76. The Wise Man, the Hyena, and the Spider (1)

A wise man journeying home on horseback stopped to rest.
Hyena saw him. "Help!" she shouted. "I'm late for a funeral. Loan me your horse!"
The man agreed. "But come back soon," he said.
"I will!" lied Hyena. She rode away on the horse, then killed the horse and ate it.
Spider saw the wise man weeping. "Why do you have a saddle but no horse?" he asked.
"Hyena stole my horse," he replied.
"I'll bring back Hyena," said Spider. "She can be your horse! Just give me a magic charm as my reward."
"I promise," said the wise man.
[a Hausa story from northern Nigeria]


Inspired by: Fifty Hausa Folktales by A. J. N. Tremearne.
Notes: This is the story ""The Malam, the Spider, and the Hyena" as told to Tremearne by Sarikin Dukawa. You can read what happens next in: Riding Hyena.

No comments:

Post a Comment