Term
| "The Beauty of the Partridge" -- The Kabyle |
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Definition
| Algeria: Partridge becomes beautiful by rolling on the forest floor (etc.) and Jackal tries the same thing, but has different results. |
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Term
| "The Unborn Child" -- The Lenje -- Cibuta |
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Definition
| Zambia: In a drought, man kills wife with child after he thinks she steals his food. He goes to in-laws to get more food, but the unborn baby follows him. In-laws kill him after baby comes to village. |
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Term
| "The Blue Crane" -- The San |
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Definition
| Kalahari Desert and Namibia: Blue Crane wishes to help domestic dispute between two frogs. Gets eaten by lions. Brought back from death by Mantis. |
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Term
| "The Python's Shining Stone" -- Ekoi -- Okun Asere |
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Definition
| Nigeria: Sheep and antelope have farms and generously give food to everyone else. Antelope trades farm for shiny stone. Sheep has to give stone for food to Effion Obassi and he makes it the moon. He hangs it so it only shines from one side--that's why it's dark sometimes. |
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Term
| "The Weight before the Door" -- Arabic |
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Definition
| Morocco: Story about marriage. Man's rich father dies and tells his son to listen to Jew for marriage proposals. Jew gives the son suitors, but tells the son that he should only marry them if he can move the stone that blocks his way into his wife-to-be's room. After two failed attempts, the third wife-to-be helps him move the stone and they marry. |
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Term
| "Salamone the Orphan" -- Tswana |
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Definition
| Botswana and South Africa: Boy's father dies and he mourns. His mother gets annoyed with him and plans to kill him. Man tips the boy off and he leaves. He gets help from nature by ant and dove and eventually finds a wife after killing an ogre who has kept her prisoner. His hometown is at war and when his mother comes for rescue, he kills her and becomes new chief of his old people. |
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Term
| "The Head of a Masai Woman" -- Kikuyu |
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Definition
| Kenya: Three men go on an adventure and cross paths with the head of a woman. The woman just wants blood from their bullock, and then tells the men they must never speak of her. When they return to the village, one man tells the story. The head kills him and feeds his organs to his unknowing mother. But after the people give her cattle, she brings the man back to life. The head again warns to never speak of their meeting. |
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Term
| "The Gamboler of the Plain" -- Ronga |
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Definition
| Mozambique: Man wants a wife but refuses any girl that his parents offer him. He goes to find a wife in a different village. He finds a wife and her parents offer them gifts, but she insists to take the sacred buffalo with her. Her parents are hesitant, but let her have it. When they return to the man's village the buffalo does all of her work, but then because the buffalo has to steal to eat, her husband shoots it (as it has become a nuisance of the village). When she tells her home-village, the people all commit suicide (including her) for the buffalo was a promise among the ruins. The man is wifeless again. |
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Term
| The Three Ages in African Myth |
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Definition
| The perfect age, the differentiation age, and the contemporary age |
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Term
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Definition
| A dualistic part of the creator god comprised of good and evil, order and chaos. The link between god (creative) and man (destructive). |
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Term
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Definition
| An unpredictable character whose residual creativeness is seen in the illusions that he establishes, whose amorality is witnessed in his outrageous conduct. |
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Term
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Definition
| Uganda: Kintu is the first man on earth with a cow. When his cow is stolen by the gods, he goes to retrieve his cow in the heavens. Mugulu (sky deity) tests Kintu, but he passes them all and gets his cow back and Nambi (the god's daughter) for a wife. Her brother, Warumbe (death/disease), also comes along uninvited. Although Mugulu sends down Kaikuzi (Digger) to retrieve Warumbe, he fails and therefore Warumbe (and death/disease) remain on earth. |
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Term
| "God Creates Man and Woman" -- Anuak -- Shikh Oterie of Dimma |
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Definition
| Sudan: Jwok (an androgynous god) has animals for sons and then man and woman (Otino and Akongo respectively). Upon seeing the humans, god has them cast away for they look weird without hair. The dog however takes care of the children until they are grown. When they are fully grown, they trick god by taking the Elephant, bison, and crocodiles place in line. The humans receive spears and other weapons, and therefore become the top of the food chain. The other animals are given tusks, horns, and teeth but are forced to live in the wild and man lives in the best places. |
