Protected: Beneinise Folktales

These stories should be published under the following categories. (4 categories) The primary category is Beninese folktales

African Folktales - West African Folktales - Beninese folktales and - Dahomean (Fon) folktales

Why one does not displease the diviner

Da "ada Segbo had a field, which Lamb watched over. A road separated the field into two parts. Now it was the dry season. There was no rain. This happened when the king of Oyo was a greater king than Hwegbadja. When the time for rain came and there was no rain, one asked diviner Tortoise to come and divine, and Tortoise divined. Then if a person made the right sacrifices, the rain would fall.

The king of Oyo called Tortoise to come to his country and divine for him, for there was no rain in his country. In order to reach the king of Oyo, one had to go through Dada Segbo's field, where Lamb was on guard.

And so, as Tortoise went by there, he said to Lamb, "Give me a drink of water." But Lamb said to Tortoise, "I am not here to serve you." Tortoise went on his way. There was a small market there. In that market Lamb's mother was selling gumbo and acasa, and she had some water. The diviner bought some acasa and cakes from her. When he had finished eating, he asked for some water, and the woman gave it to him.

He said, "Thank you very much. I saw a boy and asked him for water, but he would not give me any." He said this to Lamb's mother, but he did not know she was his mother. Then he said to this woman, "What I am going to divine, I am going to divine against this boy. I will tell the king of Oyo that he must be killed before rain will fall."

The woman asked, "Where is this boy?" Tortoise said, "He watches over Dada Segbo's field. I am going to divine against him." He left for the king's house. There he divined, and he said that in order for the rain to fall, they must sacrifice a lamb. The king of Oyo asked, "What kind of a lamb?"

Tortoise said, "The lamb that watches over Dada Segbo's field. It is he who has angered Hevioso."

When Lamb's mother heard this in the market-place, she went home at once and told her son to buy goats and chickens and bring them to Tortoise. She said Tortoise had told her he would see to it that he was killed. She said that since he had refused water to Tortoise, he would surely die if he did not obey her.

So the boy bought the goats and chickens, and brought those to Tortoise's wife, saying she was to tell Tortoise he had brought them. Tortoise had said he would return in five days, and in the meantime he was to get Lamb. Now, everybody knew that Lamb must die. When Tortoise came home, he saw the gifts Lamb had brought. He said, "I told the king of Oyo that the boy must die in five days, and now here are all these presents from him." So he went to tell his Legba how he divined today, and that the boy had brought him all these presents.

Legba said, "That's nothing. Keep the presents. You will divine again."

Now, when the day came, Tortoise went to see the king of Oyo again. Since early morning, Lamb had been lying bound behind the king's house. Tortoise said, "Bring what I asked for, and I will make the sacrifice." They brought chickens, pigeons, palm oil, white and red stew, everything. He said, "Where is the animal?" They brought Lamb. He said, "That's not what I asked for. I asked only for his hair, but you have tied him up. What will Dada Segbo say? You people understand nothing."

Then Lamb knew that Tortoise had received the gifts left at his house. Tortoise said, "Loosen this boy. I have not the power to kill a lamb which belongs to Dada Segbo. Find me the hair of another lamb."

So they untied Lamb, and he went home. They found the hair of another lamb and made the sacrifice. Legba took a small gourd, took out some powder from it and blew it into the sky. In a few moments rain began to fall.

And that is why today, when the diviner asks for something, they give it to him.

Folktale 2: The dove that sacrificed and the one that failed to sacrifice

There were two doves, Kpanuhwele and Hweleagon. Once, in the dry season, they could not find water to drink. So Kpanuhwele said, "Let us go to the diviner so that rain may fall."

Hweleagon said, "If we go to divine, he will ask for chickens, goats, and money, and I have nothing to sell. I am poor."

So Kpanuhwele went to the diviner alone. The diviner told him to get a goat, chickens, a cock, pepper, and salt. When he brought these things, they performed the ceremony. They killed the goat, and the chickens, and all the other animals, but they had no water with which to cook them. All at once, rain began to fall. So Kpanuhwele found water for cooking his food.

Hweleagon, who did not want to divine, also got much water. But after a few days, once more there was no water. In Kpanuhwele's house, there was a small hole filled with water. Hweleagon, who had no water hole at his house, was ashamed to ask for some of this. But he said, "I am going to drink from the hole; I am going to drink from the hole." Kpanuhwele said, "If you haven't killed a goat, you must not drink from the hole."

The dove Hweleagon stayed there a long time, but the other would not give him water. Every time he went away, he would come back. He went away; he came back. He did this until night. Finally Kpanuhwele had to give him some to be rid of him.

That is why today doves talk as they do. One says, "Nanu kodo, nanu kodo ... I want to drink from the hole, I want to drink from the hole." And the other says, "Awu gboa, gbo nanu kodoa ... If you haven't killed a goat, how can you drink from the hole?"

Folktale 3: The boxing contest: Bird outwits Elephant – Why Titagweti is honored at death

Titagweti and Elephant challenged each other to a fight. Elephant promised to kill Titagweti with one stroke of his tusk. Titagweti promised to hit Elephant so hard that blood would come out of his eyes and his brains out of his head.

When Elephant returned home, he did not trouble himself. He needed but to step on a little bird like that. But when Gweti went home, he sought out Fa. Fa told Gweti to go to Legba. Titagweti went to Legba and knocked on his door. When he said, "Atacho, atacho," Legba opened and asked what he wanted. Gweti explained the challenge.

Legba told him it would be very easy to win over Elephant. He asked him for three small calabashes. When Titagweti brought them, Legba put plain water in the first calabash. In the second he put kaolin mixed with water. In the third he put a kind of red pepper called zakpwakpwe, which he also mixed with water. Then he told Titagweti to put all these in the tree under which they would fight the next day. Legba told him that the water was to represent tears, the kaolin brains, and the red pepper blood.

The next morning when all the people had gathered, Elephant and Titagweti began to fight. When Elephant lashed out with his trunk, Gweti flew into the air and came down on Elephant's back. When Elephant turned his head, Gweti perched on his neck. When Elephant lowered his head, he flew onto his foot, and when he raised his foot, Gweti flew into the tree.

He took up the first calabash, and quickly threw the water in it over Elephant's head. Water covered Elephant's face, and Gweti flew down from the tree so as to fly about in front of Elephant. All the people shouted, "Elephant is crying, Elephant is crying!" Then Gweti took the calabash where the kaolin was, and overturned it on Elephant's head. The people shouted, "Elephant's brains are coming out!" Finally he threw the reddened water in the third calabash over Elephant's back. And now the people shouted, "Here's the blood!"

But when Elephant heard the people shout, he was so angry and ashamed that he fell down. And he was so heavy that he could not get up without help.

When Metonofi came and saw the elephant on the ground, he gave the order to all hunters that Titagweti should have the same rank as large animals. From that time onwards, when they kill Titagweti they must perform as great a ceremony as for the largest animals.

Folktale 4: Goat's life saved by sacrifice – Why goats avoid rain

Goat had to go on a journey. So he went to the diviner, who told him what sacrifice he must make. He must take a leather bag with him and put two bottles of honey and a piece of meat in it. Goat got everything together and made his sacrifice.

Dog, who was going with Goat, also went to the diviner, who told him the same things he told Goat. But Dog did nothing.

The next day, Goat and Dog started. Halfway to their destination, there was a tornado. But in the middle of a field they found a little rest house for travelers. It was a house with only one entrance. While they were there, Hyena came to get out of the rain. When he entered, they did not know what to do.

Goat said, "Good day, sir." And Hyena said, "Where are you going?" "On a journey, and I carry a very good thing." "Let me see it." Goat took the meat out of the bag that the diviner had told him to take, and dipped it in the honey. As he approached Hyena with the meat in his hand, he said, "Softly toward the mouth of the great one." As he said this, Hyena opened his mouth, and Goat let the meat and honey fall into it. He ate and ate and ate, and though he found it sticky, he called out, "Goat, where did you find such a good thing?"

When the meat was finished, Goat became afraid that Hyena would go after him. He said, "Sire, I have still some honey, but with a leg of dog, it is still sweeter." Hyena ordered Dog to give him one of his legs. Bagba took the leg, divided the first part into two parts, and put the honey for Hyena.

The rain had not yet stopped, and while Hyena was eating, Lion entered. Lion seated himself, and asked, "What are you doing here?" The three all wanted to get out, but they did not know how. Goat said, "Ah, sire, I have a little thing here in my sack," and he took the part of Dog's leg that remained, put it in the honey, and said, "Softly toward the mouth of the great."

Lion found this to his taste, and said, "Goat, where did you find this thing? Is there some left?" Goat said, "Sire, I have a bit more honey, but with the leg of a hyena, it is even sweeter." So Lion told Hyena to give him a leg. But when it was eaten, Lion said that he had not had enough. Goat said, "I have what is needed to make meat sweet." And Lion told Hyena to give him his thigh.

Now the house was made of grass, and when he heard this, Hyena, who had worked his way through the wall, escaped. Lion ran after him, and Goat took the opportunity to run away, taking the dog with him.

He returned to his own house and gave a large gift to his diviner. The diviner told him never to go out while it rains. And that is why Goat stays out of the rain.

Folktale 5: Outwitting creditors – The diviner's parable

Fa owed money to a serpent, a leopard, and a hunter. The serpent was a poisonous one. Each of the three lived in a different village and not knowing one another, had no means of finding out that Fa owed money to all of them. When the serpent came to ask for the repayment of his loan, Fa said, "Come tomorrow." When the leopard came, he was told to return the next day, and so was the hunter.

As soon as the three left, Fa washed the head of kpoli. Then he divined, and the du was gudamedji, which says that for a matter involving debt, the debtor must first find a raffia sack, and put small stones of the type called gbadaken inside it, and then close the sack. In those days, cowries were used for money, and these cowries were carried about in these raffia sacks. The du said that Fa should then put the sack against a wall of the house and give a chicken to Legba.

Fa did as he was ordered. The next morning the leopard was the first to come. Fa said, "I have your money here, but my son is away and will not be back for a short while. If you wait, though, he will help you carry away the money." The leopard agreed, and climbed a tree behind Fa's house to wait for Fa's son.

In a few moments the serpent came. Fa showed him the sack and said, "Here is your money, but if you wait a short time, my son, who will soon return, will help you carry it home." The serpent also agreed and went into the brush behind Fa's house to wait. Soon afterwards the hunter came and Fa showed him the same sack, saying, "My son has gone to the village with a friend, but he will be here in a moment, and will help you carry this money away." And having said this, he asked the hunter to wait in back of his house.

The three debtors had never seen each other before. Now, when the hunter went behind Fa's house, he saw a leopard crouched in the tree. At once he aimed his gun, shot, and killed him. He had taken no more than three steps toward his prey, however, when he was bitten by the serpent. As he felt the sting of the serpent, he threw his knife, which cut off the serpent's head. That moment the poison from the snake took effect, and the hunter died.

Thus Fa rid himself of his debtors. He then gave another chicken to Legba.

Folktale 6: Outwitting creditors – Rabbit tricks Death

Rabbit was in debt. He owed money to Death. Death kept asking for his money. He asked all the time. Rabbit went to a diviner to find out what he should do to get out of giving this money, ten thousand francs, back to Death, for he could not repay it.

The diviner said he must make a little ceremony, and get some long chains, six chickens, and two goats. After that he could tell Death to come in three days.

Rabbit went to a friend and they worked out a plan together. Now, Rabbit lived in a square compound, which had a road in front of it. Rabbit told Death there was a slave to be sold, and that he should come before daybreak to get his money.

When Rabbit's friend came early in the morning he put the chains about Rabbit's neck so he might represent the slave. He put ashes everywhere, and clothed him in rags, and did all sorts of things to disguise him. They chained Rabbit to a stake and then the friend left.

Before daybreak Death came. He saw Rabbit there, but he did not know him. He asked, "Where is Rabbit?" The slave said, "Rabbit went to look for the man who is coming to buy the slave." Then Rabbit asked Death, "Is it you who are coming to take the money from the sale?"

Death said, "Yes, it's me." Then Rabbit begged Death to take off his chains for a moment, so that he might go and urinate. He said he would come back again as soon as he had finished. Death said, "What, and let you run away? I am a stranger here!"

But Rabbit said, "No, no, I won't run away. I'll just go and urinate and come right back." So Death took off the chain, and Rabbit left.

He went to his friend's house. He bathed and dressed. Then he said to his friend, "Come with me." His friend went with him. They both carried umbrellas. His friend brought six thousand francs to buy the slave. Rabbit entered first. His friend came after him. Rabbit stretched out his hand to Death and greeted him. He said to him, "I see you came." He turned to his friend, "Are you going to buy the slave? Where is the money with which you are going to buy him from me?" His friend said, "You talked of ten thousand francs, but I brought six thousand."

Rabbit said, "All right. Come. We'll look at the slave." But they saw nothing. Rabbit asked Death, "Where is the man who was here? Where is my father's slave? Here is the chain I put about his neck, and he is gone."

Death said, "I released him."

Rabbit said, "You have taken off the chain without my permission? All right, I have nothing more to pay you. The slave cost me twenty-four thousand francs, but I'll sell him to you cheap. I'll give him to you for twelve thousand francs. You fear nothing, but we will go to the Residency."

So they had a trial at the Residency, and it was decided that Death had to pay twelve thousand francs before he could leave, since it was only out of consideration for him that Rabbit was willing to let the slave go for that.

Rabbit acted as though he was very angry, and Death had to pay Rabbit twelve thousand francs. "To show you how I am, I'll give you back two thousand," said Rabbit. But Death went home. He left the two thousand francs. He would not touch them.

Rabbit also went home, and he brought together all the diviners of his quarter for a ceremony, for his Fa was strong. And he sang,

Rabbit must settle with Death, He does not want to pay, He does not want to pay, Fa does not want to pay, Rabbit must settle his debt with Death no more.

If a person owes, and pays, he will be happy.

Folktale 7: Legba's wives reconciled – Why Rabbit is head of the animals and Leopard their king – Why Agbe is spotted

Legba had two wives, Nunde and Konikoni. Konikoni was the first wife, and Nunde the second. They did not get on very well together. Nunde went to Rabbit and told him that Konikoni and she did not get on well.

Rabbit went to consult Fa for Nunde. Fa said to make Legba love Nunde, she must get a goat and a cock, corn flour, palm oil, and salt and pepper. And she must have a covered calabash for water. They got everything together to make a sacrifice so that Legba should love Nunde.

Nunde said that Konikoni was the senior wife. Rabbit fixed the period of three days for them to become friends. Rabbit came on the day agreed upon and reconciled them. After that, when Konikoni cooked for Legba, Nunde added the condiments and ran errands. Now, when Konikoni sent Nunde to market, she gave her one cowry, and that cowry bought there all sorts of condiments, and she returned home with the cowry.

All the animals of the bush were the enemies of Rabbit. They always asked why Rabbit was a friend of Legba. The animals drove Rabbit from the bush, but he hid near Legba's house so that when the others came to kill him, he would have Legba's protection.

In those days, Leopard was the family chief. He called all the animals together, Rabbit also, and said to them, "I want to make a ceremony." They told Antelope to go in the house first, because his skin resembled Leopard's. He would know the names of the members of this large family.

When Antelope came in the house, he said, "Let Deer come first." But Leopard was not satisfied with his choice, so he sprang at him, and caught him by the back of the neck, and strangled him.

Now Wild Goat was summoned. Wild Goat entered to make the ceremony, but when he called the name of Wildcat, Leopard seized him and strangled him. Leopard called Porcupine to enter and perform the ceremony. Porcupine entered. He began to make the ceremony by calling the names of wild animals. But Leopard was angry, because he did not begin with the name of Leopard, and sprang at him and strangled him.

Now Rabbit said to Leopard, "The animals you killed are your brothers. Why did you kill them? The head of a family should not act like that."

Now Leopard called Agbe. And when Agbe called the names of the animals, he said, "Leopard, Lion, Hyena, Rabbit." Leopard told him what he had done was good. "You are a little animal, and you know all my relatives. You will always remain my friend." Now Leopard asked him, "Who is the sib-chief over all the animals?"

Agbe said, "It is Rabbit, and Leopard is their king."

Leopard said, "You have spoken well. I will mark you, so that when people see you, they will recognize that you are my friend, and my brother." So Leopard took the blood of the animals he had killed and sprinkled the body of Agbe. That is why the body of Agbe is always spotted.

Folktale 8: Why the king of the beasts, the king of the birds, and the king of the fish prey on their subjects

Mawu created the animals, the birds, and the fish. Mawu said to them, "I want to give you a king, but I have not found one yet. I will send him to you later."

The animals said they preferred Lion. The fish wanted the Crocodile for their chief. The birds said they wanted Agbogbo, the largest bird of all. So they were all told to leave for the world with their chiefs.

When the animals came into the world, the moment one of them stepped on the lion's urine, it died. There was a road where all the animals passed, and Lion would urinate there so that he might eat the animals. If a bird would not obey, Agbogbo seized it and ate it. If a fish did not obey, Crocodile ate it.

