South African Folktales by James Honey (1910)
The Dance for Water
- There was a drought
- All of the animals came together and decided to dance in the riverbed to stomp the water out
- Rabbit refused to dance
- They danced until there was water and told rabbit he could have none
- Rabbit snuck down at night and drank from the riverbed
- He bragged the next day so the others decided to trap him
- Turtle acted as a stone by the river and rabbit stuck to him
- He took rabbit back to others and they decided he should be killed
- The lion swung him by his tail and the fur fell out and rabbit was free
- Jackal would steal lambs from the farmer's corral
- One day the farmer set a trap and caught the jackal
- Monkey saw the jackal and went down to mock him
- Jackal convinced the monkey he was not in a trap and that he was just hanging for his enjoyment
- He convinced monkey to trade him places
- Monkey was caught and the farmer came
- The farmer killed monkey
- Five animals were appointed to guard the animals food one at a time, each one failed and each one was killed
- The sixth time the hare was appointed to guard the food
- He killed the animal that was stealing the food
- He then ate its tail
- The others told the chief the hare ate the tail and the chief wanted him dead
- They chased the hare into a hole
- They set a trap but he escaped
- The hare found another animal cooking meat
- He stole his meat and killed him
- He went into the forest and monkeys threw leaves on him while he was building weapons
- He called the monkeys down and killed them
- The white man came across snake who was stuck under a stone
- White man lifted the stone off of her and she wanted to bite him
- They went to wise men to see if she should bite him
- Jackal wanted to see how she was stuck with his own eyes
- They reset the scene
- Jackal told white man to leave her under the stone because she wanted to bite him
- Jackal tricked dove into thinking he could fly so she would give up her young ones
- Heron told dove that jackal could not fly
- Jackal came back for another child and dove told him what heron had said
- Jackal went and beat heron's neck and broke it in the middle
- Since that day heron's neck is bent
- Elephant told rain he didn't need him so rain went away
- There was only one lagoon left and elephant told tortoise to guard it for him
- All the animals came and asked for water but tortoise told them it was elephants
- The lion beat tortoise and then all the animals drank the water
- The elephant returned and learned of the news and so he swallowed tortoise
- Tortoise tore off elephant's liver, heart, and kidneys
- Elephant died and tortoise lived
- Baboon assembled the animals to figure out who did the crime
- He was foolish and couldn't figure out who did
- Today he walks on all fours
- Lion could fly
- Lion kept bones in a corral that he didn't want broken
- Frog went and broke the bones
- Lion could no longer fly and went to find frog
- Frog was too quick and lion couldn't catch him
- Lion's mother warned him to beware of the man
- Lion thought that was foolish since he knew the man
- Lion went where his mother told him not to and man and dogs attacked lion
- Lion returned home
- Lion's mother told him again
- Women went to gather food
- A woman and lion hunt each other
- The lion eats the woman but saves her skin
- He wears her skin and returns home
- Her family retrieves her heart
- Puts her heart in milk
- Her heart grows into the daughter
(lion)
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