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Term
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Definition
| Egyptian: Osiris is god of agriculture and of the Nile. Set is jealous brother, Isis is sister/wife. Set tells people that whoever fits in a beautiful coffin get it. Osiris goes in, is trapped, and set throws him into Mediterranean. Isis is sad and looks for Osiris. Finds the coffin as a column in the queen's house. Puts random baby into fire to become immortal as she mourns Osiris. Baby is taken out of fire, and therefore humans die. Osiris is buried properly, but then set tears Osiris body apart. And so we have seasons (?). |
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Term
| "God Moves to the Heavens" -- Lozi |
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Definition
| Zambia: Kamunu (the first man) attempts to do everything Nyambe (god) does, in order to become equal. Then, he begins to kill Nyambe's creatures, something he tolerates until another pattern starts and Kamunu's own home and possessions begin to suffer as a consequence. In the end, God moves to heaven. When Kamunu tries to create a tower to heaven, the tower fails and kills those working on it. |
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Term
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Definition
| authoritative prohibition (that is usually broken within a story) |
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Term
| "The Last Question" -- Science Fiction |
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Definition
| Isaac Asimov: Question whether entropy can be reversed and the end of the universe reversed is asked to a super computer many times, and the computer always answers, "Insufficient Data For A Meaningful Answer." Finally, when the universe is about to end, and the AC (supercomputer) said "Let there be light" and there was light. |
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Term
| "The Parting of the Waters: Heitsi Eibip" -- The Khoi |
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Definition
| Southern Africa: Part 1 of 2. A sorcerer/resurrecting god named Heitsi Eibip. When an enemy pursued his people, through a spell/prayer to his ancestors (in the perfect age), he parted a body of water so that his people would pass through, and his enemy drowned (Moses-like). |
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Term
| "The Parting of the Waters: A Nama Woman Outwits Elephants" -- The Khoi |
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Definition
| Southern Africa: Part 2 of 2. Beginning of Khoi civilization. A woman is married to an elephant, but she escapes the marriage with her husband by memorizing the sleeping patterns of the elephant (she leaves during a deep sleep). To flee, they must pass through a rock, and she prays to her ancestors and the rock opens up for them to pass. The elephant tries the same, but is crushed. |
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Term
| Ikàggen and the All-devourer -- The San |
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Definition
| Kalahari Desert and Namibia: Starts at the end of the golden age--the San are about to be created. Ikàggen will take the things fof civilization from heaven ,where they belong to the ticks, and transfer them to the earth, where they will become the materials of San culture. Ikàggen (Mantis/god) is beaten almost to death by ticks who had hidden in wool. |
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Term
| "Ikàggen Creates an Eland" -- The San |
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Definition
| Klahari Desert and Namibia: Ikàggen, out of his son's shoe-piece, creates an eland. After Ikàggen takes his grandson to see the eland, later the grandson and the son of Ikàggen cut up and eat the eland. Later, Ikàggen bursts a gall on his face and creates the nighttime because men (his grandson and son) killed his creation (the eland). But he then creates the moon from an ostrich feather he found when he burst a gall upon himself, so a light is made for the night. This points to the ambiguity of God and of existence: humans must kill god's creation to live, but in killing the creation they upset the balance of nature and must therefore be punished. It is a paradox. |
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Term
| "God's Message is Garbled" -- Kamba |
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Definition
| Kenya: A story of house death came into the world. A frog a chameleon and a bird are told to go into the world and find dead people and bring them back to life. The chameleon almost succeeds, but the bird interrupts him, and so the people stay dead. When they go back to god (Enkai) the chameleon tries to explain what happened, but Enkai believes the bird's side of the story. So the chameleon is punished (not teeth and slow) while the bird is put in charge to wake up the people every morning (that's why Itoroko bird always wakes up first). |
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Term
| "The Chameleon is Late" -- Yao |
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Definition
| Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania (Southeastern Africa): A story of how death came into the world. A salamander and chameleon race to the graves of humans. The salamander's message is that humans are to die, the chameleon's message is that they will rise again. The salamander win's the race, chameleon shows up late, and no one believes him. |
