Somali Folk Tales and Stories

[Veteran]

The Foolish Man and the Thief​

A long time ago a thief was walking along the road looking for someone to rob. He met a man that lived with his family in a small house nearby. The thief asked the man if he lived in the nearby house. The man said he did. The thief then said, "Bring me to your house. I want to stay with your family tonight."

The man said to the thief, "If you go into my house, please don't steal the things that I have hidden around my house." The foolish man then told the thief all the secret hiding places and he added, "Please don't take all of my valuable things. If you take my things, I'll ask you to come back so I can take all my things back from you. Then I'll call the people to kill you."

The thief went to the foolish man's house, and took everything from him. The thief then said, "I wish that I would always have a foolish man like this to steal from."

Lesson : Don't tell your secrets to someone you don't trust.

 

[Veteran]

The Hyena and the Sheep ​

A long time ago there was a sheep who was lost by her owner. While she was walking alone, she met a hyena walking on the road. As soon as the hyena saw the sheep, he looked around to see if anyone was looking. He called to the sheep, "Hey, sheep. Who is with you today ?"

The sheep said, "No one is with me. I am lost, and I don't know where I am."

The hyena got excited, and he couldn't believe his good luck at finding a sheep alone. He asked her again, "Is it true that you are all alone ?"

The sheep said, "Yes, it's true. I'm all alone. I am lost from the other animals and the people that own me."

The hyena closed his eyes, and laughed and laughed as hyenas do. The sheep knew that the hyena's laugh meant danger. The sheep ran away. When the hyena finally opened his eyes, he couldn't find the sheep. He got mad, and he yelled, "Sheep, come back ! I won't eat you."

The sheep continued running. She said to herself, "The hyena can find someone else to trick, but he won't trick me." The hyena missed his chance.


Lesson : Don't be too quick to let people know that you are alone. Don't be too quick to trust strangers who offer help when they know you are alone.

 

[embarassing]

Igal Shidal and the Enemy

Once there was a man named Igal Shidal. While Igal Shidal was asleep, his wife heard that enemies from a neighboring town would soon attack them. Igal Shidal's wife quickly ran home to wake her husband, to tell him about the attack. Igal Shidal didn't believe his wife. He said, "You always make things up, and tell stories to frighten me."

His wife said, "I didn't make this up. It's true. All the women and children are talking about the attack. The men are already gathered to get ready for the attack. You are a man. You must help them now."

While they were talking, the enemy arrived. The people in town shouted, "Here they come."

Igal Shidal wondered what he should do. Then he said to his wife, "We can't escape now. The enemy will kill all the men. I am going to sleep in front of our house. Roll me in a rug, and cry, 'Oh, my husband is dead.'"

Igal Shidal's wife wrapped him in a rug, and she cried and cried. Igal Shidal didn't trust her to cry as much as he wanted her to cry. So he said to her, "Cry louder! Cry until tears come from your eyes."

While she was crying, the enemy came. They asked her when her husband had died. Before she could answer, Igal Shidal said from inside the rug, "Say that he died yesterday."

His wife said, "He died yesterday."

The enemy was shocked to hear Igal Shidal speak. They said, "This is not a real man. He is such a coward that he cannot hurt us. Let him live with the women and the children. Let's go."

Lesson : People don't respect a coward.

I recently came across this children's cartoon about Cigaal Shidaad.

 

[Veteran]

I recently came across this children's cartoon about Cigaal Shidaad.

I have also come across many animations about these tales, we as a people are so creative mashallah.

Thanks for contributing.

 

[Faahiye]

I will be posting all Somali Folk Tales and Stories I can find in this thread.
Contribute yourself if you have any.

@Sharmaarke,


Wiil Waal

The Youngest Wife Of Wiil Waal


Wiil Waal had several wives, and the youngest wife's name was Ceebla'. After the wedding Wiil Waal did not lie with her on the mat, but said:
'I'm leaving and will be back in a year. By the time you have to have given birth to my son, and you made musg have foaled from my stallion.'

Having said this Wiil Waal mounted his stallion and galloped away. As soon as he had passed out of sight Ceebla' saddled her mare and rode after him. In the nearest encampment she found out where the chief had planned to spend the night, took another road and got ahead of him. In the encampment to which Wiil Waal was still wending his way she gave her name and was led to a separate house.

'When my husband comes,' said Ceebla', 'Show him this house, but don't tell him I am there - and put his stallion with my mare.'
Wiil Waal arrived late at night. The hosts fed him generously and said:
'Chief, do you see that house? A beautiful girl lives there. Many young men have tried to win her heart but no one has succeeded. What about you making an attempt to spend the night there?'

Wiil Waal made for the house of Ceebla', tossed aside the curtain which hung at the entrance and entered. Inside he saw a girl whose face was covered with a scarf. Wiil Waal greeted her and talked to her; he was eloquent and the girl listened to him with pleasure. When night fell she said:
'You can remain if you promise not to unveil my face.'
Wiil Waal promised and lay with the girl on the mat.

In the morning Ceebla' got up, took one of her husband's sandals and left the house. She saddled her mare and galloped to her encampment. After a year Wiil Waal came back and the people said to him:
'Your youngest wife gave birth to a boy and her mare delivered a foal.'
Wiil Waal was astonished and said to himself. 'It can't be true!' Then he called Ceebla' and said:
All Ceebla' did was to stretch out towards her husband the shoe she had taken a year ago. He looked at it and understood what had happened.


Wiil Waal And Ceebla'

One day Wiil Waal summoned all the men of his Bartire tribe but when they arrived he went into his house and fell asleep. The whole day the men sat in the full blaze of the sun, but the chief did not appear. In the evening they went up to Wiil Waal's wife and said:
'Ceebla'! We can't wait for the chief any longer. What should we do?'
'Wake him!' Answered the woman
'We're afraid to make him angry.'
'All right,' said Ceebla', and she entered the house and kicked her husband.

