Sudanese Folktales
The Hare Who Believed the Rooster’s Dream: A Timeless African Folktale About Wisdom and Gullibility
One day, Shulo the Hare was visiting Jongwe the Rooster’s home and he saw the Rooster standing on one leg. His other leg was gone, and his head was gone, too! The Hare was so astonished that he stood stock-still, and then ran home and told his wife.
The next day he went to see the Rooster again. But the Rooster was up in a tree, and his head was there again and so were both his legs.
The Hare was still more astonished, and he said, “When I saw you yesterday, your head was gone and you had only one leg.”
“Oh,” said the Rooster, “that’s nothing! My head and my leg went visiting. They went off to another kraal, and we had singing and beer-drinking. I often enjoy myself that way without trouble. I tell my wife to cut off my head and my leg, and then my head and leg go visiting and have a good time. It is very easy.”
So the Hare thought, “I’m going to try that, too! If Jongwe can do that, why can’t I?”
So he ran home and told his wife. “Wife, take a sharp knife and cut off my head and my leg so that they can go visiting like the Rooster’s. I saw Jongwe again today, and his head and leg were on again, and he told me that they had been away to another kraal, dancing and singing and drinking beer. Now I want my head and leg to do the same, so cut them off!”
“But if I cut off your head,” said the wife, “you will die!”
“No, I won’t,” said Shulo, the Hare. “Jongwe is not dead. I saw him one day with his head and leg gone, and I saw him the next day with his head and leg on again. You do what I say.”
So the wife took a sharp knife and cut off the Hare’s leg and then his head. She waited for the head and leg to fly off visiting, but they never moved. And there lay Shulo the Hare, dead.
So she ran to the Rooster’s kraal.
“My husband is dead!” she cried. “What shall I do? His leg and his head have never gone visiting at all! How shall I put them on again and bring him to life?”
Then Jongwe the Rooster laughed to himself, for he knew that his own head and leg had never been cut off. He had only drawn his leg up under him to rest it while he went to sleep, and as for his head, he had simply tucked it under his wing. The visits he had had were pleasant dreams of singing and beer drinking in other kraals.
The Clever Rabbit and the Hardworking Antelope
It was during an almost rainless hot season, when all who had no wells were beginning to feel the pangs of thirst, that the rabbit and the antelope formed a partnership to dig a deep well so that they could never be in want of water.
“Let us finish our food,” said the antelope, “and be off to our work.”
“No!” said the rabbit. “Had we not better keep the food for later on, when we are tired and hungry after our work?”
“Very well. Hide the food, rabbit, and let us go to work; I am very thirsty.”
They arrived at the place where they purposed having the well and worked hard for a short time.
“Listen!” said the rabbit. “They are calling me to go back to town.”
“No, I do not hear them.”
“Yes, they are certainly calling me, and I must be off. My wife is about to present me with some children, and I must name them.”
“Go then, dear rabbit, but come back as soon as you can.”
The rabbit ran off to where he had hidden the food and ate some of it, and then went back to his work.
“Well,” said the antelope, “what have you called your little one?”
“Not-Done-Yet,” said the rabbit.
“A strange name,” said the antelope.
Then they worked for a while.
“Again they are calling me,” cried the rabbit. “I must be off, so please excuse me. Can’t you hear them calling me?”
“No,” said the antelope, “I hear nothing…”
Away ran the rabbit, leaving the poor antelope to do all the work, while the rabbit ate some more of the food that really belonged to them both. When he had had enough, he hid the food again and ran back to the well.
“And what have you called your latest child, rabbit?”
“Half-Done-Now.”
“What a funny little fellow you are! But come, get on with the digging; see how hard I have worked.”
Then they worked hard for quite a long time.
“Listen now!” said the rabbit. “Surely you heard them calling me this time!”
“No, dear rabbit, I can hear nothing, but go and get back quickly.”
Away ran the rabbit, and this time he finished the food before going back to his work.
“Well, little one, what have you called your third child?”
“All-Done,” answered the rabbit.
Then they worked hard, and as night was setting in, they returned to their village.
“I am terribly tired, rabbit. Run and get the food, or I shall faint.”
The rabbit went to look for the food, and then, calling out to the antelope, told him that some horrid cat must have been there, as the food was all gone and the pot quite clean. The antelope groaned and went hungry to bed.
The next day, the naughty little rabbit played the same trick on the antelope. And the next day he again tricked the antelope. And the next, and the next, until at last the antelope accused the rabbit of stealing the food. Then the rabbit got angry and dared him to take casca.
“We’ll both take it,” said the antelope, “and let him whose tail is the first to become wet be considered the guilty one.”
So they took the casca and went to bed. And as the medicine began to take effect upon the rabbit, he cried out to the antelope, “See, your tail is wet!”