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Term
| "The Dead Man and the Moon" -- Zande |
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Definition
| Southern Sudan: A story of how death came into the world. Two frogs are put in charge of bringing a corpse and the dead moon across the river. The one with long legs carries the moon, and is successful. The other one has short legs and therefore drowns with the corpse. That is why when the moon dies, it comes back, and man does not. |
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Term
| "Sleep and Death" -- The Boloki |
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Definition
| Central African Republic: A story about how death came into the world Nkengo goes into the clouds to the cloud-folk and asks for everlasting life. They say he can have it if he doesn't sleep for seven days. He makes it through six, but nods off on the seventh. Therefore death still exists in the world. |
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Term
| "The First War on Earth" -- Kono |
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Definition
| Liberia and Sierra Leone: A story about how death came into the world. The first war was started because there were more men in the world than women. So when a perfect woman, Lango, was created by god for Samba, his father Tamba became jealous and ran off Samba so he could have Lango all for himself. And then more and more wars were fought over the woman. "So it was that the first war and the first murder came into this world, for the sake of a woman, and it as been so ever since." |
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Term
| "The Two Bundles" -- Boloki |
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Definition
| Central African Republic: Story about Primal Choices. Two bags are offered to a man by a little man. One bag has supplies and the other has everlasting life. The man goes to meditate about the question, but in the meantime a group of women come and choose the bag with supplies. That's why we have death in the world. |
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Term
| "The Crow and the Vulture" -- Asante |
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Definition
| Ghana: Story about Primal Choices. There was once a crow and a vulture, both slaves of their master. They come across two boxes--one is very pretty and the other is ugly. The vulture takes the pretty one and the crow takes the ugly one. When they are opened, the pretty box has rubbish and the ugly one has fine silks. When vulture confronts the master about the unfairness, the master replies "you have made your choice and it now too late to repent. Filth and garbage you have chosen, and filth and garbage shall henceforth be your inheritance." and then the crow was made beautiful and the vulture was ugly. |
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Term
| "Abunawas and the Goat's Horns" -- The Tigre |
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Definition
| Ethiopia: Abunawas, a trickster, plants horns around a well and tells a passerby with a camel that the well produces goats. The stranger trades his camel for the "magic" well. Abunawas tells the stranger his name is "Where shall we dance," so when the stranger finds out that he has been duped, he goes into the village asking if people know "where shall we dance" and the village people made fun of him. When the chief finds out, he gives money to whoever fooled the stranger. Abunawas goes and says it was him, takes the money and gives back the camel to the stranger. |
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Term
| "Beiho Tricks His Uncles" -- The Tigre |
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Definition
| Ethiopia: Beiho (half animal/human trickster) who is born by himself w/o midwife. He tricks his uncles into killing their own wives, burning down their own houses, killing their cattle, and then drowning their families and themselves. Later Beiho dresses up as a girl so he can stay with a chief's daughter's home with her. He gets her pregnant. When a suitor comes for the chief's daughter, he takes her place and goes to be married. When he gets to the village, he asks for his dowry (a horse) and gets it. he then escapes on it back to the chief's village and (as a male Beiho) asks for his "sister" back. They say they gave her up for marriage, but give him the chief's daughter. They live happily ever-after, but the two villages kill each other in war. |
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Term
| "The Wax Doll" -- The Vai |
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Definition
| Liberia: A spider (a trickster) pretends to be sick during planting/harvest and the rest of his community tends to his field. Then he starts to steal food from them. Then they set up a trap for the spider--a wax doll--to attract the spider. The spider gets stuck and gets caught and burned to death. |
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Term
| "The Cunning Hare" -- The Ikom |
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Definition