One day the birds, the animals and the fish met together to find out who among them would go and see Mawu and come back again. All the birds began to call out, "I want to go. I will go." The animals, too, cried out they would go, and the fish said they wanted to go, too. But as one bird after another, one animal after another, one fish after another went up to where Mawu was, the moment they came in sight of Mawu, they were afraid and hid. They would not come close.

Now, when those who said they would go to Mawu, but had turned away afraid, came back, their chiefs ate them. Then Vulture said, "I am going." They prepared food for him, and he flew away. It was three years before he came back. He called Lion, Agbogbo, and Crocodile and told them that Mawu had said that Lion should eat the animals, Crocodile must eat the fish, and Agbogbo should eat the birds.

Lion told Hyena to be his sub-chief, and he also made Leopard a sub-chief. Crocodile took a fish called Sosoglose as sub-chief, while Agbogbo took Crow.

Now that Lion had two sub-chiefs, no matter what animal he saw, he ate it. Since Crocodile made Sosoglose his sub-chief, he no longer could eat him, but Sosoglose gathered fish for his master and brought them to him. The moment Agbogbo and Crow saw the other birds, they ate them.

After a while Lion and his sub-chiefs, Crocodile and his sub-chief, Agbogbo and his sub-chief went to see Tortoise, their diviner. Lion said, "Since we live on the animals we get, how can we get more and more animals to eat?"

Tortoise told them they had to make a sacrifice. To Lion he said, "Find me a doe." But Lion said, "I am quick and I have claws. Why should I make a sacrifice? If I make it I will eat the animals, but if I don't make it, I will eat them, too." Crocodile, whom the diviner told to bring fish for a sacrifice, also went away. He said, "I cannot make this sacrifice, for Mawu commanded me to watch over the fish." And he said, "If I make the sacrifice I eat, but if I don't make it, I eat. Why should I make this sacrifice?"

When the diviner told Agbogbo to find birds for him, he, too, refused. "When Mawu has given me all, why should I go to the trouble of making this sacrifice?"

Now, the animals whom Lion was eating went to the diviner. "What shall we do so that Lion does not eat us?" The diviner said to them, "You must make a sacrifice. Go and get a cock and bring some of the hair from your pelts." The animals went, and returned with the cock and made their sacrifice. The fish also went to the diviner. He told them to bring a cock, and some black earth from the bottom of the river. When the fish brought these, the sacrifice was made. The diviner told them, "Now that you have made your sacrifice, you can stay in the water safely."

The birds, too, came to see the diviner. He told them to get a cock and to bring something of all that is eaten — manioc, yams, beans, maize. They found all this and made their sacrifice. And when the animals had made their sacrifice, Lion could no longer eat them as he used to. Crocodile could no longer eat the fish, and, after the birds had made their sacrifice, Agbogbo did not eat them as before.

So Lion and Crocodile and Agbogbo had little to eat for a whole year. They did not have a good meal all that time. So they called a meeting. Lion and his sub-chiefs were there, Crocodile and his sub-chief, Agbogbo and his sub-chief. When the chiefs met, Leopard said to them, "I know the cause of this. The animals and the birds and the fish made the sacrifices which diviner Tortoise told them to make. That is why we chiefs find nothing to eat."

As the chiefs talked this over, Lion said, "Ah, yes, I remember. We went to Tortoise, the diviner, and he told us to make a sacrifice. Did you make it?" The sub-chiefs said, "No, we did not make it." So they contributed a large sum and sent Crow to Tortoise with the money.

Tortoise said, "I told you before to make a sacrifice and you would not do it. Why do you now send me all this money? If you still want to make a sacrifice, we will divine again. The other is now useless."

The diviner divined a second time, and said to Leopard, "To make this sacrifice you must find a small antelope." The other said, "We cannot find animals now, so how shall we get this animal?" But the diviner told him that the sacrifice the others made had expired, since a sacrifice is only good for a year. So he caught a small antelope. He made the sacrifice and as the sacrifice of the other animals had expired, Lion again began to eat them.

The diviner told Sosoglose to bring him a fish. Sosoglose said, "Since we no longer can find fish, how shall I get a fish for you?" But he found a fish, and sacrificed it. Diviner Tortoise told Crow to find a bird. "Bring me a bird with which to make a sacrifice, and you will find birds to eat as before, for the sacrifice which the birds gave is now expired." And after the sacrifice was made, the birds began to eat the smaller birds as before.

After this new sacrifice, when the animals saw Lion and his sub-chiefs, they ran away. Some were caught and eaten, but those who could escape got away. The same happened with the fish and with the birds. So today, if a lion is in the bush, there are no animals nearby. They all run away. In the rivers, the fish do not come where there is a crocodile. And in the forest, no other birds perch on a tree where Agbogbo and Crow are found.

But among the animals, there are always those who go to Lion and tell him, "There in that place, if you come, you will find animals in hiding." The same thing happens among the fish; and the same among the birds. And as the animals can also do harm, the three chiefs no longer sleep on the ground. They sleep in the trees. From on high they spy on the animals. Crow and Agbogbo also make a hole in a tree and sleep inside. They no longer live in the open. When Crocodile finds nothing to eat, he comes out of the water and goes to the banks of a stream.

In her lair Lion gave birth to cubs, but when famine came and she had nothing to eat, she died of hunger. The children remained. The children said, "We haven't our teeth yet, and our mother is dead? What shall we do to get food to eat?" Crocodile also died of hunger, leaving her children, and Crow too, died, leaving her young.

As the lion cubs began to grow up, they spied on the other animals who left their children behind, while they went about their work. While the mothers were away, they took them, and ate them. But if the mothers saw them, they beat them. Crocodile's young did the same, and Crow's also fed on the young of others.

But in time the young lions, the young crocodiles, and the young crows became as strong as their fathers. The animals, the birds and the fish went to see the diviner. They said that the children of the chiefs were giving them much trouble.

Tortoise told them to make a sacrifice. They got all the things necessary, but when the sacrifice was ready, the diviner turned on them and said, "Mawu ordered that the animals should be eaten by Lion, the fish by Crocodile, and the birds by their chiefs. So it will always be."

That is why Lion eats the animals, Crocodile the fish, and Crow the birds.

Folktale 9: Seeking poverty

The king of Adja, Adjahosu, had everything. One day when he went to see his diviner, he said, "You must divine something for me. I am too rich and do not know what it is to be poor. I want to know what it is to be poor."

The diviner told him, after he divined, to bring a drum, a gong, and rattles. When he had them, he must tell his hunters to catch an animal called la, and tie the drum, gong, and rattles about its neck. Then he must have a cloth tied on its back, and climb upon it, carrying a little stick to strike the drum with.

When he beat the drum, la ran away with him into the bush. They passed through brush and thorny bushes until they were in the middle of the forest, when the cloth became so torn that the king fell off the animal. He did not know where his house was; he was completely lost.

He could find no place to sleep. He was there during the night. He climbed a tree and stayed in the bush three months.

The third month he came on an old woman looking for indigo leaves. Now the man had already lost an eye, so when the old woman looked at him, and she saw a man who looked as though he were blind, she led him to her house. And every five days, when the woman went to market to sell those she had dyed, she put her load on the head of the man and led him to market. This she did for three years.

In the meantime, the children of Adja did not know what had happened to the king. One fine day, however, the woman went to one of the king’s fields to sell something to his sons. As usual, the man carried the cloths. When they reached the field, one of Adjahosu’s sons looked at the man who was with the old woman. He had only one eye, but each asked the other if this was not their father.

He had put down his load, and while he was sitting there, someone called, "Adjahosu, come and sell me some wood." When the sons came home, they said to the eldest brother, "Look, we were in the market of the field, and we saw a black man whom they call Adjahosu. And an old woman commanded him to sell wood."

So they went early to the next market. One son placed himself where his younger brothers had been, and after a short time he saw the man returning with wood beside his mistress. After this, the woman said, "You can eat," and gave him something to eat. As he was eating, his son approached him. When the father recognized his child, he began to cry, and the son did too.

The son led his father home. He recognized the old woman and asked her, "Where did you find this man?" She answered, "I was looking for indigo leaves. One day I saw him alone in the bush."

The son took the man and said, "Now you will sell him to me. I will buy him from you, and give you the money, and you can buy another carrier with this money."

The old woman said, "Let me be! This old one here, what will you do with him?" The son replied, "This is my father. I beg you not to sell him to me." The old woman said, "Since he is your father, take him."

So his son took Adjahosu home, and bathed him and gave him fresh cloths. After that Adjahosu summoned all his people before him. He said, "Because I wanted myself to know what is poverty. Now I say to you, my sons and my family, never ask to be poor. Because poverty eats nothing, drinks nothing."

And so, a man must not seek poverty.

Folktale 10: How Pig came to live with Man

Once during the dry season, Dada Segbo gathered together all the animals of the bush and ordered them to work clay for him. All the animals came.

They sent Antelope for water, and when Antelope reached the stream, he put the calabash in the water to fill it. But a voice (it was Frog speaking) called out, "Who put that calabash in the water?" Antelope replied, "I did." Frog asked, "Who sent you for water?" Antelope said, "Dada Segbo sent me." Frog said, "I do not know Dada Segbo."

When Antelope heard this he was frightened. He left the calabash and ran back to the animals who were mixing earth. They asked him, "Where is the water we sent you for?" He said, "In the stream there is something which spoke to me and said I must not take the water. I ran away and left the calabash there."

When the other animals heard this, they scolded him. "You are stupid." And Doe said, "I will go for the water." When Doe reached the stream, she put the calabash in the water to fill it. But she heard a voice say, "Who put the calabash in the water?" She said, "I did." The voice said, "Who sent you?" Doe said, "Dada Segbo sent me." The voice said, "Dada Segbo does not command my water." And when Doe heard this, she ran away.

Now, Leopard said he would go for water. He reached the stream, but the moment Frog heard his footsteps, he went under the water. Leopard put the calabash in the water. The voice asked, "Where do you come from?" Leopard said, "Dada Segbo sent me to get water." The voice answered, "Get away from here. I don't know Dada Segbo." So Leopard too left the calabash and ran away. He said to the other animals that there was a spirit in the river.

Elephant cried, "I am the biggest of all animals. I will go for water. I am afraid of nothing." He left, and when he reached the river he put the calabash in. The voice said, "You, who are you?" He said, "I am Elephant." The voice said, "What do you want here?" Elephant said, "I want some water." The voice said, "Who sent you?" Elephant said, "Dada Segbo sent me here." The voice said, "Get away from here." And then Elephant ran away.

Now Lion said he would go. Nothing, he said, could stop him from doing what he wanted. When Lion came to the river, he put the calabash in to fill it. Now, when the animals left their calabashes in the water and ran away, Frog threw them on the bank. Lion put his calabash in the water. Frog cried, "Who are you?" Lion said, "I am Lion. I came to get water." The voice asked, "Who sent you?" Lion answered, "I was sent here by Dada Segbo." The voice said, "You annoy me too much, you animals. Stay at home! I do not know Dada Segbo." Lion also ran, and when he came to where the other animals were working, he said they must not go to that stream any more. The spirit of the river was angry with them. He said, "Let us go for water elsewhere."

But Buffalo would not agree. "No. I am going there." And when Buffalo went away, Pig knew that his turn was next. So he went to see a diviner who divined for him. The diviner told him to find a spear and put it in his sack, and with that he would get what he wanted.

Buffalo went to the river, and came running back like the others. So Pig said he would go. But all the other animals insulted him. "Ah, you think you will get water. When all of us tried and couldn't, you think you can get it? You haven't even claws."

Pig said, "All right. I can only try." Now, his calabash was made by the diviner. And the diviner told him that when he came there and the voice spoke, he had only to thrust his spear into the water.

So when he got to the river, he put the calabash in the water to fill it. The Thing said, "Who put this calabash in the water?" He said, "It is Pig." The Thing said, "Who are you, Pig?" The Pig said, "I am Pig, who comes from Dada Segbo." The Thing asked, "What are you looking for?" Pig was now aiming his spear. He said, "I came to get water." The voice said, "Go away ..." But before he could finish, Pig speared him, and then he saw that it was only Frog. So he threw Frog away and put his spear back. Then he filled his calabash.

When he came back, the other animals would not believe that he got the water from the same river. They said, "Ah, you lie. You found this water elsewhere." He said, "All right. Follow me to the stream. You will see." When they were all there, they said to him, "Now put the calabash in the water, and we will see." And when the animals heard nothing, they too began to dip up water. So they finished working the clay.

Dada Segbo called them all together. And to all the wild animals, Lion, Leopard, and the others, he said, "Pig is not an animal to be eaten by you. He will always be in the house with man." And that is why today the animals of the bush do not kill pigs. Pigs always stay at home.

Origin of Medicine – Little Folk of the Forest Give Men Their Gods

When people came into the world they had no medicine. No one knew that leaves could cure. When people fell ill, there was no knowledge of what to do to cure them.

Now, there were hunters in those days who hunted. They went into the deep, deep bush. One day a hunter came upon a mound of earth in the bush. When he was about to pass it, a voice spoke from inside it. Hunter's wife was a leper, and this voice said, "Hunter, I will show you a medicine to cure your wife. When you give it to her, she will become well again." Then the voice said, "Turn your back to me and wait."

It was Aziza who was in the mound, and as Hunter's back was turned, Aziza put the leaves beside him. When Hunter looked again he saw the leaves. The voice said, "Take these leaves, crush them, and mix them with water. Then give some of this to your wife to drink, and use the rest to wash her sores."

When Hunter came home, he did what Aziza told him to do, and his wife was cured.

Now, Aziza had also told him, "When someone in your village is sick, come and tell me, and I will give you a cure." So Hunter showed the way to all who were sick, and these came to the mound of earth and told their troubles, and to each of them Aziza gave a medicine and explained its use. Those who followed Aziza's instructions were cured.

One day a hunter brought a sick stranger to Aziza, and this stranger went to the King of his country and told him that there was a kingdom where the sick only needed to tell of their ailments before a mound of earth, and they were cured.

The King said, "I will go there myself. I want to see." So the King went to the bush where the mound of earth was, and took with him a goat, a bottle of rum, and some palm oil. He killed the goat on the mound of earth, and said, "In my country we have no vodun. I want to take you to my country to be a vodun. If someone in my kingdom is ill, I will send him to you for medicine."

And Aziza gave him magic and told him what vodun were to be worshipped that his country might prosper. Aziza gave to this King the deities Sagbata, Adjahuto, Tedo, Agasu, Age, Da, and Dovo, and told the King to build a house for each of them. Aziza also said that if people wished to have any of these vodun, they had only to come for some earth from this mound.

So the vodun, you see, and the magic that is in the world were all given by Aziza. This is the way Aziza gave these things to man.

Hunters Bring Vodun from the Forest

This happened during the dry season when they burn the bush. They had burned almost all the straw. But one part remained which had not yet been burned. The agbui met there. They played the drum there. Hunter came there, and he heard them sing,

We are in the jar. The grass is not yet burnt, We are in the jar. I dance. The tail of Agbui is up, up; Agbui's tail is up. But it will fall.

Hunter went home. He went to see a friend whom he had seen the same day. He said, "The awasagbe are dancing." Both now went to see the dancing.

Formerly these animals were not called awasagbe. But the name was given them by the hunter. They were like the bush rats. They were called adjaka, or gelesin. Adjaka is the house rat and gelesin lives in a hole like an agbui. They are almost the same, but are not the same color. If these animals had not held their dance, one would not have known their names.

Agbui is a very small rat, but he is king of all animals. I do not know how it came about, but I know all the animals came from him.

First came the trees in the world, and of these the first was the palm tree which gives oil. After the palm tree came the trees called akunkoti, deselesige, a tree which has black leaves. To make Fa we use these leaves. After that came man. After man, the animals came. Agbui, the small rat; the lion, kinikini; the panther. After that the birds. The vulture, aklasu; ohon, the eagle, who is larger than vulture; honsuhonsu, a bird with large claws who eats animals.

Mawu next sent the animals of the sea. The sea-monkey, degbo; the crocodile, lo; nyigwinyigwi, who never leaves the sea, and is as large as a room. After that the fish came, and after the fish Mawu sent crabs, and frogs. The Loko tree came by itself. It is a vodun given by Mawu.

Now, the earth already had people. Now, there were some hunters who always hunted. There were among these one called Dasa, and another called Gbanli. Every day they hunted. One day they found a place all cleared, so they camped there. There they saw a very small tree which had sprung up, and beside it a pot pierced in many places which is called adjalala. When the hunters saw that, then as they went to hunt they spoke to the tree and to adjala, they said, "If you give us luck on the hunt, we will bring you back the blood of the animals we get."

After this the hunters had good luck at the hunt, and they brought back the blood to the tree and the jar. Now, one day the hunters were ready to go home. They said, "Here we have two vodun, what shall we do with them?" One said, "Let us divide." So Gbanli took the Loko, and Dasa took the pierced jar. Loko is now called Hevioso. Adjala is now called Sagbata.

