The Treachery of Crocodile: An African Folktale of Water, Lions, and Betrayal
In the days when animals could still speak, Crocodile was the acknowledged foreman of all water...
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The Tale of the Bird King: How Tink-Tinkje Outsmarted the Vulture
The birds wanted a king. Men have a king, animals have a king—so why shouldn’t they? All the birds...
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The Seven Old Animals and the Robbers' House - African Folk Tale
Once there was a man who had an old dog, so old that the man desired to put him aside. The dog had...
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Lion Meets His Match: The Day the King of Beasts Met Man
It so happened one day that Lion and Jackal came together to converse on affairs of land and state....
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The Clever Ram and the Cowardly Tiger: A Traditional African Trickster Tale
Tiger (leopard) was returning home from hunting on one occasion when he came upon the kraal of Ram....
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The Magical Fiddle: How Monkey Escaped the Gallows - African Folk Tale
Hunger and want forced Monkey one day to forsake his land and seek elsewhere among strangers for...
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The Great Ant Council: Why Ants Remain Divided - A Timeless Fable
In the earliest days of the world, when the first rains had settled the dust and the great trees had...
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The Origin of the Bushmen: A Traditional African Folk Tale
Long ago, when the world was young and the stars were still learning their places in the sky, there...
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Mepoho - The Magic Woman
Mepoho was a Mijikenda diviner of repute.Little is known about her birth but it is claimed that she...
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Cierume - The Dancing Warrior
This is the story of Cierume, the dancing warrior from Mbeere who killed men with her dancing...
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Mekatilili Wa Menza - Wonder Woman
Thought to have been born in the 1840s, Mekatilili is said to be one of Kenya's earliest freedom...
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The Miracle of Mwana Tau: A Kenyan Coastal Legend from Siyu Island
Long ago, in the coastal town of siyu, there lived a woman named Mwana Tau. She was a beloved figure...
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10 Common South African Myths and the Scientific Truth Behind Them
South Africa is a land of diverse cultures and traditions, with stories and taboos passed down...
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10 Common Nigerian Myths and the Scientific Truth Behind Them
Nigeria is a country with diverse ethnic groups and rich traditions. Along with this cultural...
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10 Common Ghanaian Myths and the Scientific Truth Behind Them
Ghanaian culture is rich with myths and taboos that have been passed down for generations. While...
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The Physician's Son and the Snake King's Wisdom Synopsis
Once there was a very learned physician who died leaving his wife with a little baby boy, whom, when...
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The Magic Student - How Cleverness Defeated Evil
There was once a sultan who had three little sons, and no one seemed to be able to teach them...
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The Grateful Animals and the Ungrateful Man
Long, long ago there lived, in a village called Keejeejee, a woman whose husband died, leaving her...
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The Great War Between Kites and Crows
One day, Koongooroo, sultan of the crows, sent a letter to Mwayway, sultan of the kites, containing...
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The Philosophical Animals - A Tale of Wit and Wisdom
Once upon a time, Simba the lion, Feesee the hyena, and Keeteetee the rabbit made up their minds to...
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The Hare's Honey Heist - How Cunning Beats Strength
One day, Soongoora the hare was roaming through the forest in search of food when he glanced up...
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The Clever Monkey Who Outwitted a Shark
The Monkey, the Shark, and the Washerman's DonkeyOnce upon a time, Keema the monkey and Papa the...
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The Legend of Mkaah Jeechonee and the Noondah: A Traditional African FolkTale
Sultan Maajnoon had seven sons and a large cat, all of whom he was very proud. Everything went well...
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The Clever Adventures of Mafani: A Traditional African FolkTale
Once upon a time, there lived a boy whose name was Mafani.One day, Mafani came to his grandmother...
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The Turtle's Clever Whetstone Trick: A Folk Tale of Wit and Deception
Mrs. Turtle one day heard of a dance which was to take place in a neighboring town. She was very...
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The Cunning Turtle and the King's Forbidden Fruit: An African Folk Tale
A great and wonderful tree, laden with luscious fruit, stood in a clearing in the jungle. In its...