| Souther Nigeria: A hare loves meat, so he sets up a plan where an animal gets caught and so must be eaten--his meat shared among all the animals. However, the rabbit always steals the meat before the meal and whoever is taking care of the meat is then also sentenced to death for stealing/selling the meat. So it goes until the tortoise takes care of the meat, and he sets a rubber trap on the meat. Rabbit gets stuck, and has to pay a fine. But when the rabbit goes home to pay the fine, he instead moves his family to the top of a tree. The other animals try to get to the rabbit by climbing the rope, but the rabbit cuts the rope once all of them are on the rope (except for turtle). The animals all fall on turtle breaking his shell. Luckily turtle's wife puts his shell back together and that's why the turtle has a weird shell. |
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Term
| "Turning the Tables on Trickster" -- The Nuer |
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Definition
| Sudan: Rill the jackal tricks Quoing the turtle into killing his own cow and then the jackal took all of the cows meat. But Quoing sits in the pots where jackal is cooking the meat and waits for him. When the jackal licked the pot, the turtle gets his revenge by biting his tongue. |
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Term
| The Magic Drum -- The Benga |
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Definition
| Gabon: Tortoise, amidst a great hunger, falls into a river and winds up getting a magic drum--a silent one, that doesn't talk, as he is told to get--that gives him and his family food. Soon, word gets out that he has food, and so Leopard's family demands the drum. When Tortoise give him the drum, the drum stops working because of its mistreatment. Then the King gets word of the drum, and Tortoise's drum has to supply food to everyone. And it worked, but then it became indignant at having been used by hands other than those of the Tortoise. So it doesn't work anymore. Tortoise goes back to the stream and gets another drum--but this time one that talks that he wasn't supposed to take. When he uses this drum, whips come out and whip him. But then he uses this drum to get revenge on Leopard and the King. He promises them food when they use it, but when they do, it just beats them. Then Tortoise fled to the river, and Leopard and him never see each other again. |
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Term
| "Mohammed with the Magic Finger" -- Arabian |
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Definition
| Libya: A mother brings her family to live "where there is no death." The son/uncle/youth grows up, and moves away. However, although no one "dies" in this town, when one gets sick, they kill them--as what happened to the mother. So the daughter/sister leaves the family in fright and finds a demon and marries him. The brother of the family comes back and sees what has happened. He leaves the town and goes to find his sister. The sister's little son, Mohammed, can tell that his uncle is coming because of his magic finger. The sister wants to kill her brother, so she tries to get her demon-husband to do it, but Mohammed always tells his uncle of her plan, and so he is unharmed. Eventually, the mother/sister gets herself and her husband killed with her murderous attempts. Mohammed (mirroring the growing wisdom of the uncle) and the uncle go on and sell the sheep and cattle. They part, with Mohammed saying "Don't take a job from the red-haired man." The uncle does so anyway, going against the interdiction, and gets a job from the red-haired man, who makes him complete impossible tasks under a contract he can't break for if he does, he owes the red-haired man a strip of flesh. Eventually Mohammed comes back, and switches places with the uncle. While Mohammed is under the employment of the red-haired man, he kills the red-haired man's mother, kills all of his sons but one, and then drives away all of his cattle (stealing it) until the red-haired man breaks the working contract and gives Mohammed a strip of flesh. Then with the strip of flesh, Mohammed and the uncle trade up the flesh until they get a wife and a cow for the Uncle. Then they part, never to see each other again, and the uncle is now a man. |
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Term
| "The Story of Chakijana" -- The Zulu |
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Definition
| Southeastern Africa: Woman has two children, one out of wed-lock, and a younger one after she is married. One day, when she is working the fields with her younger son tied to her back, Chakijana (a trickster), offers to help her and take care of the child. She is untrusting, but eventually (with increasing increments of time) Chakijana is able to gain her trust long enough so he can steal the baby away to pay off his debts to the Ogres with a help of a Duiker (a small type of deer). When trying to flea from the mother, Chakijana comes to the edge of a wide river he cannot cross, so he turns himself into a stone. The mother, in her anger of losing sight o Chakijana, throws the stone across the river, and so Chakijana completes his escape. He gives the baby and the duiker (symbolizing he is out of harmony with both society and nature) over to the Ogres and they eat them. After that, Chakijana takes his scoop and has a trading-up pattern until he meets up with the older son of the mother from the beginning of the story. The son traps Chakijana and brings him back to the mother to be killed. They beat Chakijana senseless, even though he tries to escape repeatedly as he changes into different animals. Eventually, they give Chakijana over to the same Ogre which ate the other son, and have them eat Chakijana--symbolizing that although Chakijana is dead, his evil/trickster soul is part of the Ogres now, and part of everyone. |
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Term