The origin of Fa

Gtbadu came after Agbe and Naete. She has sixteen eyes, and like Mawu is both male and female. She was told to live on top of a palm tree in the sky in order to observe the kingdoms of the Sea, the Earth and the Sky. Mawu said she would be told later the duties she was to perform. Gbadu is always in the tree. At night, when she sleeps, her eyes close, and since she cannot open them herself, Legba has been charged by his parent to climb the palm tree every morning to open the eyes of his sister. When Legba climbs the palm tree, he first asks Gbadu which eyes she wishes to have opened, whether those of the back or front, to the left or right. When he says this Gbadu, who watches over the kingdom of the Sea, the Earth and the Sky, does not want to speak, for others might overhear. In reply to Legba, she puts a palm kernel in his hand. If she places one kernel in his hand, it means she wishes him to open two of her eyes, and if she gives him two, one of a pair of eyes is to be opened. When Legba does this, he himself looks about to see what is happening in the sea, and on earth, and he has promised Gbadu, whom we also call Fa, he would also report on what happens in the domain of Mawu. And so that is the way it is. After a time Gbadu began to bear children. The first child was Minona, a daughter, and the second was also a daughter. The others, all sons, were named Aovi, Abi, Duwo, Kiti, Agbanukwe, and Zose. One day Gbadu confided to Legba that she was troubled because she had not as yet been told what her work was to be. Since Legba alone knew the alphabet of Mawu, he promised his sister Gbadu he would teach her that. Some time after this, Legba said to Mawu that there was a great war on earth, a great war in the sea, and a great war in the sky, and that, were it not for Gbadu, all these three kingdoms would shortly be destroyed, since men did not know how to behave. The water of the sea did not know its place, and the rain did not know how to fall. This was because all those who had been given these kingdoms did not understand the language of their parent. Mawu asked, "What is to be done?" Legba said it would be best to send Gbadu on earth. But Mawu said, "No. Let Gbadu remain here, but let an understanding of my language be given to some men on earth. In that way men will know the future and will know how to behave." Mawu said to Legba to go and find three men to send on earth. Legba went to find three sons of Gbadu to teach the "alphabet" of Mawu to men. Now, before these children of Gbadu went down on earth, Mawu turned over the keys of the future to Gbadu. It is said that this is a house with sixteen doors, each one corresponding to the eyes of Gbadu. The palm tree on which Gbadu rested was called Fa. So, when Gbadu received the keys, Mawu said that since Legba is the "inspector" of the world, Mawu wishes that Gbadu be the intermediary between the three kingdoms and herself, the parent. When men wished to know their future in order to guide their actions, they should take palm kernels and "play" them at random, and this would open the eyes of Gbadu which correspond to the number that remained, and the order in which they fell. As the kernels opened an eye which corresponded to a door in the house of the future, the destiny of the one for whom the divining was done could be seen. That which each house of the future contained was taught to the three men who were sent on earth. Now, Mawu assembled Gbadu and Legba and all Gbadu's children, and Duwo, Kiti, and Zose were chosen to come to earth to teach Fa. They brought palm kernels with them, showing men how to use them. They did their teaching, and told each man what was his sekpoli. They said sekpoli is the soul which Mawu gave to all, but before calling this soul, it is Gbadu who opened the eyes to call it. It is always necessary to know the number of eyes Gbadu opened before calling this soul; so that if a man knows the number of lines that Fa has traced for him, he will know his sekpoli. They said no shrines are necessary for the worship of the sekpoli, because the human body itself is its shrine. When the three had finished their teaching, they went back to the sky. Later Mawu sent all the children of Gbadu on earth. They were led by Legba, who installed them. When they came, Zose took the name of Faluwono, "Fa-secret-possessor-of," which Gbadu had given him. Minona became the goddess of women, and abides in the houses of women, where she spins cotton on her spindle. Duwo, who took the name Bokodaho, resides in the houses of Fa, while Kiti stays with Duwo to help Zose, who is Faluwono, do his work. Zose plays the palm kernels. He has only one foot, and in the beginning, when he traced the lines by which he divined, people did not believe him. His brother, Aovi [Mishap], was charged with making people more respectful toward their cult. Today if Fa says something which you do not do, tomorrow he will tell his brother Aovi to punish you. Then at once you will respect Fa. Fa made a small clay figure of Legba and put this in a little house to one side of the Fa house, called agbanukwe. Abi was told to play for Minona the role which Aovi plays for Fa. Abi is ashes. He is the one who makes women respect Minona. When a woman cooks and Minona is angry with her, the fire burns her, or her house burns. And it is for this reason that the place where pottery is fired is called abi, because here the ashes are plentiful. Little by little people began to understand the new "system," and since Aovi is very severe the cult came to be respected. So the cult of Fa has spread everywhere. Meanwhile, when Legba was in the sky he slept with Gbadu, and when he came on earth, he did the same with Minona. That continued so. One day, he came on earth to visit the cult of Fa with Gbadu. As was their habit, they shared the sleeping-mat together, but late that night he arose stealthily, disguised himself, and went to Minona. Gbadu awoke, however, and discovered that Legba had deceived her with her own daughter. They quarreled, and both went to the sky to bring the case before Mawu. Legba did not want to acknowledge that he had slept with mother and daughter. Mawu ordered him to undress. As he stood naked, Mawu saw how his penis was erect and said, "You have lied to me, as you have deceived your sister. And since you have done this, I order that your penis shall always be erect, and that you may never be appeased." To show his indifference to this punishment, Legba began at once to play with Gbadu before their parent and, when reproached, pointed out that since his organ was always to remain erect, Mawu had herself decreed such conduct for him. That is why, when Legba dances it is like this, and he tries to take any woman who is at hand.

23

The coming of Fa

After the world had been created, two men came down from the sky. The first was called Koda, the second Chada. It is said that in those days there was no medicine and nothing was worshipped. In all of Africa there were very few people. Now, these two men came down as prophets. They called the people together and told them that they had been sent by Mawu. They said it necessary that every man have his Fa. The people asked, "What is this thing you call Fa?" The prophets said that Fa creates each person, and that this writing was the writing with which Mawu given to Legba, the only one who assists Mawu in this work. They also said that Mawu herself is always seated, but that Legba is always before her. The orders given to Legba by means of this writing are called Fa, and that, therefore, all men who have been created have their Fa, which is in the house of Legba. They said, further, that the place where men were created is called by the name Fe. Legba, they said, possesses all the writing of each day and is sent by Mawu to bring to each individual his Fa, for it is necessary that a man should know the writing which Mawu has used to create him, so that, knowing his Fa, he knows what he may eat and what he may not eat, what he may do and what he may not do. When they had said this, they also said that every man has a god whom he must worship, but that without Fa, without this writing, he can never know his god. It is therefore necessary that all inhabitants of the earth worship Legba, for if they fail to do so, Legba will refuse to reveal to a man the writing that is his destiny. If they do not address Legba first, he will not give to man the good things that are destined for him. Each day, they continued, Mawu gives the day's writing to Legba, telling who is to die, who is to be born, what dangers this one is to encounter, what good fortune that one is to meet. Legba, if he wishes, can change things about. When Koda and Chada finished speaking, the people understood that Fa was necessary for them. As time went on, though people remembered that Fa is the will of the gods, they forgot the importance of Legba. So three other men came to earth at a place called Gisi, near a river in Nigeria called Anya. The first was named Adjaka, the second Oku, and the third Ogbena. They came to tell that Mawu said that Legba was very important, that Legba is the son, the brother, and the assistant of Mawu herself. If people on earth are in need of anything, they must first of all address themselves to Legba, who has all power to do what he chooses on earth. When they said this, the prophets showed a man named Alaundje how to make Fa. They had brought with them from the sky the fruit of the palm tree used for divining Fa, and now they showed Alaundje how, when a man wishes to know his destiny, he must enter a forest, take the kernels, himself throw them and trace eight lines on the earth. Now, these eight lines are the destiny of this man. He was told, further, how this same man must then gather the earth on which he has traced the lines of his destiny, put it into a small cloth, mix it with what is necessary, so that it becomes his kpoli, and this he worships. Now, this man who knows his destiny must give the writing to a scholar to read it. The same prophets taught Alaundje the explanation of each line and, at the same time, the meaning of the lines of the hand which correspond to the traceries of the sekpoli, making it known that it is by the writing on the hand of man that Mawu makes known his own writing. It is written like the lines on the palm of the hand. They taught him it is necessary that Legba have a shrine outside each compound facing the entrance, because in the sky he is always so with Mawu. As the writing which controls human destiny is in the house of Mawu, it is necessary that Legba, who is always before the door of this house, be placed before the doors of the houses of men. They said that before a man may eat, Legba must eat; that when a person goes away from his home he must tell Legba so that he may be led by a good road. When one is troubled, it is also necessary to go to him. When one wishes anything at all in life, one must tell him. Until a man had entered the forest to trace the eight lines of his destiny, he must never erect a great Legba in front of his house, since where Fa, the writing of Mawu, is absent, Legba may not be present. When a boy approaches manhood, he is to be given his partial Fa, his destiny as a young man, but until he has passed childhood and is a man, it is not permitted for him to have a great Legba in front of his house. Finally, they prophesied to Alaundje that after their departure men and animals who were unlike ordinary beings would appear on earth for the purpose of creating families, and that these beings would give to men the gods they would in the future worship. And they said the people should know that as all the rivers empty into the sea, just so, even though men are called to worship many different gods, they must recognize that Mawu and Legba have given them their gods, and that if they desire their gods to be powerful, they must make a Legba for all vodun and for all tohwiyo. When they finished saying all this, they left and went back to the sky. Alaundje spread the doctrine of Fa everywhere, and taught what he had learned of the cult of Fa to Djisa. Djisa established himself in Abomey and taught Fa and Legba to all the people of Dahomey. And Djisa instructed the people that all those who learned to know how to read this writing of Mawu were to be called bokonon, diviners, since in the sky Legba is called bokonon.

24

Introduction of the Fa cult

Fa is a vodun. He came in Agadja's time, and originated with the Nago. When our ancestors died, it used to be necessary to go to a gbokanton, that is to say, a man who divines gbo. This system used a kind of pottery in which the pot has the bottom to the sky. The gbokanton holds a string of cowries, and these are forty-one times five. Now, when a man died and the burial was over, his family went to the gbokanton with two chickens and the two hundred forty-six cowries. These cowries are called kaiza-aiza, and the system of calling the dead, degbodonu. Now, when the family came to the gbokanton, he made this system. He rubbed his hand over the pottery, until a voice was heard. They say the voice is that of the dead. If the dead man left an inheritance, this voice told how it was to be divided. The voice told also the cause of his death 'if he was killed by a woman, or by an enemy, or by an animal sent by an enemy. This sowed much hatred among people. All this was what they used to do before Fa came.

They also went to the gbokanton when a child was born to know the soul of the dead who was the guardian spirit of the child, the djoto.

This was like this until the time of Agadja. Some of the people did not have much faith in this, and a time came when the king, too, hated this gbo, because there were too many combinations of men. They plotted against the king. So the king looked for something which was truly of providence itself.

Sometime later, Gogo, a man of Zado, came to tell the king of the existence of Fa. Gogo said to the king that a Yoruba called Mokobi told him about the system of Fa, and that there were in all four of these Yoruba in the kingdom who knew how to divine by the system of Fa.

Now, at first the people did not believe them. But this was during a great drought, when in all the kingdom no rain fell. Everything was done to make rain, but nothing happened. Then the king called on these men. They divined Fa and learned what sacrifices to make. The very day the sacrifices were made, rain fell abundantly in the region of Abomey. So people from other regions came to ask them to do the same, and wherever these men were called, they divined Fa, made the sacrifices, and the rain came.

This proved to the king that these men were true diviners, and they called them djisa, 'men who sell rain.'

One day, they were called on to explain their profession. They said first of all that all children, male and female, must be presented to the diviner three months after birth that he might divine the soul. They said, also, that there were sixteen secretaries in the sky in order to do the errands and arrange the things of God, Olorun, the Great God of the Universe. Each of them came alone or was accompanied by another. When one came alone, he said one thing, and when accompanied, he said another thing. And they said that each secretary had fifteen hundred languages. From Fa came all the stories of the world, for Fa, it is said, brought them from the sky. Sacrifice also comes from Mawu. With Fa is associated kpoli, who 'opens the door' to Fa, so that he may see all of the truth. Now, everything that happens on earth, has happened in the sky before. So Fa and Legba can advise human beings, because they themselves have discovered how to meet every possible situation.

25

How divination became the voice of

Formerly there was only Fa. Good. The vodun had a boy called Hunsu. Fa had a boy called Amusu. There were beads called nana. One nana cost two thousand francs. That city was ruled by the vodun. Every day they went about and found out what was dear, and what was not dear.

The vodun told Fa their children would now go on a journey. Fa sent for a basket full of acasa for his child. He killed two cocks, MUUSU, and prepared some calalu for his child. Vodun took a papaya and hid eighty nana inside it. So Hunsu became rich. His father also gave him one acasa.

They left together, Amusu and Hunsu. On the road Hunsu was hungry. Amusu also was hungry. Good. The two stopped under a tree along the path and began to eat. Hunsu began first. Now Hunsu said to Amusu, "Give me an acasa, and I'll give you a nana." Now a nana costs two thousand francs. Hunsu gave him the nana. Amusu gave him acasa.

A little later they continued on their way. As Hunsu eats too much, after three kilometers he asked for food again. Amusu said, "If you haven't a nana, I won't give you acasa." He gave six nana and took an acasa for them. That was twelve thousand francs!

They continued their way. Amusu said, "Now you ask me again for food, I won't give you any. Here are ten acasa and give me all the nana you have."

They reached the country of their destination. The next day a man died. In that country if a man dies, before burying him they must have a nana. Whether it cost ten thousand francs or forty thousand francs, they must have a nana. Good. The king said, "Go ask the strangers who just came; they might have." Amusu said to them, "I have many. If you want it, give me two thousand five hundred francs each, I'll sell you two." The man said, "I have only four thousand." He said, "All right, give me the four thousand." He gave him the two nana.

By that time, Hunsu had nothing to eat. Not a sou. He was poorer than an infant. Amusu asked for a place to build houses, since he had so much money. He had almost become king. He asked for women and one hundred workers. They began to work. Now this is the sixth day. He began to make the sacrifices. The chickens came, the sheep, the goats.

Hunsu was now his boy. He was busy looking after the chickens, the pigs. Amusu gave him four francs to get food. At that time two-storey houses were being built for Amusu. He had women. He had herds. He lacked nothing. All the people came and said, "We have a good diviner. He sells the nana for two thousand francs." When people came to him to divine, he always said they had to find a nana. He did this so he would sell his nana.

But all this time Hunsu was there to wait on Amusu. Amusu called Hunsu to come. He said to Hunsu, "You are the son of vodun. But the true things come from Fa. You do not seem to know it?" Hunsu did not even have a good cloth. "All this wealth comes from your father," he said, mocking Hunsu.

Hunsu said to him, "Yes. Now, I have nothing to say to you. You must feed me. That's all I ask."

They spent three years like this. The vodun at home was thinking that his son was the richest there, for he had nana to sell. He said to Fa, "Now, we'll go and see our children." They began their journey. They met a woman whom they asked, "Did you see two young men called Hunsu and Amusu?"

The woman said, "I, I know only Diviner Amusu."

They went on their way. They found Amusu seated on a stool, two women beside him, fanning him with fans.

Good. And the vodun Hunsu was the boy. Vodun and Fa, who stood at the door, said, "Good day, Messieurs."

Hunsu, when he saw his father, took a jar and covered his face with it. His father said to him, "Hunsu, Hunsu!" But he did not answer. He had changed into a vodun.

Hunsu would not speak any more. He said, "If you have something to say, come and say it to me through Fa. If you have something to ask, come and ask through Fa."

Therefore, when we have something to ask of the vodun, we approach them through Fa.

26

The good child and the bad: The magic gourds: Punishment for revealing secret

There were two brothers who were traders. The elder left his home and went far away. He made a fire in the bush. In the bush of that country, it is Loko who is the diviner.

When Loko saw this trader in the bush, he said, "Come and see me. I will divine for you and you will have everything you want."

Good. He divined. He told the trader to find a dog, a jar of palm wine and pepper. He said, "Now do as the butchers do. Kill the animal and cook it. Then leave the cooked meat in the bush, and wait nearby." The place where the man stationed himself was the Segbo-Lisa road.

Segbo-Lisa was returning from the village and he was very hungry. When Segbo-Lisa saw the man, he asked, "Have you water? Have you something to eat?"

The man said, "Yes, I have palm wine here." But Lisa does not drink palm wine, nor does he eat dog. Good. Segbo asked, "Is there anyone near?" The man said, "No, I'm alone."

He said, "All right. Give me some palm wine." The man gave to him. He drank, and while he drank the man turned his back to Segbo-Lisa.

He asked again, "There is no one nearby?" The man said, "No."