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The Woman Who Followed the Dead
Once upon a time, there was a country whose people loved to dance the Wongko. People from other...
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The Clever Hunter's Debt: An African Folktale of Wit, Predators, and Survival
Many years ago there was a Calabar hunter called Effiong who lived in the bush, killed plenty of...
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The Woman Made of Oil: An African Folktale of Beauty, Jealousy, and Resurrection
The Woman Made of OilThere was once a very fat woman who was made of oil. She was very beautiful,...
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The Leopard's Famine: An African Folktale of Survival, Sacrifice, and Betrayal
Many years ago there was a great famine throughout the land, and all the people were starving. The...
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The Quest for Heavenly Fire: An African Folktale of Teamwork and Divine Challenges
Nzambi-on-Earth had a beautiful daughter, but she swore that no earthly being should marry her...
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The Princess and the Deceitful Slave: An African Folktale of Innocence and Betrayal
Nzambi had a most beautiful daughter, and she took the greatest care of her. As the child grew up,...
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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...
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The Elephant, Rain, and Little Tortoise
Two powers, Elephant and Rain, had a dispute. Elephant said, "If you say that you nourish me, in...
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The Woman and the Lion
Some Women, it is said, went out to seek roots and herbs and other wild food. On their way home they...
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The Hare and the Inkalimeva
Once upon a time the animals made a kraal and put some fat in it. They agreed that one of their...
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The Rabbit and the Water Dance
There was a frightful drought. The rivers after a while dried up and even the springs gave no...
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The Crafty Jackal and the Water Hole
There was a great drought in the land, and Lion called together a number of animals so that they...
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The Crocodile's Treachery
In the days when animals could still converse as easily as humans do today, Crocodile was the...
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The Seven Old Animals: African Folktale
Once there lived a man who owned an old dog, so aged and weary that the man desired to cast him...
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The Monkey and the Magic Fiddle
Hunger and want forced Monkey one day to forsake his homeland and seek work elsewhere among...
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WHY TIGERS NEVER ATTACK MEN UNLESS THEY ARE PROVOKED
A man, hunting one day in the forest, met a tiger. At first each was afraid of the other; but after...
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THE UNGRATEFUL MAN
A hunter, who was terribly poor, was one day walking through the forest in search of food. Coming to...
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The Greedy Spider's Folly: How Selfishness Cost Him an Elephant
In the olden times there stood in the King's town a very great tree. This tree was so huge that it...
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KING CHAMELEON AND THE ANIMALS
In the olden days all the animals of the world lived together in friendship. They had no one to rule...
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The Magical Mischief-Maker: How Quarcoo Bah-boni Scattered the Animal Kingdom
Once upon a time in a certain village lived a man and his wife who were childless. One day, however,...
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WHY THE LEOPARD CAN ONLY CATCH PREY ON ITS LEFT SIDE
At one time leopards did not know how to catch animals for food. Knowing that the cat as very...
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Why Leopards Live in the Woods
A ram once decided to make a clearing in the woods and build himself a house. A leopard who lived...
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THE ROBBER AND THE OLD MAN
In a big town lived a very rich gentleman. The fame of his wealth soon spread. A clever thief heard...
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MAKU MAWU AND MAKU FIA
‘I will die God’s death’ and ‘I will die the King’s death’Once upon a time there were two men who...
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THE LION AND THE WOLF
A certain old lady had a very fine flock of sheep. She had fed and cared for them so well that they...
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KWOFI AND THE GODS
Kwofi was the eldest son of a farmer who had two wives. Kwofi’s mother had no other children.When...
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THE TAIL OF THE PRINCESS ELEPHANT
There once lived a woman who had three sons. These sons were very much attached to their mother and...
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THE HUNTER AND THE TORTOISE
A village hunter had one day gone farther afield than usual. Coming to a part of the forest with...
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HOW THE TORTOISE GOT ITS SHELL
A few hundred years ago, the chief Mauri (God) determined to have a splendid yam festival. He...
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OHIA AND THE THIEVING DEER
There once lived upon the earth a poor man called Ohia, whose wife was named Awirehu. This...