| "The Grasshopper and the Fiddle" -- The Gogo |
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Definition
| Tanzania: Hyena and Hare have a competition for who can go without food the longest. Hare hides a bunch of food and eats it while the Hyena just goes hungry. Hare then attaches a grasshopper to his fiddle, so when even he is asleep, it sounds like he is playing the fiddle. Hyena always wishes to go and steel food at night, but hears the fiddle, so he is afraid Hare will rat him out. Finally, Hyena had enough anyway and went out and then killed and ate one of his to-be father-in-law's goats. Hyena gets caught for what he did, and Hare is also taken prisoner. They are tied up by what their fathers did for a living. Hare said that his father harvested bananas and so they tied him up by bananas. Hyena said his father was a rich man and so they tied him up with leather. The banana fibre got dry, so it broke and so Hare was able to escape. Hyena's leather, however, stood firm and so they killed him. |
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Term
| "The Fox and the Hyena" -- The Yao |
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Definition
| Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania: Tables-turned pattern, where a hyena first brings a mbendu along with him on a trip to visit a friend. Along the way, hyena does a series of things where he tricks mbendu. The next time the hyena visits the friend, a fox comes along with him instead of the mbendu. The fox, being more sly than the mbendu, knows what the hyena is up to and therefore counters every one of the hyena's tricks--which eventually kills the hyena. |
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Term
| "Sikhuluma, the Boy Who Did Not Speak" -- Xhosa |
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Definition
Southeastern Africa:
Part one: Two brothers are born, one unable to speak (Sikhuluma) and other normal (Sithalotshalwana). One day, the boys and hunters follow birds deeper and deeper into a forest (the separation), killing the birds and eating them as they go. When the group comes upon a homestead, Sikhuluma--speaking for the first time--tells them not to sleep there. Sithalotshalwana tells them it'll be fine, and the group sides with Sithalotshalwana. This pattern continues further until it turns out that they all die except for Sikhuluma. Sikhuluma returns home, following his dog. He retells the sad story to the village and is pardoned and actually thanked for letting everyone know what happened to the group of boys.
Part two: Sikhuluma wants to be circumcised and is. But after he does, he says he won't go until he can wear the skin of a monster. Sikhuluma's sister decides she will complete the task. She goes to the river and coaxes out the water monster with a loaf of bread. The water monster chases her into a village, where the monster is shot and killed. The skin is made into a coat for Sikhuluma (inside-out, for the outside was very scary) and he came out of his circumcision lodge.
Part Three: This is a bride quest. Sikhuluma goes to seek a daughter of Mangangedolo for a wife--which is dangerous because all of the previous suitors were killed. A mouse (symbolizing Sikhuluma's growing wisdom) gives Sikhuluma his skin as he starts his travels and gives advice to Sikhuluma of how to get a wife. He also gives him an interdiction--to not step on the earth, always the grassy areas. With the advice of the mouse, Sikhuluma survives all the tasks--including the one where Sikhuluma turned his coat so the fur was on the outside and therefore protected Sikhuluma as he slept by malling the dog that came to kill him. And eventually, Mangangedolo gives up his daughter to be his wife. But the story doesn't end there--Sikhuluma accidentily stepped on earth not covered by grass. Mangangedolo uses the footprint to cast a spell to kill Sikhuluma, which happens. His wife, upset, uses magic to reverse her father's spell, which brings Sikhuluma back to life after he comes out of an eland. The wife then uses her magic to build a magnificent house for her and Sikhuluma. Sikhuluma then officially became kind of his people. And they all lived in happiness |
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Term
| "Sudika-mbambi" -- The Mbundu |
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Definition
| Angola: Na Nzua goes away from his wife and village, and when he returns, the place has been ransacked by many-headed cannibals, only his wife remains. They had a set of twins, who had a miraculous birth (they talked their mom through it). The older one was named Sudika-mbambi, the second was named Kabundungulu. They plant a life tree for Sudika-mbambi (embedded image) which will show if he is okay or not. Soon, Sudika-mbambi shows his powers, as he cuts one pole and then the rest cut themselves, and so he makes houses and everything his family needs. Sudika-mbambi then goes off to fight the many-headed cannibals. He then meets up with extraordinary beings--the kipalende--and one at a time outdoes them all at their own specialties, proving he is the shit. He even defeats an old woman to get a wife, being the only one out of them to do it. They are jealous so they plot to kill him--and put him into a hole. Sudika-mbambi finds a path in his hole to a village where he wants to marry the daughter o na Kalunga-ngombe. He goes through a series of impossible-tasks--including defeating a many-headed monster Kinioka--and proving that they weren't so impossible after all. Until, however, he accidentally gets swallowed by a crocodile. Alas though, his bro