'Get up!' She said. 'The people came q long time ago. How long should they wait for you?'
Wiil Waal got up and went out. One man who had seen how Ceebla' had awoken him asked:
'Wiil Waal, why didn't we dare shatter your sleep, while Ceebla' did it without hesitation?'
'Ceebla' doesn't see me in the battle and doesn't know what I am when I'm in a temper,' answered the chief. 'That is why she does what she thinks is right and doesn't care whether I like it or not.'


Wiil Waal And The Fearless Mullahs


One day a group of mullahs, indignant at the brutal and extravagant behaviour of Wiil Waal, came to him and said:
'Chief, we aren't afraid of you.'
'Are you afraid of anybody else?' Asked Wiil Waal.
'Only Allah.'
When the mullahs had gone away Wiil Waal ordered that a house be built, with a separate entrance and exit and a high fence to enclose it. When everything was ready he brought a ram into the house and sent for the mullahs, who came and crowded into the courtyard. Wiil Waal appeared from the house with a big knife and ordered his warriors:

'Close the gateway and take one of the mullahs into the house.'
When the first mullah entered the house Wiil Waal led him out through the back door, slaughtered the ram, went out and said to his warriors:
'Brung in another mullah!'
The mullahs saw the blood on the chief's knife, were scared and tried to run away, but their way was blocked by the warriors with spears and shields. After the second and the third mullah had disappeared into the house the rest became distraught with horror. They rushed to the fenced, climbed over jt and scattered in all directions. Roaring with laughter, Wiil Waal shouted after them:
'Don't say any more that you're afraid only of Allah!'


Best,

Faahiye

 

[Veteran]

Omar and the Hyena ​

Once upon a time there was a man named Omar who cared for goats belonging to other people. He was paid each month to take the villagers' goats to the pasture close to the village. One day he decided that he wanted to go to the city to have lunch. He made a plan so he could go. He took the goats back to the village, and yelled, "There is a hyena! Help! Help! Come help !"
The villagers came with their weapons to help Omar with the goats. When the people came, there was no hyena. However, they took the goats and Omar to the village.
Omar said that he lied. After a few days he did the same thing again. He shouted again, "There is a hyena !" When the people came, there was no hyena and no sign of a hyena. They began to doubt. They asked him to tell the truth. Then he said, " I was afraid of something and I wanted someone to keep me company." The people were very surprised, and they felt bad. They gave him the name, Omar the Liar. After that, no one believed Omar again.
Another day, while he was tending his goats, a real hyena came, and Omar yelled for help. "There's a hyena coming !" No one came. The hyena ate Omar.


Lesson : Lying is very bad. Your first lie kills trust. No one will ever believe you, even if you're telling the truth.

 

[Veteran]

The Fox and the Hyena ​

Once upon a time a hyena and a fox were neighbors. The hyena and the fox owned many different animals (like humans own animals), but the fox had less than the hyena. The fox made the hyena love her, and after awhile the hyena asked the fox to marry him. She quickly said yes, and they got married.

One day the fox left home while the hyena was sleeping. She went to the lion who needed someone to take care of his animals for the day because he was tired. The fox asked the lion, "Are you tired today ?"

The lion said, "Yes, I'm tired."

The fox spoke softly and sweetly to the lion. "Go get some sleep. I'll keep your animals for the day."

The lion said, "Will you watch them really well ?"

"Oh, yes I will," said the fox."

The fox ate the lion's fattest sheep. Then she took a little meat, and returned home where the hyena was still sleeping. When she went into her house she spread some blood from the meat on the sleeping hyena's mouth. Then she ran back to the lion's animals. The lion came a little while after, while the fox was watching the animals. He counted the animals, and he saw that the fattest sheep was gone. The lion asked the fox what happened to the sheep, and she said, "The hyena ate it. I tried to protect it, but I couldn't."

The lion ran very fast to find the hyena. He saw the blood on the hyena's mouth, and believed what the fox said. The lion killed the hyena. The fox then had all the animals, and she got rid of her husband.


Lesson : Never trust a greedy person.

 

[Veteran]

The Sheep and the Goat ​

Once upon a time a goat and a sheep lived together in a lovely house. One day they left their house to eat some grass. When the goat returned, she saw a snake coming out of the house. The snake stopped by the door of the house. It was waiting to eat anything that tried to enter the house.

The goat ran to the sheep, and said, "I saw a snake come out of our house. What will we do ?"

The sheep said, "Show me the snake !" They both saw the snake in front of their house, waiting to eat them. They ran away as fast as they could. They came to the monkey's house which was on a banana farm. They asked the monkey for water, milk, and a place to sleep. The monkey asked, "What happened to you ?"

They answered, "There is a dangerous snake in our house." The monkey felt so sorry for them that he gave them food and water. Then he took them to a nice house made of banana leaves. They thanked the monkey, and they slept.

When they woke up, the monkey said, "I'll let you live in this house with me. We should all stick together, and help each other." The goat and the sheep were happy. They became friends with the monkey, and ever since then, they were strong friends. Together they were safe against any enemy.


Lesson : There is safety in numbers, even when it means very different kinds of people getting along together.

 

[Veteran]

A Play : Two Men Who Fought ​

Time : A long time ago

Place : Somalia

Characters :

• Narrator
• Omar
• Mohamed
• The wise man

Narrator : Once there were two men who fought over some sheep.

Omar : This sheep is mine. He was eating on my land, and he has been with my other sheep for a few days. That makes him my sheep.

Mohamed : Just because he went to eat on your land, doesn't make him yours. I paid good money for this sheep, and I fed him good food. Now you want to keep him. That isn't fair !

