Heyoo whats going on people? What a lovely day isn't it? Hope you all are doing wonderfully well even in these hard times. In these difficult times, let's continue to be grateful to God for the lives we have. It's truly a gift.
Without further ado, let's get right into today's post. I'll be talking about our favourite folktale character, Mr. Tortoise (abi na Tortise we dey call am?😅). Tortoise is too much. How many folktales have we heard without my man in them?
I'm Igbo and I know that most folktales concerning the animal kingdom are not complete unless Tortoise– which is called Mbe– is present. Any other ethnic group here? Yoruba? Efik? Do you guys also have Mr. Tortoise in your folktales? Please, do let me know in the comments. I'm sure all ethnic groups have Tortoise as a major character in their folktales.
We all love Mr. Tortoise. He's known as the most cunning of them all among all the animals in the animal kingdom. He plays tricks on other animals and love to deceive them a lot. What we mostly love about Mr. Tortoise is that he uses a lot of wisdom when doing his things and at times, in the end, something bad happens to him which adds this comic feel to the whole thing.
Oya sit down y'all. Let me narrate (summarize) some folktales for you guys concerning Mr. Tortoise. Don't go yet oh. Hold on tight!
Tortoise and Pig:
Once upon a time in the animal kingdom, Tortoise was poor. He went around asking all the animals to lend him money, promising to pay back. The animals refused because they knew that Mr. Tortoise was very cunning. One day, Mr. Pig was passing along the road and Tortoise saw him. He approached Mr. Pig and and begged him to lend him some money, promising to pay him back ten times the amount. Now, Mr. Pig was very greedy. When he heard this, he became very happy and took Mr. Tortoise home where he gave him the money. Mr. Tortoise thanked him and left.
On the day when it was agreed that Tortoise would pay the money, Mr. Pig arrived at his home. When Mr. Tortoise saw him from afar, he hid in his wife Adaku's cooking pot. Mr. Pig came and asked Adaku where Mr. Tortoise was. She replied that she did not know. After Mr. Pig waited for hours, he left angrily.
On another day, Mr. Tortoise was eating yam and stew with his wife when Mr. Pig gave them a surprise visit. With no time to hide, Mr. Tortoise entered into his shell while his wife put the food they were eating on his shell so it'll look like a table. When Mr. Pig came in and couldn't find Mr. Tortoise, he picked up his shell and the food and flung it into the nearby bush. Tortoise came out of his shell, moved toward his house and met Mr. Pig.
An angry Mr. Pig asked Tortoise, "where is my money?" Tortoise replied, "I am with the money now." Tortoise called his wife and said, "go and get that table in the room. Mr. Pig's money is in the drawer." Adaku went into the house and after a while, she responded, "there is no table here. Mr. Pig threw it out." Mr. Tortoise pretended to be angry and told Mr. Pig, "your money was in the drawer of that table that you threw out. When you find the table, then you can take your money." Mr. Pig then went out to look for the table in shame but could never find it.
So anytime you see a pig wallowing in the dirt, he is looking for Mr. Tortoise's money.
Why the tortoise has a broken shell:
This is probably the most famous one. One day in the animal kingdom, all the birds called for a meeting in the sky. There was going to be a variety of meals and drinks in the meeting. When Mr. Tortoise heard about this meeting, he begged the birds to allow him to be a part of it. The birds were skeptical at first but agreed later on. They gave the Tortoise a feather each that he would put together and fly up to get to the meeting.
Before they left for the meeting, Tortoise proposed that they all should give themselves names so that their host could easily identify them. The birds agreed to this and chose names for themselves. Tortoise chose the name 'All of you.'
At the meeting, when the host brought out the meals of various types, he said, "this meal is for all of you." Tortoise smiled and confirmed that his name was All of you. So, he ate the food alone. All the birds were angry and took their feathers from Tortoise and left. Tortoise was stranded in the sky with no way to get back down. He then asked Parrot to help him go down and tell his wife to bring out all the pillows and soft items in his house so that he could land safely.
Parrot agreed to help him. However, when he got to Tortoise's wife, he told her to bring out all the hard items in the home. Tortoise then jumped down from the sky and landed on the hard items. This is why the tortoise has a rough shell.
Tortoise and Elephant:
Long ago in the animal kingdom, all the animals were ruled by their king, Lion. One day, Lion fell very sick. The herbalists diagnosed him with a dangerous illness that could only be cured by cooking and eating the parts of an elephant. Now Elephant was very tough and proud. He was a bully and nobody ever tried to mess with him. The King called all the animals together in a gathering and announced, "whoever would capture Elephant for me would receive half of my kingdom and the hand of my first daughter in marriage.
On hearing this, Tortoise volunteered to take on the mission. The animals cheered him and blessed him for his courage. Tortoise told the king's guards to dig a big hole, place a board over it, cover it with a royal mat and place a throne on it. After they had done this, Tortoise went to his home and told his wife to prepare some delicious akara for him, as Tortoise wife was very good at preparing akara.
When that had been done, Tortoise took the akara to where Elephant was sitting. He threw one at him. Elephant ate the akara and loved it. Tortoise began to hail Elephant, "long live King Elephant! Long live King Elephant, for he is our new ruler because Lion is dead. The animals have made these akara as an offering and we await your arrival to the throne." As Elephant heard this, he rejoiced and followed Tortoise who continued to feed him akara.
When they got nearer to the palace, the animals rejoiced because Tortoise had brought Elephant to be killed. Elephant was very glad at heart, thinking that they were hailing him. When he saw the throne that had been set for him, he sat down on it. The board that was covering the hole broke and he fell into the pit and was wounded. The guards descended on him and killed him.
There are so many folktales about the Tortoise that can't be exhausted in one post. African folktales are so wonderful and funny. I wonder why we don't see a lot of humans in these stories. Oh well. More fun right? Which folktale do you remember?