Kabundungulu sees the life-tree withering and says to himself "Hold-up bitches, I own this joint!" and leaves to literally "help a brotha out." He goes down the same way Sudika-mbambi did and kills the crocodile, takes his brother's bones out of his body and says "My elder, arise!" And Sudika-mbambi rises. Then Sudika-mbambi took his wife, and they all went back home--stopping only to kick some kipalende-ass. When they get home, Kabundungulu says "Hey bro, wanna give up a ho for a bro?" (loose translation meaning: you have two wives, I have none. Give me one please). However, going against the montra "bros before hoes," Sudika-mbambi denies his brother's request. They fought, but neither could beat the other. So they parted, Sudika-mbambi to the east, and Kabundungulu to the west. "And so it has remained: when the storm thunders, it is the elder, who went to the east; the other thunder, the thunder that responds, is the younger who went to the west. |
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Term
| "Sudika-mbambi" -- The Mbundu |
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Definition
| Angola: Na Nzua goes away from his wife and village, and when he returns, the place has been ransacked by many-headed cannibals, only his wife remains. They had a set of twins, who had a miraculous birth (they talked their mom through it). The older one was named Sudika-mbambi, the second was named Kabundungulu. They plant a life tree for Sudika-mbambi (embedded image) which will show if he is okay or not. Soon, Sudika-mbambi shows his powers, as he cuts one pole and then the rest cut themselves, and so he makes houses and everything his family needs. Sudika-mbambi then goes off to fight the many-headed cannibals. He then meets up with extraordinary beings--the kipalende--and one at a time outdoes them all at their own specialties, proving he is the shit. He even defeats an old woman to get a wife, being the only one out of them to do it. They are jealous so they plot to kill him--and put him into a hole. Sudika-mbambi finds a path in his hole to a village where he wants to marry the daughter o na Kalunga-ngombe. He goes through a series of impossible-tasks--including defeating a many-headed monster Kinioka--and proving that they weren't so impossible after all. Until, however, he accidentally gets swallowed by a crocodile. Alas though, his bro Kabundungulu sees the life-tree withering and says to himself "Hold-up bitches, I own this joint!" and leaves to literally "help a brotha out." He goes down the same way Sudika-mbambi did and kills the crocodile, takes his brother's bones out of his body and says "My elder, arise!" And Sudika-mbambi rises. Then Sudika-mbambi took his wife, and they all went back home--stopping only to kick some kipalende-ass. When they get home, Kabundungulu says "Hey bro, wanna give up a ho for a bro?" (loose translation meaning: you have two wives, I have none. Give me one please). However, going against the montra "bros before hoes," Sudika-mbambi denies his brother's request. They fought, but neither could beat the other. So they parted, Sudika-mbambi to the east, and Kabundungulu to the west. "And so it has remained: when the storm thunders, it is the elder, who went to the east; the other thunder, the thunder that responds, is the younger who went to the west. |
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Term
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Definition
| Swaziland: Liongo was a great man, but he treated the people very poorly, so they put him in jail, but he escaped. And then he harassed the people again, so they went out, caught him again, and this time bound him with chains and fetters, with a post between his legs. As he sang beautiful songs for the people, a slave girl delivered him food from his mother. One day, he told the slave girl to tell his mom to put a wrench in a shitty-cake and then make a bunch of other really good cakes. So when the guards intercepted the slave girl on her way to give Liongo food, they took the good cakes, but left the shitty-cake with the wrench for Liongo. When sentenced to death, Liongo made his last request to have make-shift band play a song as he sang. As the song played, he unbound himself with the wrench--for no one could hear him over the music. Liongo then escaped to the forest. The villagers first plan to seize and kill Liongo was to have some villagers make friends with him. However, there plan was foiled, so they returned without killing him. Then they sent Liongo's nephew to find out what could kill Liongo. Liongo revealed to his nephew that stabbing him with a copper needle would kill him. The nephew returned later and stabbed him with a needle--because the people promised him the kingdom if he did--and so Liongo died, kneeling near the town water hole. The next morning, the people were scared to go to the water hole because they saw Liongo kneeling there. However, after three days of thirst, Liongo's mother went out to him and found him dead. They then made him a grave and killed his nephew--obviously not getting the kingdom. |
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Definition
