rods from him in the same way. Effiong also went to his friends the bush cat and the cock, and borrowed two hundred rods from each of them on the same conditions, and told each one of them that if he were absent when they arrived, they could kill and eat anything they found about the place.

When the appointed day arrived the hunter spread some corn on the ground, and then went away and left the house deserted. Very early in the morning, soon after he had begun to crow, the cock remembered what the hunter had told him, and walked over to the hunter’s house, but found no one there. On looking round, however, he saw some corn on the ground, and, being hungry, he commenced to eat. About this time the bush cat also arrived, and not finding the hunter at home, he, too, looked about, and very soon he espied the cock, who was busy picking up the grains of corn. So the bush cat went up very softly behind and pounced on the cock and killed him at once, and began to eat him. By this time the goat had come for his money; but not finding his friend, he walked about until he came upon the bush cat, who was so intent upon his meal off the cock, that he did not notice the goat approaching; and the goat, being in rather a bad temper at not getting his money, at once charged at the bush cat and knocked him over, butting him with his horns. This the bush cat did not like at all, so, as he was not big enough to fight the goat, he picked up the remains of the cock and ran off with it to the bush, and so lost his money, as he did not await the arrival of the hunter. The goat was thus left master of the situation and started bleating, and this noise attracted the attention of the leopard, who was on his way to receive payment from the hunter. As he got nearer the smell of goat became very strong, and being hungry, for he had not eaten anything for some time, he approached the goat very carefully. Not seeing any one about he stalked the goat and got nearer and nearer, until he was within springing distance. The goat, in the meantime, was grazing quietly, quite unsuspicious of any danger, as he was in his friend the hunter’s compound. Now and then he would say Ba!! But most of the time he was busy eating the young grass, and picking up the leaves which had fallen from a tree of which he was very fond. Suddenly the leopard sprang at the goat, and with one crunch at the neck brought him down. The goat was dead almost at once, and the leopard started on his meal.

It was now about eight o’clock in the morning, and Okun, the hunter’s friend, having had his early morning meal, went out with his gun to receive payment of the two hundred rods he had lent to the hunter. When he got close to the house he heard a crunching sound, and, being a hunter himself, he approached very cautiously, and looking over the fence saw the leopard only a few yards off busily engaged eating the goat. He took careful aim at the leopard and fired, whereupon the leopard rolled over dead. The death of the leopard meant that four of the hunter’s creditors were now disposed of, as the bush cat had killed the cock, the goat had driven the bush cat away (who thus forfeited his claim), and in his turn the goat had been killed by the leopard, who had just been slain by Okun. This meant a saving of eight hundred rods to Effiong; but he was not content with this, and directly he heard the report of the gun he ran out from where he had been hiding all the time, and found the leopard lying dead with Okun standing over it. Then in very strong language Effiong began to upbraid his friend, and asked him why he had killed his old friend the leopard, that nothing would satisfy him but that he should report the whole matter to the king, who would no doubt deal with him as he thought fit. When Effiong said this Okun was frightened, and begged him not to say anything more about the matter, as the king would be angry; but the hunter was obdurate, and refused to listen to him; and at last Okun said, “If you will allow the whole thing to drop and will say no more about it, I will make you a present of the two hundred rods you borrowed from me.” This was just what Effiong wanted, but still he did not give in at once; eventually, however, he agreed, and told Okun he might go, and that he would bury the body of his friend the leopard.

Directly Okun had gone, instead of burying the body Effiong dragged it inside the house and skinned it very carefully. The skin he put out to dry in the sun, and covered it with wood ash, and the body he ate. When the skin was well cured the hunter took it to a distant market, where he sold it for much money. And now, whenever a bush cat sees a cock he always kills it, and does so by right, as he takes the cock in part payment of the two hundred rods which the hunter never paid him.

MORAL.–Never lend money to people, because if they cannot pay they will try to kill you or get rid of you in some way, either by poison or by setting bad Ju Ju’s for you.

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

Olofat – The Trickster God

One  of  the  most  important  myths  or  series  of  myths  in the  Carolines,  outside  of  the  more  strictly  cosmogonic tales,  is  that  describing  the  exploits  of  Olofat  or  Olifat,  the eldest  son  of  Luke-lang,  the  highest  deity.  In  the  version  from the  central  Carolines,  which  is  here  followed,  he  appears  as a mischievous,  almost  malicious,  person  who  stands  in  marked contrast  to  his  brother  or  brothers,  who  are  beneficent;  and it  is  interesting  to  compare  this  antithesis  of  malice  and  goodness with  Melanesian  types.

Source
The Mythology of All Races
Volume IX – Oceanic
by Roland B. Dixon
Marshall Jones Co., Boston, 1916

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Olofat embodies the archetypal trickster, engaging in mischievous and deceptive behaviors that disrupt the natural order.

Conflict with Authority: Olofat’s actions challenge the authority of his father, Luk, and the established order of the sky-world.

Good vs. Evil: The story contrasts Olofat’s malevolent deeds with the benevolent nature of his brother, highlighting the struggle between opposing moral forces.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Carolinian people

Olofat  saw  that  one  of  his  brothers  was  better  than  he  and also  more  beautiful,  and  at  this  he  became  angry.  Looking down  from  the  sky-world  and  seeing  two  boys  who  had  caught a couple  of  sharks,  with  which  they  were  playing  in  a fishpond, he  descended  to  earth  and  gave  the  sharks  teeth,  so that  they  bit  the  hands  of  the  children.  When  the  boys  ran home  crying  with  pain  and  told  their  troubles  to  their  mother, Ligoapup,  who  was  the  sister  of  Olofat,  she  asked  them  if they  had  not  seen  any  one  about,  whereupon  they  said  that they  had,  and  that  he  was  more  handsome  than  any  man  whom they  had  ever  beheld.

► Continue reading…

Knowing  that  this  must  be  her  brother, Olofat,  Ligoapup  asked  her  sons  where  he  was,  and  they  answered, “Close  by  the  sea.”  She  then  told  them  to  go  and  get the  man  and  bring  him  to  her,  but  when  they  reached  the place  where  they  had  left  him,  they  found  only  an  old,  grey-haired man,  covered  with  dirt.  Returning  to  their  mother,  they informed  her  that  the  man  whom  they  had  seen  was  no  longer there;  but  she  bade  them  go  back  and  bring  whomsoever  they might  find.  Accordingly  they  set  off,  but  this  time  they  saw only  a heap  of  filth  in  place  of  a man;  and  so  once  more  they went  home  to  their  mother,  who  told  them  to  return  a third time.  Obeying  her,  they  questioned  the  filth,  saying,  “Are you  Olofat?  For  if  you  are,  you  must  come  to  our  mother”; whereupon  the  pile  of  filth  turned  into  a handsome  man  who accompanied  them  to  Ligoapup.  She  said  to  him,  “Why  are you  such  a deceiver?”  And  Olofat  replied,  “How  so?”  And she  said,  “First,  you  turned  yourself  into  a dirty  old  man, and  then  into  a pile  of  filth.”  “I  am  afraid  of  my  father,” answered  Olofat.  “Yes,”  said  Ligoapup,  “you  are  afraid because  you  gave  teeth  to  the  shark.”  Then  Olofat  replied, “I  am  angry  at  Luk,  for  he  created  my  brother  handsomer than  I am,  and  with  greater  power.  I shall  give  teeth  to  all sharks,  in  order  that  they  may  eat  men  whenever  canoes  tip over.”  When  Luk,  who  was  in  the  sky-world,  became  aware of  these  things,  he  said  to  his  wife,  “It  would  be  well  if  Olofat came  back  to  heaven,  since  he  is  only  doing  evil  on  earth”; and  his  wife,  Inoaeman,  said,  “I  think  so,  too.  Otherwise  he will  destroy  mankind,  for  he  is  an  evil  being.”