He said, "Give me a piece of meat and some pepper and turn away from me."

He ate. He said, "I was very hungry and your food was good. I will give you a present. I will give you three small gourds. Now, you will go far, where only the language of birds and animals is heard." Then he said, "You will go to sleep there, you alone. Tomorrow morning you will break a gourd."

[Next morning] the man broke one. The moment he broke it a large field appeared with many, many men working there. He broke the second one and more men and women appeared. He broke the third and there were markets, animals, two-storied houses, money, cloths, everything. Nothing was lacking.

So he became king. They called him, "Dada!" No sooner did he want to go out, than a hammock and hammock carriers were there. Everybody called out "Dada!"

So as he is there living like a king, his younger brother sets out to look for him. He looked for three years. The third year he found him.

Now, the name of the older brother was Ale. The younger brother said, "I came here to seek Ale."

The man at the door began to insult him, saying, "Who is this man called Ale? We don't know Ale here."

The boy said, "He is my older brother. I didn't know he had become king."

So they went to tell the king. The king said, "All right. Bring him here."

When the younger brother arrived, he gave him food and drink. The two ate together. That night he gave him a house.

He said, "I don't want to sleep." It is the young brother who says this.

His brother said, "Why?"

He said, "Because we two were poor. We had nothing to eat. Now you have become rich, but I am still the same as before. You didn't tell me what you did to become rich. You only gave me some food."

The king said, "I beg you, go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll talk about this."

The next day he said, "It's Segbo-Lisa who gave me this gourd." He said, "That's what I did before he gave me this gourd. I got a dog and palm wine and I gave that to him."

When he said this, the younger brother said, "All right. I am going home."

So he returned home. There he got a dog, a jar of palm wine, and pepper and then stationed himself in the bush with these things. But he took along a bundle of switches. He killed the dog, cooked him well.

Again Lisa went by. The boy called him. Lisa came over. The boy offered him palm wine. Lisa said, "I don't drink palm wine." He gave Lisa the meat with the pepper. Lisa did not ask for it.

Lisa said, "Do you want to kill me? I am a vodun. I eat neither salt, nor pepper, nor dog's meat."

The young boy said, "Don't say that again. You must speak in better voice to me than that."

When Lisa would not eat his food, he took a whip and began to whip Lisa.

As he struck Lisa, the god died. He said, "Ah, you are shamming. I have a whole bundle of switches for you, and you are already dead with but one. I will beat you with the others just the same."

So he pushed him with his foot to see if he were still living. He saw he was dead. When he was sure he was dead, he returned home. He left the meat, the palm wine, all, and went home.

That night Lisa awakened. He went to see the big brother whom he had helped. They said to him, "Lisa has come to see you."

The brother said, "I know. Let him come in, let him come in."

So now again Lisa gave him three gourds. He said, "At nightfall you are to break one gourd, at midnight another and at cockcrow you are to break the third. That way you will have double of what you have now."

Good. The man is sad. He did not do the thing to offend Lisa.

The next evening he broke a gourd. When he broke it, all was still. The birds, the people, no one spoke any more. He broke the second. His house became full of weeds and brush. Now there left to him only one small house where he himself sleeps. The animals and the men are already gone. When he broke the third, he was left alone. He found himself in the bush. No houses, nothing. He wore the same old cloth he had worn when he was still poor.

But he never went back home. He was lost in the bush.

That is why, when the vodun Dan has made you rich, you never tell anyone. The moment you tell, he will come and gather up all he had given.

27

Flight up the tree: Diviner saves Hunter

The Aziza is found in the sea. It is a large animal, and it commands the sea. No hunter will ever kill it. It is also called Djehun.

Now, all the hunters were told that there is an animal in the sea which no one ever kills. One hunter said to the king, however, "My king, I am the man who can kill this animal." He was chief of the hunters. So early one morning, he stationed himself near the sea.

First the wife of Aziza came out, then her husband, and they rested on the beach near the sea. They had something in their mouths, which they buried near the sea so that they might not be killed by hunters.

But as the hunter was stronger than they, he saw them clearly. He aimed at the man and killed him. The Aziza fell into the water and came up again; fell into the water and came up. Three times this happened. The wife escaped into the water. To show to the king that he had actually killed the animal, he cut off its tail.

Good. He went now to show it to the king. He showed the tail and said to the king, "The animal which no one ever killed, I killed today. Here is its tail."

So the king told the people to go and divide the animal. The hunter took the skin, and he went home.

On the fifth day, a very beautiful Djehun girl came to the king. When the king saw her, he said he would marry her. Now the girl said to him, "It is not very difficult to marry me. You need only be a good marksman and break the calabash on my head."

The king said, "That is easy. I can do it myself." Good. So they told the girl to stand on a box, at a distance of ten meters. Good. Then the king himself took his gun, but he shot twenty cartridges without touching the calabash.

Now, the girl was doing this to find out the man who had killed her father. This calabash was a thing given her after divination, and it was magically treated to find the man.

The girl said, "I would like very much to marry you, but since you could not break the calabash, I am going away." The king begged and begged her to marry him, offering her two thousand francs. The girl shook her head and said, "No." She said she did not want money. What she wanted was a good hunter who could break the calabash.

So she left this king and went to another country, where there was a king called Dada Segbo. He, too, when he saw the girl, wanted her for a wife. The girl said, "My king, you cannot marry me, because I do not want money. I only want a man who can break the calabash on my head." So Dada Segbo took out his guns; he took six guns, five flint-locks, and one modern French gun. He took all. Again the girl asked for a box to stand on. She placed herself at a distance of fifteen meters from this king. And he shot, and shot, and shot, without touching the calabash.

The girl said, "I am not to blame. I told you what to do, but you could not break my calabash. I am not deceiving you."

Dada Segbo said to the girl, "If I can't break it myself, I have hunters here who can. You are not going to leave my kingdom. A hunter will be found among my men to break this and marry you."

The king now assembled the hunters of his kingdom. They all tried, but no one could break it. Now, there was the old hunter who had killed her father. He came. The others mocked him because he had no cloths, nothing. This hunter told her to move back, saying that she stood too close. She went a distance of one hundred meters. He aimed carefully and discharged his gun. The calabash broke.

When the calabash broke, the girl ran to him, embraced him, and said, "Here is my husband." Now, he took her to his house. At the house the girl prepared food for him.

Now, this hunter owned six dogs. They always accompanied him when he went hunting. During the night, the relatives of the Aziza, the Yehwe, came. The six dogs were asleep in front of the door, but they awoke and attacked the Yehwe. They tore their cloths, and put them to flight. The girl said to her husband, "Why do your dogs watch me so? If I want to go to relieve myself at night, they watch me."

Now, all this happened on the fourth day that the girl was at Hunter's house. On the fifth day, after they had gone to their sleeping mat, the girl asked him questions. If while hunting, he meets a dangerous animal, what does he do to escape? He said to the girl he could not tell her that before they had had intercourse. So she let him finish. Then he said, "If I aim at a leopard and miss him, and he attacks me, I change into a river. If I shoot at other wild animals, I may change into a tree. Then again, I can change into sand, or into a bottle."

Now, next to their sleeping place was the small room where the hunter's mother slept. When the man was telling his wife these things, his mother exclaimed, "Big mouth, why do you talk so much? Don't you know that a good hunter never tells women what he does on the hunt?"

So the boy fell silent. But the only thing his mother had stopped him from saying was that he could change into a horse.

The next day the girl asked him to go with her to the seaside to find leaves for acasa. They left together. The man found a tree and wanted to gather its leaves, but the girl said, "No, that's not what I want." He approached a banana tree, but the girl again said, "No." At last she showed him the leaves she wanted, on top of a tall tree. He left his gun on the ground near the tree and began to climb. The girl whistled to call her relatives, who already knew what was to happen. These were the Yehwe.

They came in great numbers and the girl exclaimed to them, "Here in the tree is the man who killed our father." So each asked, "What shall we do to this man?" Then they sang:

Both feet cut the tree With force, force; Both hands cut the tree With force, force; Our hairs cut the tree With force, force; Our teeth cut the tree With force, force.

When they finished their song, they began to chop at the trunk until the tree was about to fall.

Now, the hunter had seven small magical calabashes, called glo, in his sack, and when the tree was about to fall, he broke one of them. The tree stood firm again. Good. So they began once more to cut the tree down. When it was about to fall, he broke the second glo, and then, each time as they chopped, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Now, he was left with only one. But at about this time, the dogs in his compound awakened and ran to save their master.

As the tree was again about to fall, he broke the seventh glo. The dogs have almost reached the tree. When they came, they attacked the Yehwe and drove them far away. They all escaped; the woman, too.

But she promised her relatives that this hunter would surely meet his death at her hands. And so she went back to the man's house.

When the hunter came home, he went to see a diviner and asked him to divine and tell him what he must do to be saved. The diviner told him he must make a ceremony. He ordered him to get twelve lengths of cloth, and seven chickens, four sheep, and a thousand francs. Then he would not be killed by the woman. The diviner also told him this girl was not one to marry, for she was the daughter of djehun.

When the hunter got home, he found the girl there. She told him she was going to pay a visit to her relatives, but she would be back the following day. After she left, the hunter performed the ceremony.

At about midnight, he took the sacrifice to the place near the sea where he had killed the animal. He took up the offering in his two hands, and, as the diviner had told him, he did not look behind him. He put his gun on his shoulder and began to sing:

Do not kill me, Child of djehun, With the white cloth. I myself have killed the wild buffalo, I myself have killed the lion. I myself have killed the wild bull. I myself have killed the monkey.

When he had finished singing, he put the sacrifice beside the water. A great wind brought the family of djehun there and they thought the offering was the hunter. So they threw themselves at it and devoured the cloths and everything. But the hunter escaped.

When the hunter got home, he found his mother dead and his father, too. The girl had killed all his relations because she could not kill the hunter himself.

Because in Dahomey, what others cannot do, one does not oneself do.

28

Tortoise as diviner for animals

All the animals and birds go at sunrise to the fields to eat. Tortoise, whose skin is like stone, also goes out. There was a bird called Awelè. When he saw Tortoise, he called together the birds. None of them had ever seen an animal with a skin like stone.

Awelè said, "We go out at sunrise to eat, and today a stone also comes with us."

Since Tortoise walks slowly, the birds flew down and the other birds said, "Here is an animal like that, to see what was inside this thing Awelè said was a stone." But they saw nothing, for Tortoise stopped still.

Now the animals came too, and said to Awelè, "Repeat what you said." Awelè said, "When the sun rises and you come to eat, here is a stone that comes to eat with you."

All the birds and animals went to see Mawu. They said, "Who gave permission to a stone to come and eat with us?"

Mawu said, "What you saw is not a stone. Today we saw a stone, not a stone." She fixed a time, three days later, and said, "On that day, when you go to eat, I will be there."

The day came. All the animals and birds went to eat at sunrise. Mawu told the animals to place themselves on one side. She told the birds to go on the other side. Mawu said, "I will show you that what you thought was a stone is not a stone. For what you thought was a stone is older than all the animals, and all the birds." And so she presented Tortoise to all.

Mawu said, "Tortoise is older than the birds and the animals. Tortoise is the diviner for the birds and animals."

And on that day, Mawu forbade the sacrificing of Tortoise for the gods. One can kill Tortoise to make magic. But for the gods, never.

How Tortoise got his shell: Tortoise becomes diviner

Formerly Tortoise was not a diviner. But today in the dry season when the grass begins to burn, it is Tortoise who consults Fa for the animals.

Formerly Tortoise had no shell. Now, when the grass began to burn, Tortoise tried to hide. But the fire burned him. He ran to Elephant and said, "It is I who consult Fa for you; here is my burnt back." Elephant answered, "You are not a large animal. I am a large animal. Who ordered you to consult Fa?" And Elephant drove him away.

Now Tortoise began to sing,

Fa asks for something, Fa said he would eat Tortoise; Tortoise put his head under Fa, And said, "Buy me back alive; Fa, buy me back alive."

Now Tortoise went to Dada Segbo and said to him, "It is I who consult Fa for the animals, and my back is burnt. I asked Elephant for something to cover my back, but he refused me."

So Dada Segbo gave him his shell. And that is why Tortoise has a shell.

In the bush there are Leopard, Lion, Elephant. But it is Tortoise who is the diviner.

Tortoise is diviner because none of the other animals come near Dada Segbo. Now, Tortoise went to Dada Segbo. Dada Segbo said to him, "You have not much to eat, so you must become a diviner. You will always be a diviner, because you have suffered much."

Now during the dry season, Panther, Lion, and Elephant go to Tortoise. That is why Fa sings the song of Tortoise,

Fa asks for something, Fa said he would eat Tortoise; Tortoise put his head under Fa And said, "Buy me back alive; Fa, buy me back alive."

30

Monkey's ingratitude: Why one does not deceive the diviner

Monkey can climb, but Tortoise cannot. The two were not friends. Once, during a famine, Monkey found a cornfield where the harvest was fine. But he could not eat the corn, because people always chased monkeys away. So he went to the bokonon to ask what to do.

Tortoise said, "I am a great diviner, but I do not go out of my house. If you want something, you must come to my house. I am here for the poor, for all those who want to do something. If I were to go with you, you would not feed me, because you know how to climb trees, and I do not."

Tortoise did not want to go, but Monkey urged him and urged him until he finally went with him. He took the Fa sack along.

When they reached the field, Monkey began to eat. He told Tortoise to wait a while for him. But he gave Tortoise nothing. So mid-day came and Tortoise had nothing to eat. Good. Then Leopard came to the same place where Tortoise was. He said to Tortoise "I have a sick child at home. I went to your house twice, but I did not find you."

Now, Monkey climbed up the tree and was watching them from above. Tortoise told Leopard to come with him under the tree where Monkey was. "There I will divine for you." When they sat down, he began to divine. He said, "We must find a monkey in order to cure the child."

"Must I find one at once? And where shall I find one?" asked Leopard.

Tortoise said, "Oh, that is not hard. You are strong. What I need, you cannot fail to get. I know their ways. What present will you give me if I show you how to find what you need?" He asked for a thousand francs. Leopard gave him the thousand francs.

"Look up, above my head," said Tortoise, "and you will see a monkey."

Leopard called to Monkey, "Ah, you are quite close by! You didn't want to come down and hear what was said? You are mocking me, then? Are you bigger than my son? The divination points to you. I need your head and your tail. The rest you can have."

Hearing these words, Monkey fled. He said, "I am not here to give you my head and my tail."

Good. Monkey ran, and Leopard ran after him. At last Monkey was caught, and Leopard brought him to the diviner. The diviner said, "All right. Bind him." Leopard bound the monkey.

Then the diviner told Leopard to cut off Monkey's head and tail. Then he gave the rest to the diviner to eat. Good. The sick child was cured.

That is why, in Dahomey, a person does not deceive his diviner.

AECHIVED. 29/08/2025 . NOT TO BE ASSIGNED

Stealing fire from the Creator: Why Chameleon and Tortoise are respected

When Mawu created the world, there was no fire. So, in the space that separated the earth from the sky, Mawu lit a great, great fire. But she forbade all the people of the sky and all the people of the earth to go there. Mawu gave the guardianship of this fire to a man called Agbakankan, and she told Agbakankan never to allow this fire to be taken by anyone. To fulfill his task, Agbakankan went to Mawu to ask her for two birds called chachué. Now, the chachué is a bird that eats only roasted food. So, Agbakankan left the birds beside the fire and himself stayed at home.

Now, this was the time of rain on earth. In those days, the animals lived in houses like men. There was no distinction between animals and men. All spoke the same language. One day they held a council to discuss how to get this fire, because the earth was too dark. Lion said he would go to get the fire. So all the people saw him off, and he went on his way. When he approached the fire, he took two good coals.

The two birds began to sing,

“Agbabanben o! Lion took some fire; Agbabamban o! Son of Segbo, The male Lion took some fire, To give to the world below.”

The birds repeated their song, “Oh, son of Segbo, we tell you that the great Lion took some fire for the earth.” Agbakankan came carrying two sticks, and when he spied Lion running toward him, he threw the two sticks at him. Lion tripped, and dropped the two burning coals. So Agbakankan put back the two coals. When he returned, Lion reported it was impossible to take fire, and bring it to earth. He said, “The man who guards it is a very clever man.”

Elephant, Panther, Antelope—all the large animals tried. And it was the same thing.

The next day Tortoise and Chameleon came. Tortoise said, “Now to get fire, one must first have straw and firewood. With these, it will be possible to come near the fire, light these and leave the fire of Agbakankan undisturbed.”

In those days there was no straw on earth. Mawu had put some straw under a special tree, and this tree was watched by Gede. They asked which of the animals could go for the straw. All the animals promised to go. But when they came to the tree, they were driven away and beaten by Gede. Now, under this tree, there was a man with a flute who signaled to Gede the arrival of the animals.

This time, it was Elephant who was the first to go. When Elephant came, the man's flute sang,

“To steal fire for the earth.”