“No, it is not!”
“Yes, it is!”
“No, but yours is, dear rabbit. See there!”
Then the rabbit feared greatly and tried to run away. But the antelope said, “Fear not, rabbit. I will do you no harm. Only you must promise not to drink the water from my well and to leave my company forever.”
Accordingly, the rabbit left him and went his way.
Some time after this, a bird told the antelope that the rabbit was drinking the water from the well every day. Then the antelope was greatly enraged and determined to kill the rabbit. So the antelope laid a trap for the silly little rabbit. He cut a piece of wood and shaped it into the figure of an animal about the size of the rabbit, and then he placed this figure firmly in the ground near the well and smeared it all over with bird-lime.
The rabbit went as usual to drink the water from the well and was much annoyed to find an animal there, as he thought, drinking the water also.
“And what may you be doing here, sir?” said the rabbit to the figure.
The figure answered not.
Then the rabbit, thinking that it was afraid of him, went close up to it and again asked what it was doing there.
But the figure made no answer.
“What!” said the rabbit. “Do you mean to insult me? Answer me at once, or I will strike you.”
The figure answered not.
Then the little rabbit lifted up his right hand and smacked the figure in the face. His hand stuck to the figure.
“What’s the matter?” said the rabbit. “Let my hand go, sir, at once, or I will hit you again.”
The figure held fast to the rabbit’s right hand.
Then the rabbit hit the figure a swinging blow with his left. The left hand stuck to the figure also.
“What can be the matter with you, sir? You are excessively silly. Let my hands go at once, or I will kick you.”
And the rabbit kicked the figure with his right foot, but his right foot stuck there. Then he got into a great rage and kicked the figure with his left. And his left leg stuck to the figure also. Then, overcome with rage, he bumped the figure with his head and stomach, but these parts also stuck to the figure. Then the rabbit cried with impotent rage.
The antelope, just about this time, came along to drink water, and when he saw the rabbit helplessly fastened to the figure, he laughed at him and then killed him.
The Lion, the Hyena, and the Fox
The lion and the hyena traveled together, and on their way the lion found a bull, and the hyena a cow; the cow was far advanced in pregnancy. And they put the bull and the cow together, and the hyena tended them.
But afterwards, when it was time for the cow to bring forth, the lion said to the hyena, “You stay at home today; I shall tend the bull and the cow.”
The hyena knew that her cow was about to give birth but, being afraid, she stayed at home.
And when the lion had gone away with them to the pasture, the hyena’s cow gave birth to a calf. And the lion, wishing to take the calf for himself, took the placenta of the cow and stuck it into the behind of his bull. Furthermore, he let the calf suck milk from its mother in the field so that afterwards the hyena should not see the calf sucking.
And in the evening when he came home, he said to the hyena, “My bull has given birth to a calf, and this is his placenta.”
The hyena said to him, “Does a bull give birth to a calf like a cow?”
The lion said to her angrily, “Yes, certainly he does!” and he sought to kill the hyena. But the hyena was afraid of him and sat down crying.
The next morning the lion took the calf and his bull and the cow and went away with them, and the hyena stayed at home, crying.
And while she was crying, the fox came to her and said, “What has happened to you, hyena?”
She said, “My cow gave birth to a calf, and the lion said to me, ‘My bull birthed the calf; your cow did not calve,’ and he took it from me.”
And the fox said to her, “Be silent! Do not cry; tomorrow I shall make him give it to you.”
And the next day when the lion and the hyena were together, the fox, carrying a waterskin, passed by them.
When they saw him, the lion said to him, “Where are you going, fox?”
The fox answered him, “Last night my father gave birth to a boy, and I am going to ask for the milk of his child-bed.”
The lion asked him, “Does a man give birth like a woman?”
And the fox said to him, “If a man does not give birth like a woman, give the hyena her calf.”
The lion jumped upon him to kill him, but the fox ran swiftly away from him into a certain place.
Now the lion hid himself in the hole of the fox to kill him by craft.
Then, when it grew evening, the fox came to his hole, but he saw the tracks of the lion at the mouth of his hole and said to himself, “Perhaps the lion is hidden here in my hole,” and he said, standing at the mouth of his hole, “O my house, good evening to you!”
But the lion kept silent.
Again the fox repeated, “O my house, good evening to you! Previously you used to answer me, ‘May your evening be good!’ and that is how I know you are my house.”
The lion, thinking that the fox’s house had formerly talked to him, said to him with a disguised voice, “May your evening be good!”
And the fox said, “My house! You are not my house; you are really the lion!” and he fled from him.