Omar : Fair ! That sheep wandered over here on his own. He joined my flock and ate my food. This sheep is mine! Mine! Did you hear me ? He is MINE !

Mohamed : Are we going to keep fighting ? Anyone could tell that this sheep is mine. I'm not going to let you have the sheep unless someone that we both trust says you should have the sheep.

Omar : Yes, let's go to the wise man of the village. He will listen to both of us, and he will solve the problem.

Narrator : Both men went together to talk to the wise man.

Wise man : Hello, Omar and Mohamed. What is your problem ?

Omar : One of Mohamed's sheep wandered over to join my flock. It has been eating my grass for at least three days. Now that sheep is mine ! I have been feeding it along with my other sheep.

Mohamed : No, my sheep simply got lost as so many sheep do. I tried to find my sheep. Finally, after three days, I found my sheep with his flock. I asked him to return my sheep, but he wouldn't. Now, we're here for you to settle the matter.

Narrator : The wise man thought for a long time before he said anything. He looked at each man, and then he spoke.

Wise man : Omar, you must return Mohamed's sheep. Just because Mohamed's sheep got lost, doesn't mean you can keep it. What if one of your family got lost. Let's say that Mohamed found them and gave them food and drink. Does that make them his family ? Of course not ! Now, return the sheep to Mohamed at once.

Omar : Okay. I understand now. I'll return the sheep. I'm sorry Mohamed.

Mohamed : Thank you, Omar. I hope we can be friends.

Mohamed and Omar : Thank you, wise man.

Wise man : You're welcome.

 

[Veteran]

The Elephant and the Squirrel ​

A long time ago an elephant and a squirrel were friends. They would play together. One day they went swimming. The elephant carried the squirrel and put him in the water. Then he left him alone to swim. The squirrel struggled for air because he could not swim. The elephant didn't know that the squirrel couldn't swim and that he was struggling to get out of the water. The squirrel got stuck in the mud, and he was very tired. When the elephant came back to get the squirrel, he saw that the squirrel was tired and sad. He played with the squirrel, and carried him on his trunk. The elephant was trying to make the squirrel happy.


The next day the squirrel came to the elephant. The squirrel said, "I came here to tell you, my friend, that the fun we had yesterday is killing me. The things that are fun for you are not good for me. I can't stand this anymore."

The elephant was so surprised. He said, "All I wanted was to play with you, and to be friends with you. You say that I'm hurting you instead of playing with you. What did I do to you ?"

Then the squirrel said, "What you like may not be what I like. So please, my friend, leave me alone."


Lesson : Everyone does not like the same thing. What one person likes doesn't mean it's good for everyone. Don't expect everyone to like what you like, and don't think that you should like what everyone else likes. Don't be friends with someone that could hurt you.

 

[Veteran]

The King's Daughter ​

A long time ago a very rich king had a smart and very beautiful daughter. They ruled over a very prosperous city that had three roads leading into it. Each road had a special kind of traveler assigned to it. However, each road also had problems, which threatened the travelers going into the city. The first road had a mean lion that ate up everything he saw. The second road had a gang of men who would kill the travelers. The third road had a group of thieves that robbed the travelers of their food and belongings.


Many men came to the king to ask him if they could marry his beautiful, smart daughter. But the king's daughter loved another man, and she wanted to marry him. However, the king didn't want her to marry the man she loved, so he announced that his daughter would only marry the man who could get rid of the dangers on the three roads into the city.

All the men in the city started to compete with each other so they could be the winner, and marry the king's daughter. They all failed to get rid of the dangerous attackers on the roads leading into the city.

The girl's lover went to the girl, and said, "You are a very smart girl. How can we solve these problems so we can be married ?"

She said, "Lets take care of the lion first. We'll set a trap for him. Don't use a spear or carry other weapons."

He set a trap for the lion. Then he called the king and all the people in the city, and he said, " Here's the lion I caught without a weapon." Everyone was surprised, and they all clapped for him.

The daughter's lover then secretly went back to her, and asked her how to get rid of the gang on the second road. She said, "We'll cook some delicious food. We will put poison in the food. Then we'll tie the food to some donkeys, and have them walk along the road." The gang of men robbed the food from the donkeys. They ate the food very fast, and they all died.

The young man went back to the king's daughter, and asked her how to get rid of the thieves on the third road. She said, "Go find as many horses as you can. Tie thorn bushes to each horse. Then let the horses run in different directions to scare the thieves." The running horses made lots of dust, and when the robbers saw all the horses and the dust, they thought they were being attacked by an army.

They said, "A huge and powerful army is coming! What shall we do ?" They decided to run away in different directions so no one would find them together.

The king was very happy that all three roads leading into the city were now safe for travelers. He let his daughter marry the man she loved. They had a big wedding with many presents from the people in the city.

They were happy because they had faced these problems together. They had discussed their problems and decided how to solve them. They were always loyal to each other.

Lesson : Talk about your problems with people who care. Together you have a much better chance of solving them.

 

[Veteran]

Osman's Lesson ​

Once upon a time, there lived a women named Amina and her daughter, Jamila. One day, Amina was on her way to the market when she passed the store of Osman. On the window of his shop, Osman put a sign which read : "Men are created smarter than women". Amina could not believe Osman would put up such a sign, so she entered the store to complain.

"Excuse me, but surely you know the sign is not true !" asked Amina.
"Oh yes, it is indeed true. Men are smarter than women. You women are good at having children but leave the important matters to us." Osman confidently assured.
"If you don't take down that sign by tomorrow, you'll be sorry." Amina warned.
"Ha ha ha !" laughed Osman, " What could you possibly do, you're just a woman !".
"You'll see just how smart we women are !"

On her way home, she began thinking of the best way to teach Osman a lesson. As she passed the palace of King Hassan, the idea came in a flash. She rushed home to tell her daughter, Jamila, about her brilliant plan.