At once Gede appeared to beat Elephant and take back the straw. Panther, Antelope, Rabbit, Fat-tailed Sheep, Porcupine and Mole all tried, but it was the same thing.

Now Chameleon said he would go to find the straw. No one believed he could do it. Just to reach the place, he had to spend three days. When he arrived there, he took the straw. The man with the flute signaled. Chameleon climbed the tree. Gede came and looked and looked for the one who took the straw, but he could not find him. So now Gede was angry. He told the man he was going home to eat.

Now, when Gede went back to his house, Chameleon climbed down, and went on his way, with the straw on his head. Again the man with the flute whistled for Gede to come. When Gede arrived, Chameleon climbed up another tree. This time Gede beat the guardian for having deceived him.

The Chameleon took three days to get back, but he came back with the straw.

There Tortoise took it. Before reaching the fire, he also spent three days. When he came there, he put the straw on the fire. The straw caught fire, and he lit the wood with this straw. Then he put this inside his shell. The two birds cried out, singing,

“Agbabamban o! Tortoise took some fire! Agbabamban o! Son of Segbo Tortoise took some fire, To give to the world below.”

In those days Tortoise was called Logo. When Agbakankan came, he found Logo. But Logo said he had no fire, he was just passing by. So Agbakankan said, “All right, go. The birds lied to me.” And Agbakankan went back to his house.

A little later Tortoise took out the fire, and the birds again began to cry their warning, singing their song. This time, when Agbakankan came he himself saw the fire from afar. But when he caught up with Logo, he saw nothing. He said the birds bothered him too much. But when Agbakankan returned, he again saw the fire from a distance. So he cried aloud to the sky, telling Mawu to look down on earth and see the fire that had been taken.

Immediately Mawu ordered rain. When the rain fell, Logo put the fire inside his shell. He continued on his way. Arrived on earth, he waited till the rain stopped. When the rain was over, he gave the fire to everybody.

So Metonofi said, “Always recognize Chameleon and Tortoise as sacred animals.” And the people who had fire, added the name Zo to Logo. History tells us that is why Tortoise exists today. It is the custom to put Tortoise into water, and give him black coal to eat. He eats only charcoal.

2. The good child: The tail that talked: Changing to stone: From animal to thunder-god

There was a bird called Vulture who was raised by an animal called Sewanla, an animal like an antelope. When Vulture was born, he was born with a rope to climb a palm tree, and an axe. The one who cared for Vulture during his infancy was called Tetelidja.

Sewanla had a father. In those days, when a man died, before they could bury him they had to find the tail of a tetelidja. And so the father of Sewanla died. Sewanla had an elder brother, and this brother said to him, “Before we can bury our father you must find the tail of a tetelidja.” The place where a tetelidja was to be found was as far as from Allada to Abomey. And so Sewanla departed to find a tail of tetelidja. He had with him three cooked eggs. He went on his way until he came to the house of an old, old woman who lived in the bush.

The woman asked him, “What are you looking for, that you came all the way here?” He said to the old woman, “I am looking for the tail of a tetelidja.” As a present for the old woman, he gave her one of the eggs.

The old woman took it and ate it. She said, “If you have another, give it to me, and you shall have what you are looking for.” He gave her all three. And the old woman ate one after the other. She said, “The tetelidja sleep here. But, now they are away eating. You hide behind this tree. When they come to sleep here, you seize one and cut off its tail.”

With the approaching night the tetelidja came. One after another said, “There is a living being here. I smell a man here.” They began to look about.

The old woman said, “Silence! No one is here.” When they heard this, they all went to sleep.

At midnight, Sewanla found the largest of the birds and cut off its tail. And no sooner did he cut it off than he escaped, running as fast as he could. He ran until daylight, and had not yet reached his house. The next morning, when the tetelidja awoke, the largest tetelidja missed his tail.

He said to the old woman, “I said yesterday there was a man here. Now my tail is missing.” Tetelidja said now, “Be my tail in the hands of a man, or in the stomach of an animal, let the tail answer.”

The tail answered, “Here I am.”

The man who carried it was very much astonished. He carried a tail, and the tail talked. The moment the tail spoke, Tetelidja took to the road to catch the man who had carried away his tail. Now as Tetelidja continued in pursuit, he no longer heard the voice of his tail. He said again, “Be my tail in the hands of a bird, an animal, a human, no matter where, let me hear its voice.”

The tail said, “I am still in the hand of this man.”

Sewanla began to run all the faster. Tetelidja also ran. Now, there was only a distance of six kilometers between where Sewanla found himself and his home. But between him and his house there was a river. There he could go no farther. So he changed into a stone, and he changed the tail into a stone, too.

The tetelidja came to the river, but they saw nothing. Tetelidja are creatures who never go into the water. There was one of them who said, “Ah, if I saw the man, I'd take up this stone, and I'd throw it at him.” He picked up the stone and threw it across the river. When the stone fell on the other side, it changed into a man. The man held up the tail and showed it.

The animals seeing it wanted to go across, but there was no way. So Sewanla brought the tail home. And the tetelidja could do nothing but go back to their home. He said to his brothers, “Here is the tail of a tetelidja which is needed to bury our father. I found it, but I am not in agreement with the king of this country.”

After the burial, the king had Sewanla come to him. He said he had an oil palm, and he wished Sewanla to go and get the nuts. Now, he sent him not because he wanted the palm nuts, but because he wanted to kill Sewanla. When Sewanla climbed the palm tree, the king had many men come there, and these brought dry straw and oil. He told them to put these down under the palm tree.

In order to climb the palm tree, Sewanla borrowed the cord that Vulture had. Now, the king ordered his men to make a fire underneath the palm tree. Sewanla could not climb down. So, since he could no longer climb down, he took the cord and climbed into the sky. There he changed to Hevioso.

Then the lightning came, and he gathered up all his brothers. He said to one brother, “You will always follow me. If I want to do evil, you will do it with me.” That is why there are two Hevioso heard whenever there is thunder. The man is called Hevioso. The woman is called Bade. She does not want them to do harm to men. The most cruel of all the brothers is Hevioso himself. If he wishes to do some evil, the woman says to him, “Let me go first, and see if the man deserves punishment.” Hevioso never does anything without the advice of Bade.

That is why Vulture is a thief. When they departed to become Thunder Gods, some changed into vultures. They are always flying about, and never find a place to rest.

3. Why a promise to the vodun must be kept

This is about a man whose name was Kakpo. This happened in Tendjñ.

In the early days Loko was an ordinary tree. There was this poor man who made hoe handles. He used to go to the bush to cut down the trees to get wood. Once he found a good tree to cut. He cut at the Loko.

Then Loko said to him, “Do not cut me down. No man must cut me down.”

Now, there are three vodun who live in the Loko tree. Da is the first, Dangbe is the second, and the third is the toh Myo of the Ayato clan.

Now, Loko had seven kinds of small double calabashes. Good. Now Loko said to the poor man, “Turn your back to me.” Loko said to him, “If I give you wealth, will you do what I command you to do?”

Now the poor man said to him, “Yes.”

Loko gave him seven of the little double calabashes and said to him, “Find a good place, and break one on the ground.” He said, “If I give you riches will you give me an ox yearly?”

Now, that place where the poor man had broken the first calabash became sacred. He then broke a second one. Many houses appeared. When he broke the third, the houses were surrounded by walls. With the fourth, hammocks appeared and the stools for the needs of a king. He broke the fifth, and he saw many people inside the houses. He broke the sixth, and he saw horses appear. He mounted a horse. He broke the seventh and he found Fa and Legba. Now he became king. These were the men themselves, Fa and Legba, and not just the things for worshipping them.

But Kakpo did not give to Loko the ox which he had promised him.

Now Loko changes into a man. He is wearing a raffia cloth, and he comes to this man to ask him for a drink of water. He found the Minga of this man who had become king. Loko asked for the master. The Minga said, “Get out of here. What kind of man is this who wears a raffia cloth?”

Good. Now Loko went away. He came back a second time. The Minga beat him, beat him with a whip. He went away. And now he came back for the third time. The villagers were busy cultivating for the chief. They beat him again. Now, Loko began to sing a song,

“Pa down the hoes, Come at once, and dance for me, You dancers who dance well.”

Good. Now Loko sang so, and as he sang, all at once all the people who were cultivating disappeared. The chief became poor again. Loko left him only a raffia cloth. Now, Fa left to return to the kingdom of Fé.

Now the poor man went again to Loko. He went down on the earth before him and put dust on his forehead. He begged and begged him to forgive him. “I will give you the ox which I promised you.”

Loko refused. That is why there are poor people among the black people.

4. How the vodun came to Dahomey

The vodun came into the world because of Agadja. The vodun came from Adja. There was a woman who was called Hwandjelè. She brought all the vodun from Adja. In those days there were no vodun. If a woman was pregnant she could bear a goat, and a goat could give birth to a man.

Hwandjelè, who came from Adja, sold indigo. She saw many times men behind goats. She saw goats behind women, and she asked who bore these? They said that a woman bore them.

There was a wife of Agadja who was called Naè Adono. The life of Agadja with this woman was not yet happy. After market, Naè came to tell her husband that she saw a woman from Adja in the market who said she knew the sacrifice to make so that men will bear men and goats bear goats.

Agadja sent a man to call Hwandjelè of Adja. Now Hwandjelè was married to a man in Adja, and she had borne him a male child. When this woman heard that Agadja called her, she came to Agadja and she said, “In our village, women give birth to human beings, and animals bear animals.” Agadja asked her what they did in their country so that this happened. She said, “In our country we have vodun. You have no vodun here.”

Agadja said, “Bring us these vodun, too.” She asked him for all that was necessary, and she brought Sagbata, Hevioso, Ogu, Lisa, Da, Aido-Hwedo, Nesuhwe, Tovodun, Fa, Minona, Boko Legba. She brought all these for Agadja.

Now Agadja asked Naè Hwandjelè to become his wife. Hwandjelè gave birth to a boy called Tegbesu. In those days, just as today we give soldiers to the whites, the Dahomeans gave men to the people of Oyo called ayogbim, which means the load given to the Ayo. To give those people to the Ayo, each of the chiefs had to give his own son, as well as many others of his village, and Agadja himself had to give a son, too.

When the boy Tegbesu grew up and the time came to give the men to Ayo, Agadja's wives said to him, “Now you must send your son Tegbesu.” They, too, had sons but they refused to give theirs. Agadja was angry and said that Tegbesu must not go. Hwandjelè went to see her husband and said that he was to send Tegbesu. She did not want her son to break the kingdom.

Good. Tegbesu then went with the others. When the king of Ayo wanted to send a message to Agadja, he always sent Tegbesu with the message. One day Tegbesu was on his way to give a message to Agadja from the king of Ayo. On the road he met a diviner with the white head of a bull. The bobonon asked him, “Where does this boy whom I always meet on the way come from?” The bobonon said, “When you go to see your father, I will go with you.” Tegbesu went and told this to his father. His father said, “Go and bring him.” He brought the bobonon there. The bobonon's name was Djiso, the second was called Gongon. They both had their Fa. Agadja gave them a place to make Fa. As Agadja's death was approaching, he said, “Why is it that you do not like my son Tegbesu?” He said this to his

To Each Is Given His Dominion: Mawu-Lisa Divides the Realms

To each is given his dominion

Sagbata comes from Mawu and Lisa. Mawu is one person but has two faces. The first is that of a woman, and the eyes of that part which belongs to the woman is the Moon. That face takes the name of filawu. The other side is the side of a man. That face has for its eyes the Sun, and it takes the name of Lisa. The part called 8lawu directs night. Where the Sun is, Lisa directs the day. Since Mawu is both man and woman, she became pregnant. The first to be born were a pair of twins, a man child called Da Zodji, and a woman child called Nyohwe Ananu. The second birth was So, who had the form of his parent, man and woman in one. The third birth was also of twins, a male, Agbé, a Naite. The fourth to be born was Age, a male, the fifth Gu, also male. Gu is all body. He has no head. Instead of a head, a great sword is found coming out of his neck. His trunk is of stone. The sixth birth was not to a being, but to Djo, air, atmosphere. Air was u'hat was needed to create men. The seventh to be born wag Legba. Mawu said Legba was to be her spoiled child, because he was the youngest. One day Mawu-Lisa assembled all the children in order to divide the kingdoms. To the first twins, she gave all the riches and told them to go and inhabit the earth. She said thepearth was for them. 8lawu said to Sogbo he was to remain in the sky, because he was both man and woman like his parent. She told Agbé and Naete to go and inhabit the sea, and command the waters. To Age she gave command of all the animals and birds, and she told him to live in the bush as a hunter. To Gu, Mawu said he was her strength, and that was why he was not given a head like the others. Thanks to him, the earth would not always remain wild bush. It was he who would teach men to live happily. Mawu told Djo to live in space between earth and sky. To him was being entrusted the life-span of man. Thanks to him also, his

brothers would be invisible, for he will clothe them. That is why another name for vodn is djn. When Mawu said this to the children, she gave the Sagbata twins the language which was to be used on earth, and took away their memory of the language of the sky. She gave to Hevioso the lan- guage he would speak, and took from him the memory of the parent language. The same was done for Agbè and Naètè, for Agè, and for Gu, but to Djo was given the language of men. Now she said to Legba, “You are my youngest child, and as you are spoiled, and have never known punishment, I cannot turn you over to your brothers. I will keep you with me always. Your work shall be to visit all the kingdoms ruled over by your brothers, and to give me an account of what happens.” So Legba knows all the languages known to his brothers, and he knows the language Mawu speaks, too. Legba is Mawu's linguist. If one of the brothers wishes to speak, he must give the message to Legba, for none knows any longer how to address himself to Mawu-Lisa. That is why Legba is everywhere. You will find Legba even before the houses of the vode, be- cause all beings, humans and gods, must address themselves to him before they can approach God. ' For nnother version of this myth, cf. Dabomey, II, pp. i 29-i 3i.

The Rule of Sky and Earth Delimited: Sagbata and Hevioso’s Boundaries

2 The rule of sky and earth delimited

Originally Sagbata was not called Sagbata. He comes from Ananu and was called Azö. He was always disobedient. His parents sold him. At the place where he was sold, he behaved as always. He never obeyed. Those people took him and sold him to Death. They said when they sold him, “Now if Death buys you and you begin the same tricks, if you refuse to obey him, then we will see what happens to you.” So Death bought him. He said, “Now, I will show you how

people behave here.” He said, “We never permit insults here.” So Death planted millet. Death said when the birds came to eat this millet, he must drive them away. He said, “I, I don't want to do this. I am not one to drive iway the birds who come to eat millet.” Deith iaid, “You are my slave. Why don't you want to go?” Then Death and he began to quarrel. So Azö said, “Here's a man with long eyelashes who insults me.” Death asked, “Do you know what we do here with a man like you? You shall see.” He said, “What will you do to me) Nothing.” At night Death put him in a locked room. He said, “Now you will evt nothing. You will die here of hunger.” Now, it was settled that the moment Azö tell asleep, he would be killed by Death. So he did not sleep. He knew it. He did not sltcp for seven days. The seventh day Death came to open the door. He thought the man was asleep. But he was not asleep. Doth said, “This man cannot stay here. He will destroy my house if he stays.” He went and sold him to another. So Death sold him to another country, and this country was quite close to Azö's own home. So Azö escaped and went home. Now, as no master would keep him, but bought him and sold him, bought him and sold him, he had sores all over his body. People said, “Ah, Azö, why have you sores like this?” He said, “It is because they sell me and resell me.” So his brothers said to him, “You have become like a mound of earth that is gradually wom down and down until it is all flattened out.” They mocked him. But they were not sold like he had been sold. As they were in the house, he joked with his brothers, and one day he said to them, “One does not insult Death. But I, I insulted him. Now I am called Keledjegbè Kutö. I ann greater than Death. Death has millet, but he cannot chase away the birds.” Before he was sold, Oevioso was his friend. When he was away, they took Hevioso, his friend, and made him family head. After he came home and all the sores were healed, he was a fine looking man. He was asked to become king. So he and Hevioso began to quarrel. Hevioso said, “Now, what they gave me, you cannot take

away from me.” But he took away the kingship from Hevioso, and he became king. So this happened when he became king and Hevioso was noth- ing. He commanded a field to be cleared, and he told his people to cultivate it for him. They planted corn. When the time came for the rains, so that the grain might come, Hevioso stopped all rain. There was no longer any rain. So the season became dry. The animals died; men died, too. There was no water to drink. Everybody began to berate Sagbata. They said, “So, that es•il man has come back again to us.” So he had all the people come. The people came and the animals, too, Eagle, Vulture, Cat, Chameleon. Sagbata had much magic. He had white cotton and black. He took the white and black cotton to his mouth, talked to it and had it ascend to the sky. He said to the creatures, “I'm going to send you to Hevioso to ask for water.” He asked who would be the first to go. Eagle said, “I.” When Eagle climbed up half way to the sky, Hevioso killed him. The cat said, “Now it is my turn.” He almost reached the same place, when lightning crushed him. So Chameleon, who belongs to the Sun-god Lisa, said, “Now it is my turn.” He left. Sagbata said to him, “Now go to Hevioso and tell him to send water that the people and animals and the harvest may thrive. Here on earth all are almost dead.” Chameleon went slowly, slowly. He went almost half way. When Hevioso wanted to kill him, he curled up and hid under the thread. Now Hevioso sends his thunderbolu, then goes into his house. He returns and sends another, then goes back to his house. So when he hurled the thunder and went in, Chameleon was at his door. Now there were guards there, and they asked Chameleon, “What do you want here?” He said, “I am looking for Hevioso.” So one guard went to tell Hevioso that there was a man to see him. He said, “Who sent htm?” The man said it was Sagbata. Chameleon said, “Sagbata sends me to tell you that pigs, goats, men, homes, harvests, all are dying.” He said, “He begs you to send water that man might find water to drink.” Hevioso said, “All right. I'll send him water.” So he led Chame- E Alerts of the CrOdS $ 29 lton behind his door and gate him a new jar and a new calabash. He said, “Now, give these two things to Sagbata, and tell him to bring all his people together before his door. He must make a hole, and put the jar inside.” He said also, “All right, I'll send him water. But tell him beginning today, he is not to command the people in the sky, and I will not command the people below.” He said, “All right. Now that I shamed him before his people, I do not ask any more to rule below.” When Chameleon came before Sagbata and said all that Hevioso had said, they had all the people assemble. So they made the hole ind put in first the closed calabash, and then the jar on top. So thty put earth over this and said, “If someone goes for water, the first water he finds, he must throw over this mound of earth.” Before this there was no earthen mound which they call Aizan. lf Hevioso had not ordered Sagbata to make this earthen mound, the rain would not fall. From then on, when it did not rain, one put water on Aizan, and the rain fell. Before this quarrel, there m no trouble, because Hevioso gave water.

