South AfricanFolktales
READING B:
1. The Dance for Water
Its very interesting how some pairs (rabbit and tortoise) of animals are so common in folklore. I like this trickster rabbit and his irreverence but such characters pose a major problem for small close-knit societies.
2. Jackal and Monkey
There were a lot of terms here that I didn’t understand: “Boer's kraal,” “wip,” and “kopje.” Jackal was the trickster here.
A Boer, Source: Wikipedia
3. The Story of Hare
4. The White Man and Snake
This story really spoke to my sense of justice unlike some of the other folk-tales. I like the moral of the story; Do not give aid to those who would harm you, or do not bite the hand that feeds you. Although Jackal is still a bit of a trickster in this story, he was fair.
5. Jackal, Dove, and Heron
6. Elephant and Tortoise
7. The Judgment of Baboon
8. When Lion Could Fly
kraal
kräl/
SOUTH AFRICAN
noun
a traditional African village of huts, typically enclosed by a fence.
This was a really strange story. I want to know what the pile of bones had to do with Lion’s ability to fly. Why does frog want to break them? Is he leveling the playing field by reducing Lion’s ability to hunt prey? Do Lion’s hunt frogs but not crows?
9. Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother
This one was a bit strange too. I understand the part about listening to your mother but the rhyme part didn’t make sense. Short-eared, blood-stained nostrils…
10. Lion Who Took a Woman's Shape
In this story, a young girl disobeys her mother and ends up being devoured by a lion. The lion steals her skin and masquerades as the young girl in a village. The family and village become wise to the deception and disassemble the hut where the lion is sleeping. They then burn the lion. Somehow the girl’s heart was found intact and when mixed with milk the daughter grew whole again. The daughter then learned her lesson and remained home with her mother never marrying.
Story source: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910).
kräl/
SOUTH AFRICAN
noun
a traditional African village of huts, typically enclosed by a fence.
This was a really strange story. I want to know what the pile of bones had to do with Lion’s ability to fly. Why does frog want to break them? Is he leveling the playing field by reducing Lion’s ability to hunt prey? Do Lion’s hunt frogs but not crows?
9. Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother
This one was a bit strange too. I understand the part about listening to your mother but the rhyme part didn’t make sense. Short-eared, blood-stained nostrils…
10. Lion Who Took a Woman's Shape
In this story, a young girl disobeys her mother and ends up being devoured by a lion. The lion steals her skin and masquerades as the young girl in a village. The family and village become wise to the deception and disassemble the hut where the lion is sleeping. They then burn the lion. Somehow the girl’s heart was found intact and when mixed with milk the daughter grew whole again. The daughter then learned her lesson and remained home with her mother never marrying.
Story source: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910).
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