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WHY THE MOON AND THE STARS RECEIVE THEIR LIGHT FROM THE SUN
Once upon a time there was great scarcity of food in the land. Father Anansi and his son, Kweku...
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The Tale of the Confused Akim-Man and the Mysterious Mr. Minū
It happened one day that a poor Akim-man had to travel from his own little village to Accra—one of...
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HOW BEASTS AND SERPENTS FIRST CAME INTO THE WORLD
The famine had lasted nearly three years. Kweku Tsin, being very hungry, looked daily in the forest...
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WHY THE SEA-TURTLE WHEN CAUGHT BEATS ITS BREAST WITH ITS FORE-LEGS
Many centuries ago, the people of this earth were much troubled by floods. The sea used at times to...
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MORNING SUNRISE
A man in one of the villages had a very beautiful daughter. She was so lovely that people called her...
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THE GRINDING STONE THAT GROUND FLOUR BY ITSELF
There had been another great famine throughout the land. The villagers looked thin and pale for lack...
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ADZANUMEE AND HER MOTHER
There once lived a woman who had one great desire. She longed to have a daughter—but alas! she was...
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ANANSI THE BLIND FISHERMAN
Anansi, in his old age, became a fisherman. Very soon after that his sight began to fail. Finally,...
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WHY SPIDERS ARE ALWAYS FOUND IN THE CORNERS OF CEILINGS
Egya Anansi was a very skilful farmer. He, with his wife and son, set to work one year to prepare a...
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WHY WE SEE ANTS CARRYING BUNDLES AS BIG AS THEMSELVES
Kweku Anansi and Kweku Tsin—his son—were both very clever farmers. Generally, they succeeded in...
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THE SQUIRREL AND THE SPIDER
A hard-working squirrel had, after much labour, succeeded in cultivating a very fine farm. Being a...
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WHY ANTS ALWAYS HARM MAN’S PROPERTY
There came once such a terrible famine in the land that a grain of corn was worth far more than its...
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TIT FOR TAT: West African Folklore
There had been a great famine in the land for many months. Meat had become so scarce that only the...
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WHY THE LIZARD CONTINUALLY MOVES HIS HEAD UP AND DOWN
In a town not very far from Anansi’s home lived a great king. This king had three beautiful...
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Thunder and Anansi: The Epic Tale of the Sky God's Challenge
There had been a long and severe famine in the land where Anansi lived. He had been quite unable to...
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ANANSI AND NOTHING
Near Anansi’s miserable little hut, there was a fine palace where lived a very rich man called...
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HOW WE GOT THE NAME SPIDER TALES, Anansi Tales
In the olden days, all the stories which men told were stories of Nyankupon, the chief of the gods....
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Haamdaa′nee: An African Tale of Loyalty, Transformation and Gratitude
Once there was a very poor man, named Haamdaa′nee, who begged from door to door for his living,...
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The Chain of Blame: Finding Justice for Teacher Goso
Have you ever wondered how far a chain of cause and effect might stretch? How one seemingly small...
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The Trickster's Ultimate Challenge: Jackal, Wolf, and Leopard
Have you ever wondered how far a clever mind can go to escape seemingly impossible situations? What...
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The Sparrow and the Parrot: Ancient Wisdom on Value and Contribution
Once upon a time, in a small village surrounded by lush forests and flowing streams, lived a man who...
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The Strange Little Sun: An African Tale
A Mysterious Beginning“The Sun was a strange little child,” said Outa. “He never had any Pap-pa or...
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The Clever Jackal and the Pigs: An African Tale
A Troubling MorningThe pigs had been very troublesome all morning, almost destroying the gate of the...
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The Cunning Jakhals and the King of Beasts: An African Tale
One day in the early morning, before any people were awake, Jakhals was prowling around, looking for...
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The Origins of Dawn: Why the Cock Crows for the Sun Each Morning
In the beginning, the sun was the property of the cock. The god once asked the cock to give him the...
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The Betrayal of Trust: How the Snake and Rat Became Eternal Enemies
Once upon a time, the snake and the rat were very good friends. The snake was richer than the rat....