The next day, Jamila entered Osman's shop on a mission of which he knew nothing. Already a beautiful girl, she had on her best clothes and perfume. Osman, who had never met Jamila, wondered who this mysterious lady was. She purchased a couple of items and engaged in small conversation with Osman. On her third visit to his store, Osman finally asked who she was.

"I am Sulekha, daughter of King Hassan." Jamila exclaimed.
"Impossible ! The King's daughter is paralyzed and he never lets her out of the palace."
"That is what my father wants everyone in the kingdom to think. He wanted to protect me from men who want to marry me for only for my beauty and wealth."
"I would like to marry you for who you are Sulekha. Is that possible ?"
"Oh yes, it is possible, but you have to follow my instructions carefully."
"Anything for you Sulekha" promised Osman.

Jamila went on to explain to Osman that when he went to the palace to ask for her, he must act as if he thinks she is paralyzed. That way, she assured, the King will assume Osman wants her for reasons of love. The next day, Osman rushed to seek an audience with King Hassan. After a long wait, he was finally ushered into the King's office.

"Your highness, it is with great respect that I come to ask for your daughter."
"Are you willing to marry my daughter, even with her condition ? asked the King.
"Yes, I do. I will to take care of her and give her all that she asks." Osman promised.
"Very well, the wedding ceremony will take place in one weeks time."

In preparation for the wedding, Osman spent the next week purchasing all types of silks and fabric. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of his young bride, he ordered his first wife to move into the smaller room to be shared with their small children. He even suggested she move in with her mother for some time.

After the wedding ceremony, Osman was taken to the princess' room where he was told his new bride was waiting for him. He saw Sulekha sitting on the bed draped in a beautiful veil. When he lifted the veil, to his surprise he saw the face of a woman, paralyzed, who he had never met.

"Who are you ? Where is Sulekha ?" shouted Osman.
"What are you talking about ? I am Sulekha." cried the princess, who was now very distraught.

Osman realized he had been deceived and was now stuck in a very difficult position. He could not go to the King and ask for a divorce, that might result in jail time or worse. So he told his new bride he had to go and prepare the house for her arrival. He left and went directly to his house to ponder a way out of this situation. Then a knock came at his door. When he opened it, he saw Amina and Jamila.

"How could you do something like this to me ?" cried Osman.
"I did warn you about taking down that sign, and you ignored me." Amina explained.
"You have to get me out of this marriage !" Osman demanded.
"If men are so much smarter than women, then why are you asking me for help ?"

Osman stubbornly refused to acknowledge that men are not smarter than women, so Amina and Jamila left his house. He asked for advice from some of his friends and no one could come up with a solution. Several days later, Osman ran into Amina and Jamila in town center. He begged Amina to help him find a way out of his predicament. She agreed to help him, with the following demands:

"Before we help you, you must permanently take down your sign and for one week, replace it with another sign stating woman are smarter than men" explained Amina.
"Anything. I'll do anything" pleaded Osman.

Following Amina's advice, Osman opened a haircut parlor for men in his store. Soon, it got back to the King that his son-in law was now a haircutter. He called Osman to the palace right away.

"I thought you owned a shop in town ?" asked the King.
"I do, but now I have decided to become a haircutter."
"You can't be a hair cutter and be married to my daughter. I want you to divorce my daughter at once !"

In an instant, Osman was a free man. He took down his sign and never again doubted the intelligence of women.

 

[Veteran]

DON’T BE TOO SHY​

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Mohammed Hassan. His father and mother died when he was very young. They had had a hundred camels, a hundred and twenty goats and eighty cows. All this property came to the boy, but he had no father and mother. His uncle, who had the same name, Mohammed, and who was his father’s brother, became his guardian and took all the property. The uncle was poor with only two cows. The uncle’s wife was called Ambaro and he had four daughters. Mohammed had a problem with Ambaro. She always shouted at him and she was always angry, and he got a complex and never said anything about it to his uncle.

Mohammed helped his uncle’s daughters to herd his cattle, goats and camels. He helped the eldest especially. Her name was Deka. Deka, if she fell down, he would help her up. If she was hurt, he tried to make her better, or to put leaves on her wounds or cut her a stick. He helped her a lot. The other children didn’t like her or him but these two were friends. When she was older and started helping in the house, she would hide food for him and give him special food and creep out at night and give him food, because he had been starved by his aunt. And she was in love with him. He became happier and was no longer so angry with his aunt, although she still hated him and wanted him to go.

When he was old enough he told his uncle he was ready to marry. The elders came together and his uncle said, “Mohammed has the whole property, which has increased, and he wants to marry. He wants to choose a girl from the village. I am ready to marry him (that is, to find him a wife).”

So they agreed to find him a wife. But Ambaro shouted, “No! No!” and she quarrelled with her husband.

She said, “They’re not his now. You have looked after them and all the increase is due to you. He’s a child. How can he take all this?”

All the elders wanted Mohammed to marry their daughter.

“Oh! The boy who has all these properties! The child who has no father and no mother!”

Everyone wanted to have him.

The uncle reproved his wife angrily and said, “The property is his. If he wants it he can take it.”

At last the elders decided that half the property would be the boy’s, and he had to marry with it. So, because of the quarrel, the boy decided to take half of all the cattle to another village, to his mother’s relatives.

“I will marry a girl there. I’ll take it there and I can manage my own property and when I’m ready I will marry.”

So he went.

As soon as he left the village, Deka became very sick. For three years she was sick. Dying even. One day, the boy met someone who came from his uncle’s village.

“How are you?” he said.

“Fine.”

“What about the village? My uncle and his family?”

“They are OK, but Deka is very, very, very sick. Since you left she has been sick.”

“Oh! That lady was very kind for me. I have to take two sheep and sell them.”