Accordingly  Luk  ordered  the  people  of  the  sky-world  to build  a great  house,  and  when  it  was  finished,  he  not  only  commanded that  a feast  be  announced,  but  also  had  a large  fish-basket  prepared,  in  which  they  placed  Olofat  and  sank  him in  the  sea.  After  five  nights,  when  they  thought  he  would  be dead,  two  men  went  in  a canoe  and  hauled  up  the  basket;  but behold!  it  contained  only  a multitude  of  great  fish,  for  Olofat had  slipped  away  and  seated  himself  in  a canoe  near  by. The  men  asked  him,  “Who  are  you?”  And  he  replied,  “I  am Olofat.  Come  here,  and  I will  help  you  to  put  the  fish  into your  boat.”  Taking  one  fish  after  the  other,  he  handed  them to  the  men,  but  in  so  doing  he  removed  all  the  flesh  of  the  fish and  gave  the  men  merely  the  empty  skins.  For  himself  he kept  nothing  but  the  smallest  ones;  and  when  the  people  said, “Why  is  it  that  you  take  only  the  little  fish?”  Olofat  replied.

“Give  Luk  all  the  big  ones;  I am  quite  satisfied  with  the  little ones.”  Then  the  people  brought  the  catch  to  Luk,  who  asked them,  “Where  is  the  fish-basket?  Who  took  the  fish  out?” When  they  replied,  “Olofat  did  that,  but  has  again  placed the  basket  in  the  sea,”  Luk  said,  “Has  he  then  taken  no  fish for  himself?”  to  which  they  answered,  “Only  the  very  smallest ones.”  Luk  now  ordered  all  sorts  of  food  to  be  prepared for  the  feast  and  commanded  that  the  fishes  should  be  cooked; and  when  all  were  gathered  in  the  house,  while  Olofat  sat  at the  entrance,  Luk  said,  “Let  every  one  now  eat.  Let  the  food be  divided,  and  let  each  receive  his  share.”  Nevertheless, Olofat  refused  to  receive  any;  and  when  the  guests  took  up the  fish,  lo!  there  were  only  the  empty  skins,  and  within  was nothing,  so  that  they  had  to  content  themselves  with  fruit.