The lion looked for the fox, seeking to kill him, but as he did not find him, he returned to the hyena and gave her her calf. In this way the fox, by his craft, made the lion give the hyena her calf.
And men say as a proverb, “‘Give the hyena her calf,’ said the fox.”
The Apprentice Thief: How a Boy Outwitted His Uncle – A Middle Eastern Folk Tale
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a young boy with his mother. His father had passed away, leaving them to fend for themselves. The boy’s uncle, seeing their struggles, came to visit one day with an unusual proposal.
“Come, nephew,” the uncle said with a glint in his eye. “I shall teach you the art of thievery, so you may never go hungry again.”
The boy, young and eager to learn, agreed to his uncle’s teachings. One day, while practicing their craft, they spotted a man riding a donkey and leading a plump sheep behind him on a rope.
The boy turned to his uncle with a mischievous smile. “Uncle, watch me steal that sheep!”
“Go ahead,” his uncle replied with a chuckle. “And if you’re truly clever, bring me the donkey too!”
Quick as a shadow, the boy crept up behind the traveler and cut the rope holding the sheep. His uncle quickly led the animal away while the boy hid in the bushes. When the traveler finally noticed his missing sheep, he tied his donkey to a tree and went searching through the countryside.
Seizing his chance, the boy stole the donkey too. But he didn’t stop there – he cut off the donkey’s ears and cleverly stuck them up in the shallow water by the seashore, making it appear as though the donkey had sunk into the sea.
When the traveler returned and found his donkey missing, he followed the tracks to the shore. There, he spotted what appeared to be his donkey’s ears sticking up from the water. Frantically, he waded in and pulled, only to find nothing but the severed ears. Terrified, he ran away in fright.
The boy, still not finished with his tricks, followed the frightened man. When the traveler stopped to relieve himself by the roadside, the boy snuck up and played an even cleverer trick. The man jumped up in terror, crying, “Oh! The demons have come for me!” and ran away even faster than before.
Returning to his uncle with both the sheep and donkey, the boy asked innocently, “Uncle, shall you slaughter the sheep, or would you prefer to gather wood for the fire?”
“I’ll gather the wood,” his uncle replied, heading into the forest.
While his uncle was away, the clever boy killed the sheep and inflated its empty skin like a waterskin. When his uncle returned, the boy began beating the inflated skin with a stick, crying out, “Not I, but my uncle! Not I, but my uncle!”
Hearing these shouts and thinking he was being blamed for the theft, the uncle fled in fear, leaving both the sheep and the donkey to the boy. Triumphant in his clever tricks, the boy took both animals home to his mother, ensuring they would have food and transportation for many days to come.
And so the student outmatched his teacher, proving that cleverness, when used wisely, can turn even misfortune into good fortune. From that day forward, the boy used his wit to help his mother prosper, though perhaps in more honest ways, and they lived comfortably ever after.
The tale spread through the village and beyond, and people would often say that while it’s not right to steal, it’s even worse to teach a child to be a thief – for you never know when their cleverness might exceed your own!
The Ghoul’s Bread Box: A Tale of Loss and Redemption
Once upon a time, in a small village on the edge of a dark forest, there lived a poor family – a mother, a father, and their beloved children. Though they worked hard, times were difficult, and food was scarce.
One day, when the children’s hungry cries became too much to bear, the mother decided to venture into the forest in search of bread. Deep in the woods, she discovered a mysterious house that belonged to a fearsome ghoul. The mother, driven by desperation to feed her children, crept inside while the ghoul was away.
In the ghoul’s kitchen, she found a magnificent wooden box filled to the brim with fresh, fragrant bread. Her heart racing, she took just enough to feed her family for the day. When she returned home, the warm bread brought smiles to her children’s faces.
Her husband, amazed by the delicious bread, asked, “Where did you find such wonderful bread, my dear?”
“In the house of a ghoul,” she replied truthfully. “There is a great box full of it. But we must be careful—”
Before she could finish her warning, her husband, driven by the thought of endless bread for his children, interrupted, “I shall go and bring back more!” Despite his wife’s pleas to wait, he rushed into the forest.
At the ghoul’s house, the husband found the box of bread and climbed inside to gather as much as he could. But while he was still collecting the bread, the ghoul returned home. The monster discovered him immediately and dragged him from the box.
“Where do you live, little thief?” the ghoul demanded with a wicked grin. “Where are your children?”
The husband, trembling with fear but hoping to protect his family, tried to mislead the ghoul. But the creature was too clever and forced the poor man to lead the way to his home, riding on his back like a cruel master.
When they arrived at the family’s cottage, the ghoul’s eyes gleamed with horrible delight at the sight of the children. That night, despite the mother’s desperate attempts to protect them, the ghoul devoured one of the children. The next day, it returned and took another.