| Madagascar: Two women go to the house of Ratoboboka to find a way to get pregnant. They get pregnant, one with a daughter (Rampelasoamananora), the other with a son (Iboniamanoro). They are destined to marry. When Ibonia is born, he takes himself out, talking, and then names himself. One day, his dog (Rampelamahvatra) gets stolen by Fozanatokondrilahy. Ibonia finds Foza and defeats him, taking back his dog and all of Foza's subjects. On his way back, he passes by extraordinary people who swim well, tie firmly, see great distances, and give life--imbedded image #1. Ibonia was kind to these people and he gave them a share of his spoils. When he returned home, his lovely Rampa had been taken by Ravatovolovoay--the arch nemesis. Ibonia's father tries to warn him not to run after Rava, even tries to kill him in order that he doesn't, but Ibonia is determined. They set up a life-tree so in case he gets hurt/killed, the tree will also die or wilt--imbedded image #2. Ibonia then uses the skin of an old man to get into competition with Rava--and Ibonia successfully dominates each event. Ibonia goes to the place where his love, Rampa, is kept and reveals himself from under the old man's skin, shining, and Rampa goes gaga for him all over again. Ibonia explains to Rampa that as they escape, she must not speak to him or else he will die. Of course, though, this interdiction is broken, and he gets hit by a bullet and dies. When they see his life-tree has withered, the extraordinary people whom he had become friends with come back and retrieve his body from the river and bring him back to life. When he comes back to life, Ibonia goes and retrieves his wife after promptly bitch-slapping Ravatovolovoay to death and taking everything that belonged to him. |
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Term
| "Nyikang and the Sun" -- The Shilluk |
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Definition
| Sudan: All Shilluk kings are descended from Nyikang, a mythic ancestor. Nyikang led the Shilluk into their present homeland and the spirit of Nyikang is believed to be in every king--Nyikang is the main intermediary between the people and god. These are stories of origins. |
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Term
| "Ngomba's Balloon/Basket" -- The Fiote |
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Definition
| Woman covered in sores, goes out to catch fish for her family--although she is sad and lonely. Then an ogre kidnaps her, cures her of her sores, and marries her, often making her dance (he loved dancing). When he goes out, he ties a string, so when it is tight, you know he is going away, and when it is loose, you know he is coming home. Ngomba wanted to leave though, so she makes a hot-air balloon in which to escape out of mateva leaves. The ogre smells the leaves, but Ngomba lies about it... but later his suspicions worsen, so he sets out to kill her. He was going to kill her, but Ngomba's little sister who had changed herself into a cricket and hidden herself under her bed, began to sing. THe ogre heard her and felt forced to join in and dance, and thus he forgot to kill his wife. When he left the next day, Ngomba escaped in her balloon. She is received and beautiful--their long lost Ngomba. But then the ogre came to claim his wife. They tricked him by making a thrown for him, but when he sat on the chair, he fell into a hole, and they poured boiling water and fire on him, and he died. |
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Term
| "Ramaitsoanala" -- The Malagasy |
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Definition
| Madagascar: Ravorombe, a big bird, gives birth to a human child in an egg, whom she names Ramaitsoanala. Ravorombe is always worried that Rama will be stolen, but the housekeeper, Iketaka insists she will be fine. One day, however, Ramaitsoanala is taken by Andriambahoaka to be his wife--his other two wives hadn't produced him a male successor yet, so he wanted a new wife. Ravarombe catches up with Rama and Andriam as they flee and says "How is it, child, you have got a husband, and did not wit for me at all? did not even consult me?" Ravarombe then took Ramaitsoanala's eyes and skin and hung them over her fire back at home. Now skinless and eyeless, Ramaitsoanala has to complete impossible tasks for Andriam's other wives to accept her. Because she cannot complete the tasks, she cries, but since her eyes hang above her mother's fire, they put out the fire there, letting Ravarombe know that her daughter was in distress. So everytime the eyes cry, Ravarombe comes and helps Ramaitsoanala complete her tasks. In her final task, however, Ramaitsoanala must be compared to the two other wives, so Ravarombe gives her back her eyes and skin, making her beautiful again. The other two wives were so intimidated by her beauty, the fled the scene into the fosse in shame and died there. They had a kid and it was a boy--someone to succeed the father's thrown. |
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Term
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Definition
| Kenya: Huge dance, and three sisters go home with a warrior. When they get there, they are told by his mother's bones in his bed that he will eat them, so they flee. However, one sister forgot her beads, and goes back to retrieve them, but is then captured. He gives her a proposition: either marry him, or be eaten. She decided to become his wife. They have a child named Konyek. Konyek and his father go into the forest daily and eat people. One day, the woman's sister (bearing twins) comes to visit secretly. However, Konyek and the father find her and eater, taking what they think are her kidneys back to the woman to cook. However, they weren't kidneys, but her sister's children. So she replaced the children with rats, and secretly raised the two boys as her own. Konyek is often suspicious of his mother, but the father trusts her so much he even eats Konyek once--but Konyek comes back to life. One day, she asks her demon-husband to bring her back weapons so she can defend herself while they are gone, so he does. However, she gives the weapons to her nephews. She then somehow traps both Konyek and the father to get pinned under an oxen hide... and then her nephews come and stab the two to death as they are trapped. The nephews and the aunt return to their father's home. |