So he sold two sheep and took the money and went to the village to see her. He bought clothes for her. When he was near the village (she had been sleeping under a tree near the village) she saw him coming up the road. As soon as he reached her she was very glad and sat up and saluted him. He wondered at how thin and changed she was.

“How are you? My sister, are you well? I heard you were sick.”

Then he gave her the clothes and things.

“I will give meat to eat, special food.”

Deka felt better. She bathed herself and was normal again. So Mohammed stayed for two weeks. Then he went back to his mother’s village. At once Deka became sick again! Everyone noticed that when Mohammed is there, Deka is fine, but when he goes she is sick.

“Maybe this girl, since they grew up together, she wants to live with him. Let him take her, a new place will do her good.”

Deka was very happy when she heard this.

“She can stay with him,” the elders said. “Since he is alone and hasn’t married yet, she can help him as a sister.”

Because they didn’t suspect she was in love with him, and she didn’t tell her love. In Somalia, girls (daughters) cannot tell their love. It’s very shameful. Only a boy can tell his love.

It was far to Mohammed’s village and on the way were dangerous lands full of lions and other wild animals. They couldn’t go alone and had to have three boys with guns to accompany them. On the way she killed a small hare. She gave the meat to Mohammed and as she gave it she sang a poem but indirectly she told her love.

The other boys recognised that she loved him and said, “Mohammed, we will advise you. We have seen that this girl loves you, according to the poems, and how she has given you the meat. All this we have observed.”

He jumped up. “Oh! How can I love my sister and she can love me! It’s impossible. I am her brother. We grew up together. I helped her when she was a very little girl. We are brother and sister! Don’t say that again!”

As soon as he said this, she fell down and hit her head on a stone and was seriously ill and couldn’t talk. They took her to Mohammed’s village.

The elders came together and said, “How can this have happened? Maybe on the way these boys did something bad to the girl. We must question them.”

“No, no!” said the boys. “When we told Mohammed that Deka was in love with him, and he refused her and said, ‘How can my sister love me?’ she fell down and hit her head. We did nothing to her.”

One elder said, “Ah, I have understood. If she is in love as much as this, if we engage them together here, how would that be?”

So she woke up and said, “This man is very clever. He understands.”

All the rest became silent. Then the elders decided that the two must marry and they did. After their engagement, Ambaro heard the news.

“Oh! Oh! How can she do this without telling us! I don’t like that boy!”

Her husband said, “Don’t shout. Don’t disturb yourself. This boy has property and when he wanted to give it for another girl’s family you were angry. Everyone wanted him and wanted to take him and his cattle into their protection. If he marries Deka, all his property will come back to you, and even more, as his relatives will give more for the marriage. You will become very rich, and also he will be under you again.”

“Ah, you are right. I have not looked on that side,” she said, and thus she agreed.

So Mohammed’s mother’s relatives also gave cattle and camels to Deka’s family. So they became very rich and very happy. And all of these things the mother got because of her daughter. She liked boys, but she got more because of her daughter.

​

 

[Veteran]

THE BLACK CROW​

The crow was once a sheikh or priest, and at that time he was white. But all the other birds made an accusation against him.

They said, "On the one hand he eats meat, and on the other hand he eats fruits."

So all the birds came together and said, “You are a sheikh or a priest! But what you do is wrong. The smallest birds should eat meat. And the biggest ones eat fruit. But you eat from both sides.”

In not only Somali but Cushitic culture in general, it was said that the crow was the representative of the Sun God called Wak. Oromos believed in the Sun God also. People believed that the crow interpreted what Wak, the Sun God, said to the people and people would send their messages to the Sun God through him.

The crow, when he speaks, says “Wak! Wak!”

But the crow became dishonest and ate from both things – fruit and meat, and so he was punished. They cursed him and he became black.

​

 

[Veteran]

THE HEAD​

There was a man who was the husband of a good lady. She was very honest and a hard worker and she did everything well. But he was ungrateful to her and he divorced her and married another. The second wife had no child for a while but finally she got pregnant. The man was very happy and waited and waited, but then she delivered only a head. The head could eat and drink and do everything, but they decided to take it away. They put it in a sack and left it by the road.

The head, in its sack, jumped around shouting, “Please take me!”

People gathered round and picked the sack up and began to take it to the city.

“What shall we do with you?” they said.

“Just take me to the first tea shop you see and put me there.”

So they did.

The head said to the shopkeeper, “Hey, do you want to get rich?”

“Yes.”

“Then take care of me.”

“OK, but….”

“Don’t ask me anything else.”

So the merchant fed him and looked after him. The head gave him advice: kill many animals, bring many rugs and other items. People will come here and buy your things. Soon the man became very rich.

There was a king or ruler in the area who had a daughter.

When the daughter was ready for marriage, the king said, “I will give my daughter to anyone who gives me what I want.”

People came every Saturday with presents.

“Show me what you have!" said the king. "No, I don’t want that. Bring this and this and this – impossible things.”

One day, the head said to his friend the shopkeeper, “Go to the king, and ask him whatever it is that he wants for his daughter.”

“OK,” said the merchant.

The king said, “I want a he-camel,” and he described it in great detail. “The camel should come in front of me and salute me and speak to me in my language.”

The merchant went back to the head and told him.

“He said that?” said the head.

“Yes.”

“Well," said the head to the merchant, "we will bring the talking camel to the king. Go to such and such a place, and buy such and such a he-camel.”

So the merchant did as the head told him, and bought the camel and took it to the king, and the audience was waiting, and the camel saluted the king and did everything that the king had asked.

The king was very surprised.

“When will you come to me to marry my daughter?"

"Tomorrow,” said the merchant.

The merchant ran back to the head. “Everything is ready. What shall we do?”

“Take me!” said the head. “Let me be the candidate.”

“OK,” said the merchant.