Mad with grief and fear, the mother knew she had to save her remaining children. While the ghoul slept, she gathered her surviving children and fled from their home. They ran until they reached a camp of kind nomads who took them in.
But the ghoul, enraged at losing its prey, followed their trail. When it found them at the nomads’ camp, it charged toward the mother with murderous intent. The mother screamed, “Help! The ghoul wants to kill me and my children!”
The brave nomad warriors, who had faced many dangers in their travels, knew exactly what to do. They surrounded the ghoul with their sharpened swords and flaming torches. The ghoul, for all its terrible power, could not stand against so many courageous hearts fighting as one. With skilled strikes of their blades and burning brands, they defeated the wicked creature once and for all.
The mother and her remaining children found a new home among the nomads, who treated them as family. The children grew up learning the ways of the desert, becoming strong and wise. Though they never forgot their lost father and siblings, they found happiness again among their new people.
From that day forward, mothers would tell their children this tale as a warning: never take what isn’t yours, no matter how tempting it may be, for the price of theft can be far greater than you imagine. And they also taught that in the darkest times, there will always be kind hearts willing to help those in need.
And so the mother and her children lived out their days in peace, surrounded by their adopted family who would always protect them from harm.
The Brothers’ Tale: Sacred Salt and the Ghoul’s Defeat – A Middle Eastern Folktale
Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there lived two brothers who were both married. Times were hard, and neither family had any bread to eat. Their cupboards were bare, and their wives were worried.
One day, the older brother said to his family, “I will set out to find bread for us all.” And so he did, walking far from their village in search of food.
As he traveled along the dusty road, he came upon a blind man sitting by the wayside. The blind man turned his head toward the sound of approaching footsteps and asked, “Where are you going, traveler?”
“I am searching for food to feed my family,” replied the brother honestly.
The blind man nodded wisely and said, “Listen carefully to what I tell you. There is a house that belongs to a ghoul not far from here. When the ghoul is away, go to this house and take the riches within. Then hurry home and show your wife and family what you have found.”
The older brother followed the blind man’s instructions. He waited until the ghoul was gone, entered the house, and found great treasures inside. He quickly gathered what he could carry and returned home to share his good fortune with his wife and brother’s family.
When the younger brother saw the riches, his eyes grew wide with greed. “Tell me where you found these treasures,” he demanded. “I shall go there myself and bring back even more!”
Though the older brother warned him to be careful, the younger brother wouldn’t listen. He rushed to the ghoul’s house and began gathering treasures. But while he was still inside, the ghoul returned home. In his anger at finding an intruder, the ghoul killed the younger brother and ate him, leaving only his head behind.
When the older brother discovered what had happened, he found his brother’s head and gave it a proper burial. As he stood by the grave making a sorrowful lamentation for his lost brother, he did not know that the ghoul had noticed the missing head.
The chief of all ghouls heard about what had happened and gathered his followers. “Come,” he commanded them, “we shall go to where they mourn. We will find them at the lamentation, kill them all, and feast on their flesh.”
And so the ghouls came to sit among the mourners, waiting for their chance to strike.
But the blind man who had helped the older brother appeared once again. He walked into the gathering and sat down beside the grieving brother. Though his eyes could not see, he sensed the evil presence of the ghouls. He quietly whispered to the older brother, “Take this handful of sacred salt. When I give the signal, throw it into the air.”
The older brother clutched the salt in his hand, his heart pounding. Suddenly, the blind man stood up and struck his walking stick against the ground three times. The sound rang out like a bell, and in that moment, the older brother scattered the salt through the air.
The salt sparkled like stars in the sunlight, and wherever it touched the ghouls, they howled in pain and vanished in puffs of smoke. The chief of the ghouls tried to flee, but the blind man’s walking stick transformed into a sword of light that banished him forever from the land.
With the ghouls gone, peace returned to the village. The older brother shared his wealth with all the poor families in the community, and none ever went hungry again. He kept his brother’s memory alive by telling stories of his bravery, and he made sure his brother’s wife and children were always cared for.
The blind man remained a trusted friend and advisor, teaching the villagers how to protect themselves from evil creatures. And from that day forward, everyone in the village kept a pouch of sacred salt by their door, though they never needed to use it again.
And so they all lived happily ever after, safe in the knowledge that good will always triumph over evil, as long as there are kind hearts willing to help one another.
Akhdar Azaz fi Gizaz
A father asks his three daughters what he should bring back from his travels. While the eldest two request jewels and fine items, the youngest, Fatma, simply wishes for her father’s safe return. Jealous sisters later manipulate Fatma into demanding something mysterious—“Akhdar Azaz fi Gizaz”, or the green gem in glass. The father embarks on a dangerous quest to find it.