Introduction to Igbo Mythology for Kids by Chinelo Anyadiegwu

Author:Chinelo Anyadiegwu
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Published: 2023-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7 WHY THE ALLIGATOR LIVES ALONE

Ngweleaghuli o lacha nbembe kai na!

Olacha!

Ndi gu na fa yi alacha nbembe a na ba si go!

Olacha!

Translation: Alligator, eater of berries, let’s leave. The people that came with you to eat berries have left.

In a time of famine in the animal kingdom, seven animals met with a plan. The vulture, who initiated the plan, as well as the crocodile, the pig, the antelope, the dog, the chicken, and the rabbit met in the middle of a forest. All the animals had skin that stretched too thin across their bodies. The vulture and the chicken had patches of skin showing where feathers should have been, and the feathers that did remain were dull and dry. The alligator—the only one of them that could hunt in the rivers—had managed to survive without starving, but he knew he would run out of food soon. More animals had been relying on the waters for nourishment.

The vulture had approached each of them with her plan. As a messenger of Anị, she had the ability to travel through the worlds of the spirit. However, when she was not sending a message from Anị, she did not receive protection for the journey.

The last time the vulture had flown through the spirit world, she had passed a spirit eating mysterious berries; each of them was the size of a chicken egg. The spirit recognized Anị’s blessing on her, so they answered her questions. The berry came from a magical tree, the spirit said to the vulture. It had the ability to prevent hunger, and just one berry would allow any animal to survive the famine. The spirit told the vulture where to find the tree, but it was in a direction different from where her message would take her. The vulture wanted to return to find the tree, but she knew she would not have the goddess’s blessing the next time she traveled.

Instead, she chose to tell other animals about the tree. They did not have the ability to navigate the spirit world without getting lost, but she could guide them. In exchange, she asked for the protection of the other animals. They agreed without hesitation, but none of them had seen the berries the vulture kept talking about, so a few of them thought it might not be as strong as the vulture claimed. They still wanted to go because any food was worth it.

“Are you sure this will work?” The rabbit hopped in one place to channel his fear.

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t.” The vulture sounded certain. “Just make sure to follow me, and no matter what you do, don’t eat anything while we’re there.”

The berries were spirit food. If the animals ate it while they were in the spirit world, the vulture was not sure they would survive. It would be safer to eat the berries when they returned to the land of beings.

“Does anyone have any questions?” the vulture asked. “If not, stay close to me. Let’s go.”

The

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.