So the king made a feast and all the people were there.

“Who will come to marry my daughter?”

“He is here!” said the merchant, showing the head.

“Oooh! What is this!”

The king was embarrassed. What to do?

But so that the public would not know how he had been fooled, he said, “OK, I have agreed. I will honour my word.”

The head was taken to the house as a bridegroom. The daughter was brought, the marriage was performed. By the time they get into bed he became a very, very strong young man. In the morning, the mother of the bride was so unhappy. She came early and people gathered, and the king himself was looking – Ooh!

At ten o’clock the daughter opened the door and said, “Why don’t you bring breakfast to us?”

“To whom, my poor daughter?”

But the handsome man was there. The king was called and the whole city rejoiced and the young man became heir to the throne and a king.

The father of the head, due to natural disasters, became severely destitute, and he was compelled to come to the city to seek help from the head of the nation. So the father and mother came to beg from their own son.

The head said, “Go to these people. Bring them in. Give the woman food and bring the man to me.”

So they did – Ah! Ah!

Finally he told him, “I am your son who you threw away. Take this and this and this and go back to your place but don’t tell anyone that I am your son.”

This moral is that the first wife was honest and good and the father of the head divorced her. So this was his punishment. The tea merchant lived always rich and happy.

 

[Veteran]

DEYA ALI, THE CHEATING FOX​

Once Deya Ali, the cheating fox, was in the village and she saw people crying.

She said, “What happened to you?”

They said, “A man is very seriously ill and going to die. That’s why we are crying.”

Deya Ali said, “I will try to cure him. Will you follow my suggestion?”

“Of course,” they said.

So Deya Ali said, “Please take your camels and cattle and cut off the meat and bring it into the room. Nobody else must be there. Just me and him, and I know I can cure him.”

So they said, “OK,” and they did bring much meat to the room and waited outside while the fox (Deya Ali) cured this friend. But at once the man died.

The people kept asking, “How is he?”

And she said, “Oh, he’s getting better. Bring more meat. More! More!”

So they did and she closed the room and she collected flies in a big jar and all night she kept it covered. Early in the morning she took off the cover and the flies flew out buzzing loudly.

“What’s happening?” said the watchers outside.

“Oh, the patient is trying to do ‘adhan’ (to pray at the mosque).”

“Oh! Very good!” they say.

So the fox makes the flies come out and whenever she does it, the people think the man is praying. So the fox goes on until she has eaten all the meat.

When she finished the meat she covered the body and said to everyone, “He’s asleep, don’t touch him for a while. He’ll wake up and feel better. Goodbye.”

And away she went.

After a while, when they took off the cloth, they saw that he was a dead body, and the fox had been telling a lie.

“Ah,” they said, “We have to find her.”

So they took horses and chased after the fox and caught her and tied her by a rope to a tree.

Then they said, “We’ll boil some water and put her in it to kill her.”

So they went back to the village and put the water on to boil. While they were away the hyena came and said, “Fox, what happened to you?”

“Oh! My uncle says he will invite me, and bring a lot of meat for me to eat. He said, ‘Don’t run away. Don’t move. So that we know where you are we have to tie you to this tree, then we’ll come and bring you lots of meat.’”

“Can you change with me?” said the hyena, “I want to eat the meat.”

“OK,” said the fox. "If you want to eat the meat, untie me and I will tie you up.”

“OK,” he said, so they did.

The fox hid near the tree, and the men came with the big pot of boiling water.

The hyena was very happy saying, “Oh, they’re bringing me meat.”

But when the men were near, they didn’t look at the hyena, just put him in the boiling water.

“Oh fox! Help me!” the hyena cried.

“I can’t help you. Sway like a camel and maybe you will become better.”

So he swayed and his skin became very red.

And that is all the history.

 

[Veteran]

ANOTHER FOX STORY​

The cheating fox was the lion’s niece. The lion, the fox, the humu-humu bird (vulture), the forked stick, the axe, the husk of the coffee bean, the butter, the corn chaff and the hyena all lived together. And they had a lot of cattle which they herded and used. The fox was included, and she was the cheater, and the lion was their king. And the lion sent his niece, the fox, and the hyena to herd the cattle. So they took the cattle to the field to graze.

When the sun was setting, the fox said, “Please, we are hungry. We don’t want to eat our own cattle or the lion will beat us. Let’s try and catch a cow belonging to someone else.”

“OK,” said the hyena, and he tried to kill a cow belonging to some herdsmen, but they saw him and shot him dead.

When the sun set, the fox brought all the cattle back to the village on her own and she said to the lion, “Oh, my uncle lion, I have been herding all the cattle all the day alone. That fool the hyena went to kill and eat a cow belonging to other people and they killed her. I was alone all day.”

“Oh!” said the lion. “Who do you want to go with you tomorrow?”

“The humu-humu bird,” said the fox.

“OK,” said the lion.

So the fox and the humu-humu bird went off in the morning to herd the cattle.

Early in the morning the fox said, “Please, humu-humu bird, can you find us something to eat? If you don’t, I will.”

The humu-humu bird didn’t want to go so the fox said she would and she ran about all day finding snacks to eat. At the end of the day when the sun was setting and the fox had to go back to the village, she said, “You, humu-humu, I only found a stone and some syrup. Try to swallow it.”

So the humu-humu bird opened her mouth and tried to swallow the stone and it stuck in her throat.

All the humu-humu bird could say was, "Humu, humu."

They went back to the village.

The fox said, “Look, this stupid humu-humu bird went off early in the morning and spent the whole day looking for food for herself. Now she’s come back and her voice has gone, because she’s full up, and her throat has stuck. And I was alone all day, herding and herding the cattle.”

So the lion said, “Why did you do this?”

“Humu, humu,” said the humu-humu bird.

The lion was angry.