Sogbo Becomes Master of the Universe: Water and Fire Over All

Sogbo becomes master of the Universe '

Jigbata and Sogbo are brothers. We are told that the Creator did not work any more after she created the world, but delegated her ci6ldr Sagbata and Sogbo, to rule the world for her. The two quarrelled. Sagbata, the elder, decided to leave the sky and go down on earth. He took with him, since he was the eldest, all his heritage, which included everything of his mother's. The younger brother, who was the more brutal, remained in his mother's king- dOBl, and he took the name of fire—Miyomiyo, or Sogbo. Before leaving for the earth, their mother said to them, she would not justify the claim of either in a quarrel. They must be t0gtther like a closed calabash and the world must exist inside

i 3o Dahomean Werratim them. She said that since Sagbata was the elder, he should be the lower part and that Sogbo should be the upper. The mother told them both to go and live in the world. Sogbo refused. He would not leave his mother.' When Sagbata descended, he could not get back on high. He, therefore, descended lower and lower. Sogbo, who was near the mother, won all the confidence of his mother and of the gods who surrounded her. Then one day Sogbo caused the rains to stop. Rain came no longer. Now in the world below, Sagbata had had himself chosen as king, and the people came to him and said, “Since you came among us and we made you king, there is no longer any rain. We are dying of hunger.” He said, “Yes, it is so, but in a few days you will have rain.” A year went by and no rain. Two years went by and no rain. For three years, no rain. Now, two men came down from the sky. Those men fell down in a country called Fe. They preached. They preached the writing of Fa, Destiny. They traveled everywhere. It is said that at that time the world had no more than a thousand people. Now, people came to tell Sagbata that two men came from the sky and preached something called Fa. He said they should come. When they came, they spoke to Sagbata the language spoken in the sky, and Sagbata knew at once [that they told the truth] . He asked them why there was no rain. They said they did not know. Their errand was to preach Fa. What they did know was that his little brother was angry. Sagbata asked, “Why is he angry?” They said they did not know, but with Fa, which was the writing of Sagbata's mother, they would know at once. They took the divining seeds, and, throwing them, asked why the rain did not fall in this country? The first combination of Fa that fell was called Yebu GéuJoso. At once they told Sagbata that there was a dispute between two brothers, who both wanted the same thing, and that the elder should submit to the younger to bring about a reconcilia- tion. Sagbata said that now the sky was too far a«•ay and that he no Exploits of the Gods i i longer had the power to climb up. He said that before going down to earth, his mother had given him the right to take with him all the riches. These he put in his sack. He said that it was he himself who had refused to take along water, because he could not take it in his sack. But arriving on earth, the water which he had left behind had become very necessary. The two men said thit water was now under control of his brother. Sagbata asked thtse men what was to be done to have the rain fall. The two men then said to him if he wished to make the sacrifice, he must give a portion of all the riches on earth and confide this to the béd Wurutu, the great friend of Sogbo. They said, “When iVututu goes up there to talk to Sogbo, Sogbo will never refuse her.” Sagbata heard. He gathered up a portion of all of his riches, and he had Wututu called. He said to Wututu, “Go tell Sogbo that now I, Sagbata, surrender the Universe. I shall let him have the country, and the compounds, and the houses. He may take the sons and the father; the children and the mother. He, Sogbo, is to dwell up high and guard those below.” Once she was up high in the air, Wututu, in a voice which Sogbo knew at once, began to sing. “The earth, Ai-Sagbata, charged me with a commission for you. Do you hear, So?” And lVututu sang, “He said that he leaves you the Universe. He leaves you the country. You are to have the compounds and all the houses. He lets you have the sons and the father; the children and the mother.” When he said this, Sogbo recognized the voice of Wututu from on high. He told his sons to behave, that a stranger was coming. He sent a bolt of lighming. As the lightning flashed, he saw it was Wututu. Sogbo said to let him come. When Wututu came up, Sogbo said, “Go and say to my elder brother Sagbata that though he is the elder who inherited all the wealth of our mother, he had been foolish to leave behind the two things that are the power of the Universe. With these two things, I, the younger, can control all the wealth of Sagbata.” Those two things are water and fire. He told Wututu to return, and before even reaching earth, he

would see what followed. Wututu flew away toward the earth. When he reached half way between sky and earth, a great rain began to fall. Wututu arrived. Sagbata was very happy. And he commanded that Wututu was never to be killed. Should someone kill him by accident, a great ceremony is to be given. This ceremony con- sists of removing the head-pad, because it was he who had carried on his head the message from Sagbata to Sogbo. That day the brothers were reconciled. And that is why each year Thunder visits the Earth. On that day Hevioso gave himself the new name Djoto-g6edji-gJiez0 Djato-megi-zitete Kurjo- - ewe-nobloso.

Fallen on the grass, the grass puts (orth shoots; Fallen on mankind, blind becomes (ert:ile, The s@inbling dew $ives glory to So.

' For another version, cf. Dahomey II, pp. i 3z-i 3 . Another nnme for Sogbo, used in this myth, is So; Sagbata is nlso referred to as Ai. • The narrator used the French “he” and “she” interchsngeebly.

Sagbata’s Control of Earth Stabilized: Rain Restored and Balance Set

Sagbata's control of earth stabilized '

YY hen they were about to choose the child who was to rule the earth, Hevioso was the first to offer to go. Mawu said as the earth was too far from the sky, the oldest had better go. So Sagbata went. When he came there, Hevioso stopped rain from falling. He waited for men to entreat his mother to send him instead. The peo- ple complained. They said (of Sagbata], “This king is not good for the earth. fince his coming, we find nothing to eat; we find nothing to drink. We have nothing.” E efforts o{ the Godi i 33 One day Mawu sent Legba to earth to see what was happening. He went to see Sagbata, and Sagbata told him Hevioso was keeping the rain from falling. Legba said, “All right. That is nothing.” He climbed back into the sky, promising Sagbata to send him a bird who would tell him of Mawu's decision. On his arrival there, Legba sent a bird named Wututu to Sagbata with the message that a fire, so great that the smoke would mount on high, should be kindled at once. Now Legba had himself suggested that Hevioso cause the rains to cop. To accomplish his purpose, Legba had gone to Mawu with a tale that there was no water in the sky, and that everyone was dying of thirst. Mawu, on hearing this, had given orders that not a drop of rain should leave the sky, so that all the water might be retained there for those in the heavens. But now, after visiting Sagbata on earth, Legba had told the bird Wututu that when Sagbata lit the great fife and the smoke began to rise on high, \Vututu should begin to sing. Thus when Wututu came to earth with his message, Sagbata kindled the fire he had been told to light and, as the smoke rose, \Vututu began to sing. Legba then hurried to Mawu and said that he had not been able to go to earth himself, but had sent his “little assistant,” Wututu, who, because there had been no rain on earth and the heat had so dried everything that the trees and all else were burning, was on the verge of being consumed. He said, also, that all the sky risked being destroyed in the flames, if rain was not at once made to fall and extinguish the fire. Mawu at once gave Legba orders to command Hevioso to cause the rain to fall, so that Wututu should not be burned. And rain fell abundantly and the earth was saved. All this time Mawu did not know about the quarrel between the brothers, Sagbata and Hevioso, and to this day knowledge of theé quarrel has been withheld from her. Because of what oc- curred, however, Mawu decreed that all rain should be regulated from the earth, since the danger of a universal conflagration lies there. For this reason Wututu was sent to live on earth, and when this bird finds that the ground is too hot, he cries out, and the rain Comte down. Later, Legba elected a reconciliation between the

two brothers, so that today man lives without fear of another such severe drought. ' Narrated by a priest of the Sagbata cult. For another version, cf. Dahomey, II

Sun God Brings Iron to Man: Lisa and the Gift of Gu

Sun god brings iron to man

It was Mawu who put Lisa on earth, saying that, “When you arrive in this country of mine, here is the vodun Gu who is all metal. I give him to you. He is my strength. You shall cut with him and clear the land for men. He will teach you how to till the ground, so that man may sow and reap.”

Lisa accepted the vodun Gu, and they came together to earth. They descended at a place called Daomè, now known as Abomey. It was Gu who with his great sword cut the trees, cleared the earth, and made room for men. He was the first to make iron, the first to forge weapons, and the first to show mankind the way to work the land.

Lisa said, “This is why Mawu gave me Gu. He is the spirit of iron, and without iron, men cannot live. It is iron that cuts wood, that fashions tools, that forges weapons, that opens the way for mankind.”

Having completed his work, Lisa returned to the sky to his mother, and Gu remained upon the earth. Lisa received the Sun as his home and the right to shine over the world. Gu remained as his sword, the iron that men must forever use.

Serpent as Head-Rest for an Overburdened Earth: The Role of Aido-Hwedo

Serpent as head-rest for an overburdened earth

It was said that long before the children of Mawu, there was the serpent Aido-Hwedo. He was the companion of the Creator, carrying her upon his back as she shaped the world. When Mawu moved across the face of the waters, it was Aido-Hwedo who bore her, twisting and turning beneath her.

Where the serpent turned, valleys were formed. Where he coiled, mountains arose. The seas filled the hollows he left behind. It was through his strength and his endless journey that the earth took its form.

But when the work was finished, the earth was heavy. It trembled under its own weight. So the Creator said, “You shall remain beneath the earth, coiled as a pillow, to hold it steady.”

Aido-Hwedo obeyed. He settled beneath the lands, his body resting in the depths of the sea. Yet when he stirs, the earth shakes. Men say that earthquakes are the serpent moving in his sleep. And the minerals and riches of the earth — iron, copper, and gold — are said to be the hardened droppings of Aido-Hwedo, left behind as he carried Mawu in the beginning.

The First Human Family: The People Who Descended from the Sky

The first human family: the people who descended from the sky

There was once a man and a woman who descended from the sky. They came to the land of Adja. The man carried in his hand a wand, and with it he pointed to the ground, saying, “Here shall be our home.” The woman carried a calabash upon her head.

Others followed. With the rain they came, descending upon the land. They taught men the worship of Mawu-Lisa. They raised altars and built shrines. They offered sacrifices of food and drink, and they instructed their children in the sacred ways.

Each son carried a wand, and with it they led their families. They were guided by a chameleon, sacred to Lisa, who changed its colors to protect them from dangers. If enemies came, the chameleon showed its hues. If storms threatened, it warned them.

Thus the people spread across the land of Dahomey, carrying with them the knowledge of Mawu-Lisa. They built villages, planted crops, and taught that all life descends from the sky, just as their fathers and mothers had done.

Origin of the People of the Agblo Quarter: The Sacred Pact with Sagbata

Origin of the people of the Agblo quarter

There came a great rain. From the falling waters and the rising smoke appeared a man, Agblo, and his wife. They carried okra seeds in a calabash. With them came sixty-six others, men and women. They cleared the land and planted the seeds. From their hands came the first crops, and from their children, a lineage was born.

Now among them was a man called Cheyi. One day he wandered to a place where the ground opened, and he descended into the domain of Sagbata. There he saw the god of the earth enthroned, surrounded by spirits. Sagbata said to him, “You have found my sacred place. You shall be taught how to worship me, how to honor Mawu and Lisa, and how to lead the rites of sacrifice.”

Cheyi returned, carrying the knowledge of the gods. He built shrines, offered the first fruits, and became the priest of Sagbata. From him came the cults of Sagbata, Mawu, and Lisa, which endure among the people of Agblo.

How Legba Became Chief of the Gods: How Magic Became a Human Skill

Long ago, Legba was the last of the gods. One day Mawu said to the gods he would show them something. He would show them who would be their chief. Mawu then gave them a gong, a bell, a drum, a flute, and said whoever took all the instruments, and played the four together and also danced to them would be their chief.

Hevioso said, “I am very strong. I can do all.” So he tried. But he failed.

Mawu called on Gu and Age to try. Age said, “I am a hunter. I have great strength. I can do everything.” He tried and failed. Gu came. He said he had much strength. He had fire. He made many things. He would do it. He tried, and he, too, failed.

Now Mawu called all the gods together and asked Legba to try. Legba tried and did all. He struck the drum, he played the gong; he rang the bell; he blew into the flute, and at the same time made all the gestures of the dance. Mawu said to him, “Now I will give you a woman whose name is Konikoni.” And Mawu said to the other gods that Legba was to be first among them.

Now Legba said he would sing, and he sang:

“If the house is peaceful, If the field is fertile, I will be very happy.”

Now Legba had knowledge, and he began to make magic charms. He was the first to make them. He made a serpent. Then he put the serpent down on the road to the market, and he commanded the serpent to bite the sellers and the buyers. Once the serpent bit them, Legba came and said to them, “Give me something, and I will cure you.” If they gave him something, he went away to buy a cord, and palm oil, and drinking water. Then he ate all and drank.

One day someone asked Legba, “What is that,” pointing to the serpent, “that which bites people?”

Legba answered him, “It is magic.” Legba said to this man, “Bring me two chickens and eighty cowries and some straw, and I will make one for you.” So Legba began to make magic charms for this man.

Legba led this man down the road to the market, and he told him all that had to be done to make this magic charm. When Legba said to throw the liana, the liana became a serpent, and began to bite people. Then, Legba gave him the medicine to cure these people. This man was called Awé, and it was Legba who gave magic charms to Awé.

Now magic charms spread everywhere. Legba began to give him other charms so that if someone needed a charm he came to Awé, and Awé called Legba to his house. They made the charms inside the house, and then carried them outside to give to those who came for them.

Now, Mawu was angry. She called Legba and said to Legba, “Now if someone does not see you, you will not do this again.” Now, Legba is forever a vodun. Awé is a man. So he continued to make charms. Awé became chief of magic. When someone wished to make a charm, he came to him and brought all that was needed, and Awé took the place of Legba. So Awé went everywhere and asked who wanted to make charms? Then he gave them charms and disappeared.

He gave the magic charms to everyone. He also gave charms to those who do evil. He gave charms to pregnant women that the child should not come. Then when the woman was having a difficult time, they called Awé, and they had to give him many things before he was satisfied. Then only would he give medicine that the child might come.

The kings of many lands came to Awé to ask for charms. If Awé met a child he would drop medicine on its body, and the body of the child became a ball.

Awé now said, “I am going to see the world. Now there is enough magic.” One day he bought cotton thread and silk, and in one night he rolled the cotton into a ball. He did this from six o'clock in the evening until six o'clock the next morning. He left it. During the day he took the silken thread, and he rolled it until night. He measured both and he discovered that they were both the same length.

One day he climbed an ant-hill, and he threw the cotton and silken threads toward the sky. Mawu caught both threads. Then holding on to these two threads, Awé reached the sky. Mawu said to him, “What are you looking for here?”

Awé said to Mawu, “My knowledge is great. I now seek to measure my knowledge with Mawu.”

Mawu said, “Show me what is your knowledge.” Awé cut down a tree. He began to make a human figure. He made the head very well, the face, the hair, the arms, all the members. But the statuette could not talk. It did not breathe. It could not move. Mawu said to him, “Your knowledge is not enough. Wait, I'll show you.” On the same day Mawu took a grain of corn, traced a row and sowed it. The grain sprouted, and the same day they ate the ripe corn. They removed the corn from the cob, put it in the mill, brought the flour home, and prepared the dish that Awé ate.