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Term
| "The King's Telve Sons and One Daughter" -- |
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Definition
| King has twelve sons, but his wife his about to give birth to another child. He is worried, because the rules of the kingdom say that the last born will inherit the thrown, but if the last born is a woman (who is not allowed to be queen), all will be killed. So when it is a daughter, the sons flee into the forest for many years. Later, the daughter, discovering that this had happened, goes into the forest to retrieve the sons. When she gets there, she meets a man with a gun who says he'll shoot her. She explains she is looking for her brothers, and the man turns out to be one of them. Then she through flowers at them for some reason, and her brothers turned into doves and flew away. In mourning, a man comes and takes her away as a bride... and he turns out to be a king himself. But a fairy-godmother-like person comes and tells the girl that her brothers are still alive, but will remain the way they are until she completes impossible tasks--no talking for three years and sewing them clothes out of thorns. When the king asked her to marry him, she could not reply--because she was not allowed to speak. So he had her burned at the stake. But when she was about to burn, doves came from the sky and blew the flames out. Later, she is brought to the alter again as she was finishing the last suit of thorns for the brothers. But she was unable to say anything, so they were about to burn her again, but she finished in the nick of time, her brothers--now humans--saved her, and she became the queen. |
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Term
| "The Girl With One Hand" -- The Swahili |
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Definition
| Swaziland: Couple have a son and daughter. When the father and mother were about to die, they asked their kids "Do you want Blessing or Property?" The son chose property, the daughter chose blessing. So when they died, the son took everything and the girl took nothing, except one pumpkin seed. And with that pumpkin seed she made a beautiful garden of pumpkins, and everyone bought one from her, the son's wife coveted them. So when she ran out to the point that the son's wife could no longer receive a pumpkin, he threatened to destroy the plant. She said "You dare not! You'll have to cut my hand off first!" So he did cut off her hand, and then tore up her pumpkin patch. So she ran off and into a tree, crying (First separation). Underneath the tree was the a king's son... and he fell in love with the girl and brought her home to be married. The prince and her had a son, and the king and queen were very happy. Then the prince went on a journey (second separation). The brother all of a sudden comes back and spreads a rumor that his sister is actually a witch that kills anyone she marries. The king and queen run the woman out of town. Now in the forest again, she helps out a snake, who then helps her out--while she bathes she drops her son into the lake. When she goes to retrieve him, she can't find him--but then the snake tells her to try the other hand--and when she does, she retrieves the son and gets her hand back. She lives with the snakes family for a while. When she leaves, she receives a magic ring and casket. She returns to the village, and with the powerful ring, uses it to make a huge house and everything else she needs. The King finds out about the property, and soon she and the prince are back together again after she explains the whole story about her brother. The brother is put out of town. |
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| "The Girl Without Legs" -- The Somali |
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Definition
| Somalia: A beautiful sultan's daughter is wanted by a priest. She refuses, so he tells her father--the sultan--that she is a whore. She is sentenced to death, and then cut in half. But when the gravediggers are preparing the grace, she drags the top part of herself away into the forest. One day a caravan passes, and a sultan's son inside falls in love with her, even though she doesn't have legs. They have two children, and then he leaves on a pilgrimage. The wife has a dream that she regains her legs, and suddenly when she wakes up, the dream is true. Then she left with her children and met up with her father and the priest. After they realize everything, the priest tries to run away, but he gets his throat cut. And so everything was great. |
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| "The Pregnant Boy" -- Swati |
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Definition
| Swaziland: One day, woman sends her son to get medicine but not to drink it. The son drinks it anyway, and he get's pregnant in his knee, and has a child. He takes care of it without his mother knowing, but soon she finds out. One day, she takes the child away from its hiding spot without the boy knowing. The boy pouts in a corner all day--never admitting because he can't find his child, because he knows that would mean his mother would know about him drinking the medicine. But finally, he confesses. Only until he tells the full truth is he forgiven. |
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