“You are stupid,” he said, and he killed her and she died.

“Now, fox, who do you want to go with you tomorrow morning?”

“Forked stick I want to go with me.”

“OK.”

So next morning the fox and the forked stick went to the field.

When they had been herding all day, the fox said to the forked stick, “Please, you, forked stick, these people have been cutting thorny branches all day to make a cattle fence. Look, they are your uncles. You should go and help them.”

“Yes, OK,” said the forked stick and he went off to help the men.

They picked him up at once, and they liked him, and while they were using him, the forked stick broke and died.

So the fox went back to the village with all the cattle and said to the lion, “That stupid forked stick ran to some of his relatives who were making a fence for their cattle. He said, ‘Please use me if you need my help.' So they did use him and he broke and I have been herding, herding the cattle the whole day.”

“So who do you want to go with you tomorrow morning?”

“The coffee husk.”

So they went to herd.

But in the afternoon, the fox pointed to some people and said, “Look at those poor people, how hot and thirsty they are! They need a drink. But a husk would be as good as coffee for them. Can you help them?”

“OK,” said the coffee husk, and he went up to the people.

“Oh, we’re lucky, we have a coffee husk,” said the people, “So let’s boil some water and use it.”

They put the husk on to roast and then they ground him and made him into coffee and drank it.

So the fox went home and said to the lion, “Oh, that stupid husk, he went to some of his relatives and they drank him.”

“So who do you want to go with you tomorrow morning?” said the lion.

“The butter can go with me.”

“OK.”

So the butter and the fox went to the field, and the fox said to the butter, “Sit on that big stone. I’ll do the work.”

The big stone had been sitting full in the sun and it was very hot. And as soon as the butter sat on it, it melted away to nothing.

When the fox went home she said to the lion, “I’ve been herding and herding all day on my own because that stupid butter sat down on the hot stone and melted.”

“Oh,” said the lion. “Who do you want to herd with you tomorrow morning?”

“The chaff.”

So the chaff went with the fox. When it was time to go home, the fox said, “We’re all hot and dirty. Let’s go to the river and take a swim.”

“OK,” said the chaff.

And the chaff tried to swim, but he became distributed (that is, dissolved) in the water and there was no more of him.

So the fox went back and said to the lion, “The stupid chaff tried to swim in the river and melted away.”

“So who remains to herd with you tomorrow?” said the lion.

“There’s no-one else,” said the fox. “You must come with me yourself.”

“OK,” said the lion.

Then the fox made a big hole and put a fire inside, and covered the hole, and then she said, “Uncle Lion, you sit here and I’ll do the herding.”

Then when the lion sat down he fell into the hole and died. So all had finished, and the fox alone remains for all the cattle.

People saw that all the cattle belonged to the fox.

“Let’s rob her,” they said. “She’s alone, she has no one to help.”

So they came to rob her.

“Is there someone?” they said.

“No,” said the fox. “Who are you?”

She ran round and round, trying to sound like many people.

Then the fox sang a song saying, “Deya Ali, the fox, the people see me coming and they run away.”

The second time the people came again and they didn’t see any lion, any hyena, or anything except the fox.

“Why are we afraid? There’s only the fox,” they all said. “Let’s go and steal all the cattle.”

So they came from here and from here and here and robbed all the cattle and ran away. The fox saw that they had stolen all the cattle and she thought for a while and took many things to make a noise and tied them on her body. Then she ran, and as she ran the things went chellalum, chellalam, chellalum, chellalam like a horse. Collalum, callalum chum, collalim, callalum, chum. [The narrator makes sound effects like the horse's hooves.]

“You Ali! You Omer! Your horse is too near to me. Move away! Your horse has become too close and there is no room where it can put its feet. Turn there and there and there!” she’s shouting and the noise goes collalum callalum pssht, collalum callalum pssht.

But the people looked and saw that the fox was alone and again they came and this time they took all her property.

So this story shows that you can’t survive alone, and if you take everything for yourself and kill your brothers and sisters you will be alone.

 

[Veteran]

THE CANNIBAL WOMAN​

Once there was a cannibal woman in a village and people in the village were afraid of her in case she came to eat them.

There was a family in the village, and the husband had to travel away, and he said to his wife, “Please don’t open the door at night. There is a cannibal woman around who eats people. So be careful.”

So off he went.

In the evening the cannibal woman came and knocked on the door. The woman was alone.

“Who are you?”

She said she was the woman’s husband, so the woman opened the door. As soon as the cannibal came in, she ate the woman and put on her dress.

Then the woman’s husband came home. He had gone (because he was a nomad) to find grass and water. He had found a good place with other men of the village and they wanted to move to the place they had surveyed and selected. So all the families started to pack up their houses and go to the new place.

When the man came home he thought the woman was his wife, because she was wearing her clothes. He ordered her to pack.

His wife had been pregnant. The cannibal woman had put the remains of the woman and the baby into a hole. And she made an artificial pregnancy.

Soon all was packed and they went on their way. The family had one dog, one hen, one cat, one camel, one cow, one goat and one sheep. When she tried to milk the camel, it ran away. When she got near to any of the animals they ran away. The man wondered why.

Then at last he saw that this woman was not his wife but a cannibal woman. He killed her. He had suspected because of the animals, then he looked and found his wife’s body and his child’s.

That is the story.

 

[Veteran]

THE CRACKED LAND OF DROUGHT​

Once there was a boy and his mother. She wanted to go to her married daughter, far away from her village. So the mother and son started to walk early in the morning and they walked all day. They took some water and some food to eat and they finished the food on the way. While they were walking, the boy saw that the earth was dry and cracked.

“Why, Mother, is the land cracked?”

She said, “It is thirsty.”

“Oh! We have water. Let’s give it water.”

“But if you give it water, what will you drink when you’re thirsty?”