Mawu left Awé, and Awé went back to earth. But Mawu sent Death to follow him. Mawu said to Death, “Men are evil. If someone does evil, it is necessary to kill him.”

Awé tried a charm, and attacked Death. In those days, wood would not burn, for there was no fire. It was impossible to cook. So Mawu said to Death and Awé, “If you, Awé, attack Death then whoever will prepare his food will find that food raw again.” So Awé let Death go, in order that, among men, one could put food to cook, and it would cook quickly, and people could eat. Mawu said to Awé, “If someone is ill, you are to take good care of him. But if I like, I will send Death to kill him.”

Awé mastered Legba's knowledge, and he became a practitioner of magic. Awé and Death are the two friends of the world.

How Legba Became Guardian of Men and Gods: Why the Dog Is Respected

There were three children of Agbanukwe and Kpoli. The first was a sister whose name was Minona. The second was called Aovi, the third Legba. These three formed a little funeral band. And so, one day, when a great man died in the faraway country of the man Adjaminako, they went to help at the funeral. Each of the three had been married, and each had killed his mate. When Minona killed her husband, she cut open his stomach and ripped out his intestines. When Aovi killed his wife, he cut off her head. And Legba killed his by giving her a blow on the head with a stick.

Now, when these three came to the funeral, they played their drum, and made up funeral songs, and people liked what they did. So they were given many, many, many gifts, many, many cowries. Now, King Metonofi was also at the funeral. He had married his eldest daughter to the King of Adja. But this king was impotent, and had not been able to lie with her. This gave the king much shame. So he gave the girl to his eldest son.

Now, at the burial they met Fa, Legba's master. Before Fa could speak, it was necessary that Legba be at his side. The son of the king of Adja had come to find Fa, and he told him all that had happened between his father and the daughter of Metonofi. And he told that his father had given him the girl for his wife. He asked Fa for a powder that would make him potent, and would remove the shame from his family.

Fa told him to go home. In three days he would send him a good powder. But Legba, who kept the sack that contained Fa's medicines, said, “Your sack is here. I can take the boy behind the house and give him the powder immediately.”

So Fa said, “Yes,” and instructed Legba to give the boy some of the white powder. For Fa had two powders, one that was white that gave potency, and one red, that rendered men impotent. But when Legba got the sack, he gave the boy some of the red powder.

The burial over, Legba and his two brothers started on their way home. When they came to a crossroads, they sat down to divide the gifts they had received. They divided the cowries into three piles, each of equal size. But, one cowry remained over.

They tried again and again to divide the cowries equally, but no matter how they divided the pile, one remained.

So Minona said that, since she was the eldest, she would take it. But Aovi disagreed, and said that, since he was the second, it should go to him. Legba also laid claim to it, saying that the others had had much to eat before he was born.

There was a great discussion, but the three could not agree.

While they were talking, along the road came a woman who had been collecting wood to sell in the market-place, and she carried a bottle on her head. They called to her, and asked her to divide the cowries equally. She tried and tried, but every way she tried there was always one over. So finally she asked, “Who of you is the eldest?” Minona replied, “It is I.” So the old woman said that in her country when three divided something and there was one over, this went to the eldest. So she gave Minona the extra cowry. In an instant, Aovi cut off her head, and Legba struck her with his cane. Then they threw her body into the bush. But Legba went off into the bush where the body was, and lay with the dead woman.

When he returned, they resumed their quarrel, until a woman came down the road on her way to the well to get water. They called to her and asked her if she would divide the cowries for them. She tried and tried, but always one cowry was left over.

So finally, she asked, “Who among you is the second?” Aovi replied, “It is I.” She said, “In my group, when there are three among whom something is to be divided, and one is over, the first doesn't take it, or the last, but the middle one.” And she gave the extra cowry to Aovi. Instantly, Legba struck her with his stick, and Minona slit her stomach and ripped out her intestines. And, when they had thrown her body into the bush, Legba again went where the corpse lay and had intercourse with it.

After a time, a third woman came, this time on the way home from the market. They invited her to distribute the cowries. She tried and tried, but always after an equal division had been made, there remained one. So she asked, “Who is the youngest?” Legba said, “It is I.” So she gave the extra cowry to Legba, saying, “In my group, when three divide something and there is one over, we give it to the youngest, for the older ones have eaten before he was born.” At this, Minona ripped open her intestines, and Aovi cut her head off, while Legba took her body into the bush, and he lay with the dead woman.

By now Legba had had enough, and so he told his brothers he was going into the bush to look for something. Legba was a great singer, and he still carried with him the sack of his master, Fa. In this sack he now found a carved figure which he turned into a dog. He whispered to the dog to go past the brothers, who were still trying to divide the gifts from the funeral, and he told him what to do. Then he rejoined them.

Now, no sooner did he come back, than a dog came down the road. So they invited him to divide the cowries. He tried and tried, but always there was one over. So with his paws he scratched a small hole, and said, “In my group, when three divide something and one is left over, it is for the ancestors.” And he buried the extra cowry in the hole.

Now, all three of the brothers were satisfied, and they blessed the dog. Minona said, “You will lead all the vodun that I command. You will always be in the lead.” And Legba said, “You will lead all men. You will never let them lose their way.” They blessed the dog again, and he went on his way. But Legba went into the bush, where the dog came to him and was changed once more into the statuette.

When they came home, the son of the king of Adja, to whom Legba had given the red powder, was there with Fa. He said that he, too, had become impotent.

Now, in those days, everyone had to come and consult Fa before he did anything. And so, when Metonofi announced that any man who could have intercourse with his daughter would be given half his kingdom, all the men came to consult Fa. But Legba gave them all the red powder, and made all the men of the kingdom impotent.

When the men complained to the king that Legba had rendered them impotent, Metonofi looked for him to punish him. But he ran away to the house of Ayo, his mother-in-law.

It happened that his father-in-law was away, and Legba had to sleep in the same room with her. During the night he lay with her, and in the morning he returned to his village.

There they arrested him at once, and brought him before the king, who now summoned all the men of the kingdom to come and make their complaint. When the men of the families of the three women who had been killed by Legba and his brothers at the crossroads saw Legba, they accused him before the king of their deaths. And Legba's father-in-law also made complaint that Legba had slept with his wife. And all the men of the kingdom accused Legba before the king of having given them the red powder.

Now, the first case was up for trial. The king asked Legba if he had killed the three women. Legba replied, “No, it was Aovi.” He said he had intervened and had helped to divide the cowries so as to save other deaths. But the brothers denied the guilt of Aovi, and said that a dog had finally settled the matter. At this, Legba said that he was the one who had commanded the dog. He told that he had changed a carved figure into a dog, and to prove his words, he took the carving and, before the eyes of everyone, changed it into a dog.

Now all the people saw that Legba had spoken the truth, and Metonofi ordered that Legba be guardian of men and women, and of all the gods. He told Minona to return to her home, and henceforth live in the houses of women, whom she would command. He told Aovi to live among the gods. But Legba, he told, could live anywhere he wished. So Legba came into the houses.

After this, there was the second complaint to be disposed of. The trial took place after two days. Legba was asked, “Did you lie with your mother-in-law?”

And to this he answered, “Yes.” But he explained that she had slept in the place where his wife usually slept. And so judgment was given in this case. Metonofi said that since he had already made Legba guardian of all, he could not revoke this. But because Legba always created scandals, he was not to live in houses, but that his place would always be in front of houses.

After two days, the third complaint was brought before the king for judgment. The trial concerned the accusation that Legba had given the men of the kingdom the powder that made them impotent. “Did you give the good powder?”

Legba replied, “Yes.” So they told him to bring the powder he had given the men that they might see.

While he was gone, Legba mixed the blood of a pigeon with the good powder, making it red. In the red powder he put water in which kaolin had been mixed, thus turning it white. When he came back with the two powders, Metonofi asked the men, “What color was the powder given you?”

All cried out, “The red, the red!” So they told Legba to take the red powder himself, and Metonofi told everyone to return in two days, when they would see whether the red powder had made Legba impotent.

When all had reassembled, they found that Metonofi had caused a little house to be made, and in it he had placed his daughter, the wife of the King of Adja. The men were told to enter, one by one, to see if they could lie with his daughter. None of them could accomplish sexual intercourse, and one by one they left her. They were sad, because they were impotent. But there were some who said that it was not good to try it this way. With everyone waiting anxiously, they could not be expected to accomplish what was desired of them.

Legba, however, told the king that these men knew nothing. He, Legba, would have intercourse with the king's daughter in public, if they wished it. And so, it being his turn, Metonofi told him to enter the house, and that if he accomplished intercourse with his daughter, he would reward him well.

Now Legba had made drums, and these he caused to be played as he entered the house where the girl lay. No sooner had he entered, than he deflowered the king's daughter. There was blood all over the house. This done, he came out of the house still naked, with his penis erect, and when he approached anyone, he went through the motions he had made when he was with the girl. And all this time his drums were being played.

Metonofi was very pleased with what had happened. He told Legba to take his daughter as his wife. And he ordered that from that day on, this drum should be played everywhere in remembrance of his daughter.

Why Legba May Take All Women: The Story of Nunde and Fa

Legba had a wife whose name was Nunde. Now Nunde loved Fa. One day, when Fa had consulted, Nunde went to see him. She said, “Give me Fa that I may know if I will have children.”

Now Fa said to her, “You shall know it, but it is necessary that you lie with me.” Nunde agreed, and she had intercourse with Fa.

When she came home, Legba asked her where she had been. She told him she had been with Fa. Then Legba said to her, “Why did you go to lie with Fa?”

Nunde said to him, “You have no strength. Your penis is too small. You cannot do it as I wish it. But Fa has strength.”

Legba said, “Now we shall see.” He gathered the people. He called his wife Nunde, and she came. He told her, “Now you will lie with me before everyone.”

So she lay down, and Legba lay with her. When Legba had accomplished intercourse, he called out to the people:

“Gudyu, The prim of my destiny, Is large, large — Like a great penis.”

When he had finished, he rose up and said to the people, “Now, you have seen. From this day on, if I find a woman, I will take her. Even if she is the wife of another, I will take her.”

And the people said, “It is good.”

From that day, Legba became the one who may take all women, and whenever drums are beaten for him, he comes with joy, dancing and laughing.

Why Trickster Has a Bad Name: How Legba Tricked the Creator and Why the Sky Is High

At the beginning of the world, when the gods were on earth, Legba was charged by Mawu with all tasks. If good came, men said it was Mawu; if evil came, men said it was Legba. And so Legba was blamed for all.

One day, angered, he said, “Since they blame me for evil, let me trick my mother, that she may be blamed.”

Legba went to Mawu’s garden and stole yams. But he put her footprints in the ground. When the people came, they saw the footprints and said, “It is Mawu who has stolen the yams!”

Mawu was ashamed before her children. She said, “I, who am their mother, am now blamed for theft!” In anger, she left the earth and went to live in the sky.

At that time, the sky was very low, no higher than a man’s height. People say it was two meters above the earth. If women pounded grain in the mortars, their pestles struck the sky.

Now one day, an old woman, preparing food, poured dirty water and threw refuse into the place where Mawu had withdrawn. This angered Mawu even more. She said, “Men are without respect.” And she raised the sky farther, higher and higher, until it was beyond reach.

From that time, Mawu remained far above, and Legba was left near men. That is why, to this day, if one wishes to speak to the gods, he must first address Legba, for Mawu is far in the sky and men can no longer speak to her directly.

The First Humans: Missionary Version of Legba Rejected

History tells that in early times all of Africa was desert. A man named Zogbo crossed the Duwaya (the Niger), and came to establish himself here with two women. The first woman was called Heti, the second Heto. It is after his arrival with his family that the five prophets who came down from the sky to explain Fa were here.

Before this time, men lived a long, long time. They lived to four hundred years, six hundred years, and when they lived so long, they bore many children. Yet it is only after the arrival of the five prophets that the people really multiplied.

In the beginning, there were first just a man and a woman. It was they who peopled all the world. He was called Adanhu and she Yewa. The Creator used earth, and he made four human beings, two men and two women. They were there, but they were not yet given life. Legba went and changed two of these beings. Since he did this without the knowledge of Mawu, and he did not know how to do this work, these two were monkeys. All monkeys are descended from these two. The other two God made into Adanhu and Yewa.

The story the missionaries tell about the fruit does not exist here. That Legba gave this fruit, that we do not know. All we know is that the man who came here was called Zogbo. The proverb says: When one says he is greater than the other, ask him, “Are you Zogbo?” But the missionaries, when they heard our name of Adanhu and Yewa, said our gods and theirs were all the same. They tried to teach us the rest about the beginning of man and woman, but the Dahomeans do not agree. They say this is not their story. They know nothing about Legba trying to give fruit.

Why Monkey Did Not Become Man

Now Mawu created all the animals. But they had no names as yet. Mawu said, “A little later I will give you each a name. In order to give you a name, though, you must first work the clay for me.” For Mawu had not yet finished making all the creatures she wanted to make, and she needed this clay out of which to mold them.

They began to work the clay. Mawu said to what is now Monkey, “As you have five fingers on each hand, if you work well, I will put you among men, instead of among the animals.”

When Mawu had said this to him, the animal who is now Monkey boasted before all the animals. “Well, me! Tomorrow I won’t be among you animals. I’ll become a man.”

First he told this to Lion, then to Hyena, then to Elephant. And then he called each animal in turn, and said he had a secret to tell him. When they came, he told them the same thing.

Now, Monkey was so busy telling this, and clapping his hands with joy at his fate, that he did not work at all.

Now, while the animals were working, Mawu came to see what they were doing. She came to observe those who were working well, those who were lazy. As Mawu approached, she saw that the animal they now call Monkey was happier than all others. He continued to sing, clapping his hands, “Tomorrow I change into a man. Mawu herself told me that.”

Mawu heard this. She ordered him to come to her. Then she kicked him and said, “You will always be Monkey. You will never walk erect.”

Mawu’s Ways Are Just

In ancient times Mawu sent a messenger to earth daily to travel from sunrise to sunset. He did this all the time, every year.

One day, while on his errands, he reached Adjala, and in Adjala it was already night. He could go no more and so he went into a house. There was a man who was also on the road. As night fell, he, too, went into this house.

They gave them a place in the same house, the two strangers together. Mawu’s messenger asked the other, “Where are you going?” He said, “I am going where the sun sets.”

“Good,” said Mawu’s messenger. “It is life that gives a companion. I myself am going to the same place.”

The following morning, at first cockcrow, in a house beside theirs where a sick child slept, the parents were crying.

Mawu’s messenger went to ask them, “Why haven’t you slept all night?”

They said, “We have a child here who is very sick.”

Very well. Now, Mawu’s messenger had a sack in which he carried some powder. He gave some of that powder to a man to give to the sick child. And he went back quickly to the man who was sleeping in his house, and said, “Wake up! Wake up! We are leaving.”

They took but a few steps away from the house, when all at once the people in the house began to shout, “Where is the stranger? Where is the stranger?” The child was dead.

So they went away. They went till they came to Savalou. There in Savalou they spent the night. They took shelter in a house beside the road. At first cockcrow, Mawu’s messenger took some flint and made a fire. And this fire he put to the straw of the house where he had slept. He said now to the other man, “Wake up, wake up! We must be going.”

After they left, the house took fire. The people asked, “Where are the strangers? Where are the strangers?” But they were gone. They ran away and continued their journey.

As Mawu’s messenger did that, his companion, who was a human being, was astonished. He did not know that the other was a vodun. So they reached Badahwedji where the sun sets. That is, they were almost there.

Now, there was a river that separated Badahwedji from where the two travelers were. In order to cross the river, one must put down a raft and pass on it. There was an old man from Badahwedji who was in the habit of coming to the river bank for leaves. He gathered them and went back. Now he was crossing the river for the second time. So Mawu’s messenger followed the old man. The old man went ahead. He went slowly, cautiously. Mawu’s messenger came behind him and pushed him, so that he fell into the water.

When he did this, the man who came with Mawu’s messenger ran away. Mawu’s messenger saw him run and he called him back. “Come, come here,” he said. “That’s not where you are going. You are going to this place. Here it is.”

The other said, “What I saw on the road here is too much. I am running away from it.”

Mawu’s messenger said, “Now, I’m not a man. I know you are astonished at all I did. But I’m not a human being. In the house where I killed the child, if that child had not died, its mother and father would have died when it took its first step. It is Mawu who sent me to destroy that child. In that house this mother and father have borne many children, and this one child could not be allowed to spoil their lives.”

He said, “The family where I burned the house has rich relatives among them. But they buried all their money and their children are poor. So I burned the house, so that when they break the walls to make them anew and begin to dig the foundation, they will find the money.”

He said, “I had the man fall into the river, because the king of Badahwedji is dead. To replace this king, a young man should be named. If that old man were alive, a young man could not be named. That is why Mawu sent me to throw him into the water. The people still think the old man will be their king. But if that man became king, there would be no more goats, no more cattle, no more children in that kingdom. Sagbata would come to their kingdom and kill them, because Mawu had ordained that one could not be king. With a young king, they will have goats, pigs and children also.”