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How Death Came to the World: The Tale of God's Delayed Message
African creation myth illustration depicting three key moments in a traditional storytelling format....
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The Witch's Deception: How Itu's Shapeshifter Defeated King Mbotu of Calabar
Mbotu was a very famous king of Old Town, Calabar. He was frequently at war, and was always...
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The Fatal Love: A Calabar Tale of the Queen and the Market Boy
Ituen was a young man of Calabar. He was the only child of his parents, and they were extremely fond...
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The Skull's Deception: A Calabar Tale of Beauty and Disobedience
Effiong Edem was a native of Cobham Town. He had a very fine daughter, whose name was Afiong. All...
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The Man, His Son, and Their Donkey: A Tale of Pleasing Everyone
A man and his son were once going with their donkey to market. As they were walking along by his...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The Dog's Loyal Sacrifice: How the Tortoise Got its Shell Pattern
Once upon a time, all animals were living together in unity. They were eating whatever they can find...
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The Creation Myth of Doondari: How the Universe and Man Were Made
At the beginning there was a huge drop of milk. Then Doondari came and he created the stone. Then...
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The Magic Stone Escape: How Ananse the Spider Saved Goat from Tiger - West African Folk Story
Tiger, Ananse, and Goat shared a house together, but Tiger wanted the whole house for himself. "I'm...
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The Contest of Strength: How Ananse the Spider Tricked Tiger and Deer - West African Folk Tale
Ananse and Tiger wanted to see whose hand was strongest. Ananse hid a hammer up his sleeve and hit...
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The Suspicious Spider: How Ananse Outsmarted Tiger's Death Plot
Tiger wanted to kill Ananse. "Tell him I'm dead," Tiger said to Mrs. Tiger. "I'll lie here and wait...
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Why Spiders Hide in Debris: The Dark Tale of Ananse's Rooftop Escape - West African Origin Story
Ananse and his family were on the rooftop, hiding from Tiger. One of Anansi's children complained,...
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Why Spiders Live on Roofs: The Tale of How Ananse's Final Trick Changed Spider History - West African Origin Story
Tiger and Ananse went to the river. "Wash your guts!" Ananse told Tiger. Tiger took out his guts and...
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The Bone Hole Ghost: How Ananse's Family Outsmarted Tiger for His Stew - West African Spider Tale
Tiger had a big pot of stew-meat, and he had a bone-hole where he threw the bones. Ananse and his...
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The Night of Stolen Eggs: How Ananse the Spider Tricked Firefly and Tiger - West African Folktale
Firefly and Ananse were gathering eggs at night. "Little eggs for you," said Ananse. "Big eggs for...
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The Wedding Revenge: How Ananse the Spider Ruined Tiger's Big Day - West African Folk Story
Tiger didn't invite Ananse to his wedding. Ananse was mad, so he put cow-itch plant inside Tiger's...
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The Fish Coffin Trick: How Ananse the Spider's Revenge Led to Tiger's Downfall - West African Trickster Tale
To hide his fish from Tiger, Ananse put them in a coffin.Tiger saw Ananse with the coffin. "I'll...
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The Clever Revenge: How Ananse the Spider Tricked the Fish-Stealing Tiger - Traditional West African Story
Ananse was carrying a basket of fish when he met Tiger. Tiger grabbed the basket and ate the fish....
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he Mango Tree Trick: How Ananse the Spider Deceived Tiger - Classic West African Folktale
Tiger had a mango-tree, and Ananse wanted some of Tiger's mangoes. "Will you give me some mangoes?"...
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The Tale of Ananse and Tiger's Missing Fish: A West African Trickster Story
Ananse and Tiger went fishing. When they caught a fish, Tiger grabbed it. "This one's mine!" he...
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Ananse in the Gourd
Tiger was chasing Ananse. Ananse needed to hide, so he hid inside Tiger's water-gourd. Tiger didn't...
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Ananse and the Tar-Stump
Someone was stealing Tiger's peanuts, so Tiger made a trap. He tarred a stump and put a hat on it....
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Why the Bat flies at Night
Once upon a time, in the distant past, there was a great war between the animals who live in the sky...
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