Olofat,  however,  ate  his  own  fish;  but  Luk  said,  “See,  we have  nothing,  whereas  Olofat  is  able  to  eat  his  own  fish,  and  is still  not  finished  with  them.”  Thereupon  he  became  very  angry and  sent  word  to  Thunder  to  destroy  Olofat;  but  since  Thunder lived  in  a house  at  a distance,  Luk  said,  “Take  Thunder  some food.”  So  one  of  the  gods  took  some  of  the  viands  in  order  to carry  them,  but  Olofat,  snatching  them  from  him,  himself carried  them  to  Thunder;  and  on  arriving  at  the  house,  he called  out,  “O  Thunder,  I bring  food.”  Now  Thunder  had found  a white  hen,  and  coming  out,  he  thundered;  but  though Luk  cried,  “Kill  him,”  and  though  Thunder  blazed,  Olofat merely  placed  his  hand  before  his  eyes.  Nevertheless,  Thunder followed  him  and  thundered  again  and  again  behind  him;  but from  under  his  mantle  Olofat  took  some  coco-nut  milk  which he  had  brought  with  him,  and  sprinkling  it  upon  Thunder, he  quenched  the  lightning.  After  this  he  seized  Thunder  and bore  him  back  to  his  own  home;  and  when  Olofat  had  returned to  the  feast  house,  Luk  said,  “Why  has  the  man  not  been killed?”  Notwithstanding  this,  Olofat  again  took  his  place  by the  door,  while  Luk  now  ordered  another  of  the  gods  to  take food  to  Anulap.  Thereupon  Olofat  stood  up  and  walked  along behind  the  one  who  carried  the  food  and  he  took  the  viands away  from  him,  saying,  “ I myself  will  take  the  food  to Anulap.” So  he  went  to  the  god  and  said,  “Here  are  viands  for  you”; and  then  he  turned  about  and  came  back  to  the  great  assembly house,  whereupon  Luk  said  to  Anulap,  “Why  have  you not  killed  the  man?”  Then  Anulap  took  his  great  hook, which  was  fastened  to  a strong  rope,  and  throwing  it  at  Olofat,  he  caught  him  around  the  neck;  but  Olofat  quickly  seized a mussel-shell  and  cut  the  rope,  after  which  he  hastened  to the  house  of  Anulap,  where  he  sat  down  upon  the  threshold. When  Anulap  saw  him,  he  seized  his  club  to  strike  Olofat;  but as  he  stretched  it  out,  the  latter  changed  himself  into  a wooden mortar.  Thereupon  Anulap  called,  “Where  is  Olofat?”  and his  wife,  answering,  “He  must  have  run  away,”  they  lay  down and  slept.  After  all  this  Luk  said,  “We  can  do  nothing  with Olofat;  I believe  he  cannot  die.  Go,  O Laitian,  and  tell  the people  to  come  in  the  morning  to  make  a porch  for  the  house.” When  the  people  had  come  and  asked  how  they  should  construct the  porch,  Luk  said,  “Go  to  the  forest  and  bring  great tree-trunks”;  and  when  this  was  done,  and  the  tree-trunks were  laid  by  the  house,  Luk  commanded,  “Now,  go  and  fetch Olofat.”  Olofat  came  and  said,  “I  shall  go,  too”;  but  Luk replied,  “You  must  aid  us  to  build  the  porch.  You  must  make three  holes  in  the  ground,  two  shallow  and  one  deep;  and  in these  the  tree-trunks  must  be  set.”  Accordingly  Olofat  dug three  holes,  but  in  each  of  them  he  made  an  excavation  at one  side;  after  which  Luk  asked,  “Olofat,  are  you  ready  yet?” Thereupon  Olofat,  taking  a nut  and  a stone,  secreted  them  in his  girdle;  and  Luk  said,  “Now  set  the  tree-trunks  in  the  holes.” In  obedience  to  this,  three  men  seized  the  upper  end,  while Olofat  grasped  the  lower  part;  and  they  pushed  Olofat  so  that he  fell  into  the  hole,  only  to  creep  quickly  into  the  space  which he  had  made  on  the  side.  Not  knowing  this,  however,  they then  raised  the  tree-trunk  high,  and  dropping  it  into  the  hole, they  made  it  firm  with  earth  and  stone. All  now  believed  that  Olofat  had  been  caught  under  the great  post  and  had  been  crushed  to  death.  He,  however,  sat in  his  hole  on  the  side,  and  being  hungry  five  nights  later,  he cracked  the  nut  with  the  stone  which  he  had  brought  with him  and  ate  it;  whereupon  ants  came,  and  taking  the  fragments which  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  they  carried  the  food along  the  trunk  to  the  surface,  going  in  long  rows.  The  man who  sat  in  the  house  above,  seeing  this,  said  to  his  wife, “Olofat  is  dead,  for  the  ants  are  bringing  up  parts  of  his  body”; but  when  Olofat  heard  the  speech  of  the  man,  he  turned  himself into  an  ant  and  crept  with  the  others  up  the  post.  Having climbed  high,  he  allowed  himself  to  drop  upon  the  body  of  the man,  who  pushed  the  ant  off,  so  that  it  fell  to  the  ground, where  it  was  immediately  changed  into  Olofat.  As  soon  as  the people  saw  him,  they  sprang  up  in  fear,  and  Olofat  said,  “What are  you  talking  about. When  Luk  beheld  him,  he  said,  “We have  tried  in  every  possible  way  to  kill  you,  but  it  seems that  you  cannot  die.  Bring  me  Samenkoaner.”  After  Samenkoaner  had  come  and  sat  down,  Luk  asked  him,  “How  is  it that  Olofat  cannot  die.?  Can  you  kill  him.?”  To  this  Samenkoaner replied,  “No,  not  even  if  I thought  about  it  for  a whole night  long,  could  I find  a means;  for  he  is  older  than  I.” Thereupon  Luk  said,  “But  I do  not  wish  that  he  should  destroy all  men  upon  the  earth”;  and  so  the  Rat,  Luk’s  sister,  advised that  they  should  burn  Olofat.  Accordingly  they  made  a great fire,  to  which  they  brought  Olofat;  but  he  had  with  him  a roll  of  coco-nut  fibre,  and  when  Luk  ordered  them  to  throw him  into  the  flames,  he  crept  through  the  roll  and  came  out safely  upon  the  other  side  of  the  fire.  Then  Luk  said,  “Rat, we  have  tried  everything  to  kill  him,  but  in  vain”;  and  the Rat  answered,  “He  cannot  die;  so  make  him  the  lord  of  all who  are  evil  and  deceitful.”

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