Then he said, “I, I look into the hearts of men, and Mawu sends me to look at things. You must not be astonished. Year after year, if I do not change into a man, I change into headache and kill men. I change into serpents and burn houses. And when, in the course of life, you see such things, you will know that it is Mawu who sends them.”

The Son Who Surpassed His Father: Why a Faint Rumble Follows Loud Thunder

Lisa had a daughter called Maho. One day Lisa said to her he would give her a new name. He would call her Gbemende, which meant that she would overcome all obstacles.

Now, the great Segbo heard this, and he said, “Ah, we shall see.” He asked Lisa for his daughter, and Lisa gave him Gbemende. One day Segbo called all his wives together. He had twelve besides Maho. He said to them he would give them each some millet to make beer for him. And he said that she who failed to make good beer would be killed.

Now, millet beer is made this way. Millet is put into water and allowed to stand overnight to ferment. When at night the wind comes, it changes it, and it becomes beer.

Segbo then gave millet to his first twelve wives, but to Maho he gave okra. Maho took the okra and began to cry. She cried and cried until Lisa heard her and asked her what was the trouble. Maho told her Segbo had set all the wives the task of making millet beer for him, and that he said she who failed to make good beer would be killed. But instead of millet, he had given her okra.

“That is nothing,” said Lisa.

At eight a great wind came up, and blew and blew. In the morning Segbo called his wives together and asked them to give him the beer. He went to Maho first. Maho gave him some excellent beer. When the other women looked at their beer, they saw okra.

Segbo said, “All right. That is the work of her father Lisa. Well, we shall see.”

Now, these twelve women had already borne children to Segbo, and they were again big with child. It happened that whenever these women gave birth, it was on the same day. Now, one day Segbo called all his women together, and he said to them that in two days their children would be born.

Now, Maho was not even pregnant. So she began to cry. And she cried and cried, until Lisa heard her. Maho told her Segbo had said that in two days they were each to bring a child into the world, and that she who failed him would die. She said since she, Maho, was not even pregnant, she would surely die in two days.

Lisa said, “Stop crying. It is nothing at all.” He told her to go home and go to sleep. Then when she heard the others being delivered, she had but to strike the earth three times with her foot if she wanted a son, and three times with her head if she wanted a daughter.

So when Maho heard the other women being delivered, she knocked three times with her foot and at once a man-child appeared. He was handsomer and stronger than all the other children. Segbo went first to all the other wives. And then he came to Maho.

“Where is your child?” he asked.

Maho lifted the cloth under which she lay, and there Segbo saw a child who was handsomer and stronger than any of the other children.

Segbo said, “That is all right. Again this time Lisa has won. But we shall see.”

Now, Segbo had a medicine that could make a child of ten days grow so that it could walk and talk. To all the other twelve sons, he gave this medicine. But he did not give it to Maho’s son. “In twelve days,” said Segbo to his wives, “I want to see all my sons walking and talking. If any child is unable to do this, I will kill him and kill his mother.”

Maho went back to her house, and again began to cry. Lisa heard her, “Why are you crying now?” asked Lisa. And Maho told her all. “Ah, that is easy.” And she said, “When the others start walking and talking, you have only to tap the child’s head seven times and he, too, will walk and talk.”

On the eleventh day, all the other children walked and talked. Maho tapped her son on the head seven times, and at once he stood before her taller than all the other children, and stronger and livelier.

Segbo called for all of his children. He saw Maho’s son among them, but taller and finer looking than all the rest. “This time, again, Lisa has had the best of me. But I shall try something else.”

Now, Segbo had a medicine that could make a child grow very quickly. He found twelve horses and one sheep. To the sons of his other wives he gave the horses, and to Agbagugu — the son of Maho — he gave the sheep. “Go to the field with this sack of corn,” said he to each. “He who is last will be killed.”

Maho began to cry. How was her son to race on his sheep against the sons who had horses?

Lisa heard her and asked her what the trouble was. Maho told her what Segbo had done. Lisa gave her a white powder, and said to let the sheep inhale this powder. Then they should see what would happen. When they did this to the sheep, the sheep changed into a fine horse, and this horse galloped faster than all the other horses. Agbagugu was the first to reach the field with his sack of corn. And he was the first to reach his father’s house.

The great Segbo said, “All right. But sooner or later we shall see.” Segbo now asked Agbagugu to go and get the scythe which Death carries. Now, no man can go to see Death and come out alive. Maho went crying to Lisa, and Lisa gave her seven peppers. Lisa said Agbagugu was to break them one by one, beginning with the moment he left his father’s house.

Agbagugu broke the first one, and he found himself in the midst of a great crowd of people whom he had never seen before. He broke the second, and he stood before a closed door, which was watched over by two dogs. He dropped the third, and the dogs fell asleep. The door opened. He dropped the fourth, and he found himself before the chamber of Death, where bees circled round and round and kept him from entering. Through the thick veil formed by the swarming bees, Agbagugu saw Death seated. Death was a terrifying creature, with four eyes, and the scythe was in his hand. Agbagugu dropped the fifth. Death went to sleep, and the bees went off peacefully to rest inside a nearby tree. He dropped the sixth, and he found himself beside the sleeping Death. He then took the scythe out of the hand of Death and dropped the seventh. When he had done this, he saw himself back in his mother’s house. But the scythe was in his hand.

When Death awoke and saw that his scythe was gone, he sounded an alarm, and ordered his hammock carriers to take him at once into the world to search for his scythe.

Now, when Segbo saw Agbagugu come with the scythe of Death, he said to himself, “His grandfather tricked me again. But we shall see.” He said to the boy, “Death is very angry. You must return to the house of Death, and give him back his scythe.”

Maho began to cry again, and she cried and cried until Lisa heard her. Lisa gave her seven more peppers for her son. When Agbagugu dropped each of the peppers, the same thing happened to him as had happened before, except that instead of taking the scythe out of the hand of Death, he replaced it.

When Segbo saw his son returning alive, he called Maho, and he said to her that now he would admit that the name Lisa gave the boy was right. For he was indeed invincible. He said he would, therefore, give him his other wives and the children of his other wives as slaves. And he would let her and her son rule the world. He himself would change into sand and rest on the earth. And when the mother wanted to make men and women, they could use his remains to mold the bodies of these men and women.

Maho and Agbagugu believed him. But at night Segbo tried to kill Maho and her son. Lisa was watching over them. When Segbo came to kill them, he took his little finger and pushed Segbo. At once Segbo turned into a mountain on earth.

All of Segbo’s possessions now went to Agbagugu. And Agbagugu took some white thread, intertwined it with black thread, and out of that made a ladder for himself and his mother. Then they climbed up high into the sky. He also took with them his father’s other wives and his twelve brothers.

Agbagugu, who is Sogbo or Hevioso, shouts and shouts in the sky. He always wants to kill. People say when they hear thunder and then the low rumbling from a distance, that the first is Hevioso’s anger. The second is his mother’s voice, which says, “Careful, careful, he is your father.”

After some time Lisa, too, left all his domain to him. That which he inherited, he divided among his twelve brothers.

It is said that at night Hevioso comes down to earth with the dew and the mist. For his brother, who is King of the Earth, has a wife whom Hevioso loves. And nightly, he steals down to lie with her.

The First Humans: The Missionary Version of Legba Rejected

History tells that in early times all of Africa was desert. A man named Zogbo crossed the Duwaya (the Niger) and came to establish himself here with two women. The first woman was called Heti, the second Heto. It was after his arrival with his family that the five prophets who came down from the sky to explain Fa were here.

Before this time, men lived a long, long time. They lived four hundred years, six hundred years, and when they lived so long, they bore many children. Yet it was only after the arrival of the five prophets that the people really multiplied.

In the beginning, there were first just a man and a woman. It was they who peopled all the world. He was called Adanhu, and she Yewa. The Creator used earth, and he made four human beings, two men and two women. They were there, but they were not yet given life.

Legba came and changed two of these beings. Since he did this without the knowledge of Mawu, and he did not know how to do this work, these two were monkeys. All monkeys are descended from these two. The other two God made into Adanhu and Yewa.

The story the missionaries tell about the fruit does not exist here. That Legba gave this fruit, that we do not know. All we know is that the man who came here was called Zogbo. The proverb says: When one says he is greater than the other, ask him, “Are you Zogbo?”

But the missionaries, when they heard our name of Adanhu and Yewa, said our gods and theirs were all the same. They tried to teach us the rest about the beginning of man and woman, but the Dahomeans do not agree. They say this is not their story. They know nothing about Legba trying to give fruit.

Why Monkey Did Not Become Man

Now, Mawu created all the animals. But they had no names as yet. Mawu said, “A little later I will give you each a name. In order to give you a name, though, you must first work the clay for me.”

For Mawu had not yet finished making all the creatures she wanted to make, and she needed this clay out of which to mold them. They began to work the clay. Mawu said to what is now Monkey, “As you have five fingers on each hand, if you work well, I will put you among men, instead of among the animals.”

When Mawu had said this to him, the animal who is now Monkey boasted before all the animals. “Well, me! … Tomorrow, I won’t be among you animals. I’ll become a man.”

First he told this to Lion, then to Hyena, then to Elephant. And then he called each animal in turn, and said he had a secret to tell him. When they came, he told them the same thing.

Now Monkey was so busy telling this, and clapping his hands with joy at his fate, that he did not work at all.

While the animals were working, Mawu came to see what they were doing. She came to observe those who were working well, those who were lazy. As Mawu approached, she saw that the animal they now call Monkey was happier than all others. He continued to sing, clapping his hands, “Tomorrow I change into a man. Mawu herself told me that.”

Mawu heard this. She ordered him to come to her. Then she kicked him and said, “You will always be Monkey. You will never walk erect.”

Mawu’s Ways Are Just

In ancient times, Mawu sent a messenger to earth daily to travel from sunrise to sunset. He did this all the time, every year.

One day, while on his errands, he reached Adjala, and in Adjala it was already night. He could go no more, and so he went into a house. There was a man who was also on the road. As night fell, he too went into this house.

They gave them a place in the same house, the two strangers together.

Mawu’s messenger asked the other, “Where are you going?” He said, “I am going where the sun sets.”

“Good. It is life that gives a companion. I myself am going to the same place.”

The following morning, at first cockcrow, in a house beside theirs where a sick child slept, the parents were crying. Mawu’s messenger went to ask them, “Why haven’t you slept all night?” They said, “We have a child here who is very sick.”

Very well. Now, Mawu’s messenger had a sack in which he carried some powder. He gave some of that powder to a man to give to the sick child. And he went back quickly to the man who was sleeping in his house, and said, “Wake up! Wake up! We are leaving.”

They took but a few steps away from the house, when all at once the people in the house began to shout, “Where is the stranger? Where is the stranger?” The child was dead.

So they went away. They went until they came to Savalou. There in Savalou they spent the night. They took shelter in a house beside the road. At first cockcrow, Mawu’s messenger took some flint and made a fire. And this fire he put to the straw of the house where he had slept. He said, now, to the other man, “Wake up, wake up! We must be going.”

After they left, the house took fire. The people asked, “Where are the strangers? Where are the strangers?” But they were gone. They ran away and continued their journey.

As Mawu’s messenger did that, his companion, who was a human being, was astonished. He did not know that the other was a vodun.

So they reached Badahwedji where the sun sets. That is, they were almost there. Now, there was a river that separated Badahwedji from where the two travelers were. In order to cross the river, one must put down a raft and pass on it.

There was an old man from Badahwedji who was in the habit of coming to the river bank for leaves. He gathered them and went back. Now he was crossing the river for the second time. So Mawu’s messenger followed the old man. The old man went ahead. He went slowly, cautiously. Mawu’s messenger came behind him and pushed him, so that he fell into the water.

When he did this, the man who came with Mawu’s messenger ran away. Mawu’s messenger saw him run and he called him back. “Come, come here,” he said. “That’s not where you are going. You are going to this place. Here it is.”

The other said, “What I saw on the road here is too much. I am running away from it.”

Mawu’s messenger said, “Now, I’m not a man. I know you are astonished at all I did. But I’m not a human being. In the house where I killed the child, if that child had not died, its mother and father would have died when it took its first step. It is Mawu who sent me to destroy that child.”

He said, “In that house this mother and father have borne many children, and this one child could not be allowed to spoil their lives.”

He said, “The family where I burned the house has rich relatives among them. But they buried all their money and their children are poor. So I burned the house, so that when they break the walls to make them anew and begin to dig the foundation, they will find the money.”

He said, “I had the man fall into the river, because the king of Badahwedji is dead. To replace this king, a young man should be named. If that old man were alive, a young man could not be named. That is why Mawu sent me to throw him into the water. The people still think the old man will be their king. But if that man became king, there would be no more goats, no more cattle, no more children in that kingdom. Sagbata would come to their kingdom and kill them, because Mawu had ordained that one could not be king. With a young king, they will have goats, pigs and children also.”

Then he said, “I, I look into the hearts of men, and Mawu sends me to look at things. You must not be astonished. Year after year, if I do not change into a man, I change into headache and kill men. I change into serpents and burn houses. And when, in the course of life, you see such things, you will know that it is Mawu who sends them.”

The Son Who Surpassed His Father: Why a Faint Rumble Follows Loud Thunder

Lisa had a daughter called Maho. One day Lisa said to her he would give her a new name. He would call her Gbemende, which meant that she would overcome all obstacles.

Now, the great Segbo heard this, and he said, “Ah, we shall see.” He asked Lisa for his daughter, and Lisa gave him Gbemende.

One day Segbo called all his wives together. He had twelve besides Maho. He said to them he would give them each some millet to make beer for him. And he said that she who failed to make good beer would be killed.

Now, millet beer is made this way. Millet is put into water and allowed to stand overnight to ferment. When at night the wind comes, it changes it, and it becomes beer.

Segbo then gave millet to his first twelve wives, but to Maho he gave okra. Maho took the okra and began to cry. She cried and cried until Lisa heard her and asked her what was the trouble.

Maho told her Segbo had set all the wives the task of making millet beer for him, and that he said she who failed to make good beer would be killed. But instead of millet, he had given her okra.

“That is nothing,” said Lisa. At eight a great wind came up, and blew and blew. In the morning Segbo called his wives together and asked them to give him the beer. He went to Maho first. Maho gave him some excellent beer. When the other women looked at their beer, they saw okra.

Segbo said, “All right. That is the work of her father Lisa. Well, we shall see.”

Now, these twelve women had already borne children to Segbo, and they were again big with child. It happened that whenever these women gave birth, it was on the same day. Now, one day Segbo called all his women together, and he said to them that in two days their children would be born.

Now, Maho was not even pregnant. So she began to cry. And she cried and cried, until Lisa heard her. Maho told her Segbo had said that in two days they were each to bring a child into the world, and that she who failed him would die. She said since she, Maho, was not even pregnant, she would surely die in two days.

Lisa said, “Stop crying. It is nothing at all.” He told her to go home and go to sleep. Then when she heard the others being delivered, she had but to strike the earth three times with her foot if she wanted a son, and three times with her head if she wanted a daughter.

So when Maho heard the other women being delivered, she knocked three times with her foot and at once a man-child appeared. He was handsomer and stronger than all the other children. Segbo went first to all the other wives. And then he came to Maho.

“Where is your child?” he asked.

Maho lifted the cloth under which she lay, and there Segbo saw a child who was handsomer and stronger than any of the other children.

Segbo said, “That is all right. Again this time Lisa has won. But we shall see.”

Now, Segbo had a medicine that could make a child of ten days grow so that it could walk and talk. To all the other twelve sons, he gave this medicine. But he did not give it to Maho’s son.

“In twelve days,” said Segbo to his wives, “I want to see all my sons walking and talking. If any child is unable to do this, I will kill him and kill his mother.”

Maho went back to her house, and again began to cry. Lisa heard her, “Why are you crying now?” asked Lisa. And Maho told her all.

“Ah, that is easy.” And she said, “When the others start walking and talking, you have only to tap the child’s head seven times and he, too, will walk and talk.”

On the eleventh day, all the other children walked and talked. Maho tapped her son on the head seven times, and at once he stood before her taller than all the other children, and stronger and livelier.

Segbo called for all of his children. He saw Maho’s son among them, but taller and finer looking than all the rest. “This time, again, Lisa has had the best of me. But I shall try something else.”

A day came when he called all his sons to him. He asked each to tell him his name. For the children had no names as yet. Each child gave himself a name. The great Segbo said to each that it was good. When he came to Maho’s son, he asked him his name.

The boy said, “My name is Agba-gugu-teso-teno-maye-eidogbe-cdu: Energy-Itself. The yam is pregnant, but its owner does not know it. If the child lives, it will surpass its father.”

Segbo was angry when he heard this. He said, “That day will never come!”

He found twelve horses and one sheep. To the sons of his other wives he gave the horses, and to Agbagugu he gave the sheep. “Go to the field with this sack of corn,” said he to each. “He who is last will be killed.”