There was a hyena who kept attacking a certain man’s flock of goats.
The man finally dug a pitfall and captured the hyena.
“Let me go!” begged the hyena. “Please don’t kill me! I won’t eat your goats; I promise. I will give up meat entirely!”
The man didn’t believe the hyena’s promise, but he felt sorry for her, so he tied a bell to her neck and let her go.
Of course the hyena kept on hunting for meat, but now the bell warned her prey and they were able to get away.
The hyena eventually died of hunger.
[a Shilluk story from the Sudan]
Inspired by: "The Hyena with the Bell" in The Shilluk people, their language and folklore by Diedrich Westermann, 1912.
Notes: You can read the original story online. The story is told about "prince, whose name was Lwal Polkoe." The book also contains the Shilluk text; you can find out more about the Shilluk people of South Sudan at Wikipedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment