Jackal was angry at Heron, and he vowed to get revenge.
He found Heron standing on the water’s edge and said to him, “My dear Heron, your neck looks very long, and I am sure it is very delicate. What will you do when the wind starts to blow hard?”
Heron smiled. “I know how to stay safe in the wind! I just bend my neck this way.” Then, as Heron bent his neck to show Jackal, Jackal reached out and twisted Heron’s neck so that he could not straighten his neck again.
That’s why Heron’s neck is bent today.
[a Khoekhoe story from Namibia]
Inspired by: "The Dove and the Heron" in Reynard the fox in South Africa; or, Hottentot fables and tales by W. Bleek, 1864.
Notes: This is a continuation of: Dove and Jackal.
No comments:
Post a Comment