“No, I’m not thirsty.”

“But you will be thirsty later.”

“But the land is thirsty now,” he said, and he poured all his water on the ground.

They walked and walked and the child became thirsty.

“Mother, please, give me water.”

“What water? I told you, you will have thirst if you pour your water on the cracked earth.”

“But I wasn’t thirsty then and I am thirsty now.”

“But we have no more water in our bottle, and there is none around here.”

They were very hungry also.

Then they saw a house and they said, “Please let us ask at the house to give us water and food.”

The house belonged to a cannibal woman. When they tried to go in, in front of it they found the daughter of the cannibal.

She said, “You, what do you want?”

“We want water. We’re thirsty and hungry. Do you have water?"

“No, we don’t have any water. Please, go far away from here. My mother is a cannibal. Go away because I cannot save you.”

“But please, give us water.”

“No, I have no water.”

But the cannibal’s daughter had been making injera1 and over the injera batter was a little water.

“Please, give us that to drink. We are very thirsty.”

“OK. Take it.”

She poured it for them and they drank it. Then they started to go. But when they were away from the house the mother came out.

“My daughter, who were you talking to?”

“No one.”

“I think you were talking to someone. And where is the water from the injera?”

“It’s in the batter.”

“But look, this cup is used. You put some of the water from the batter into the cup and you gave it to someone. Tell me the truth.”

“OK. They were a mother and a small boy and they were thirsty and I gave them.”

“Where did they go?”

“They followed the road of the lion.”

The cannibal ran and ran and looked and looked and she climbed a tree and saw nothing.

She ran back and said to her daughter, “You are telling a lie. Tell me the truth or I will eat you.”

“OK. Go to the cattle’s road.”

The same thing happened. The mother ran back furious.

“Why are you telling a lie? Tell the truth.”

So the daughter finally pointed out the real way’s road and said, “The people, they went over there.”

The cannibal ran and ran and she saw them ahead. The woman looked back and saw the cannibal.

She said, “Oh, my son, that is the cannibal woman. What can we do? She is chasing us. Let’s run.”

“No, we will wait, she won’t hurt us.”

The woman caught them up.

“Listen,” she said to them, “you must choose. Shall I eat this arli (a corn – sweet and ripe) or shall I eat k’eren (barley - not so sweet)?”

By arli she meant the boy. By k’eren she meant the woman.

The boy said, “Eat arli, the sweet wheat,” not understanding, but his mother said, “No, no, don’t eat the arli (my son), eat the k’eren (me).”

Then the cannibal ran at the woman and cut off her breasts and the breasts flew up into the sky like birds. And the mother died and the cannibal ate her, but the boy she did not eat. He escaped and he went, he went, he went. He reached to a place near a village and he saw children herding goats.

He said, “You, do you know Anina? She is my sister.”

“We’ll tell you. First you have to find my goat who has run away.”

So he did.

And they said, “Go and ask that cattle herder.”

“You, cattle herder, do you know Anina in the village?”

“I will tell you where Anina is. First bring me back my straying cows.”

So he did.

The man said, “That camel herder will tell you.”

He went to the camel herder.

“You, camel herder, do you know a girl called Anina in this village?”

“First bring back my camel.”

He brought back the camel.

“OK, now ask that farmer.”

So he said to the farmer, “Do you know a girl called Anina?”

“I will tell you. First, work in my field.”

So he worked all day, and when the sun was setting the farmer tapped a sugar tree and syrup poured from it.

“Eat this sweet gum,” he said to the boy.

So the boy put it in his mouth and his teeth stuck together.

“Humph! Hum!” the boy said.

He took the boy to his own house. Now he was the husband of Anina, but he hadn’t wanted to say so because he was suspicious of the boy.

He said to his wife, “This boy has worked for me today. I found him. He can’t talk. Just make him your servant.”

The boy didn’t know that this was her sister, and she didn’t know this was her brother.

She said, “Oh, you boy, go to the well and bring the water in a sieve.”

But he tried and all the water fell out.

Then she gave him a needle and showed him the mortar and said, “Now pound the grain.”

“How can I? It is impossible.”

“Do it!”

He tried.

Then there was a third one which is impossible (I can’t remember).

Then the birds which were his mother’s breasts fly to the village.

They sing:
“You, Ali, your sister didn’t understand you.
If she knew who you were,
She wouldn’t give you things which cannot hold the water,
She cannot say, use the needle to pound the grain,
She cannot ask the third thing (like cut the meat with a feather).”

Then everyone heard and said, “Every day the birds talk to this boy.”

They told Anina, and said, “Every day birds talk with this boy and say this.”

When she heard this, Anina went to her brother and he told her his mother had died and become birds. And he told how he had asked Anina’s husband, and he had deceived her. And she became very angry with her husband. When he came at night she dug a hole and put fire in it. Then she covered the hole.

“What is this heat?” her husband said.

“I made heat so we don’t feel the cold.”

But he dropped in the fire and he burned, and she killed him and she recognised her brother and the story was finished.

 

[Veteran]

THE HYENA, THE FOX AND THE MONKEY​

In the old days the hyena and the fox lived together. One day they quarreled, so they went to the monkey and asked her to judge the quarrel.

“The fox has called me a thief,” said the hyena.

The fox tried to give the monkey a present to bribe her.

The monkey said, “Before you start presenting your cases, you have to have someone to pay bail for you.”

The hyena said, “I want my guarantor to be the fox,” and the fox said he wanted the hyena.

So the monkey looked at them thoughtfully and said, “You are both wrong because since you have chosen each other to be guarantor I see no reason to judge you. You have pretended that you fought over something when in fact there’s no quarrel between you. If it was another judge presiding over this case, he would have charged you a lot of money for your foolishness. But because I am a close friend of you both, I will only charge you five shillings each.”