The Nunda, Eater of People
Encyclopedia
The Nunda, Eater of People is a Swahili fairy tale
collected by Edward Steere in Swahili Tales. Andrew Lang
included it in The Violet Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/firebird.
as weak. One day, he saw that his date tree was ready to fruit; he set his six sons to watch it, or the slaves would steal the fruit, and he would have none for many a year. The oldest went, and had his slaves beat the drums to keep him awake, but when it grew light, they slept, and a bird ate all the dates. Every year after that, he set a different son, and for six years the bird still ate the dates. The seventh year, he set a man of his, and his youngest son asked why he did not send him, himself. Finally the father agreed. The youngest went, but sent his slaves home, and slept until early. Then he sat with corn in one hand and sand in the other. He chewed on the corn until he grew sleepy, and then he put sand in his mouth, which kept him awake.
The bird arrived. He grabbed it. It flew off with him, but he did not let go, even when it reasoned with him. It gave him a feather and said if he put it in fire, it would come wherever he was. He returned, and the dates were still there. There was much rejoicing.
One day, the sultan's cat caught a calf, and the sultan refused to listen to the complaint. The next day, it caught a cow, and then a donkey, a horse, and a child. Finally it lived in a thicket and ate whatever went by, and the sultan would still not hear complaints. One day, the sultan went out to see the harvest with his six sons, and the cat sprang out and killed three. The sultan demanded its death.
The youngest son set out after the cat, which was called "Nunda, Eater of People
" and could not find it for many days. Finally, he and his slaves tracked it to a forest. The prince and slaves surrounded it and threw spears into it, killing it. The people and sultan rejoiced.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by Edward Steere in Swahili Tales. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Violet Fairy Book.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/firebird.
Synopsis
A sultan was very proud of his garden, and of six of his seven sons, but he scorned the youngest sonYoungest son
The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters....
as weak. One day, he saw that his date tree was ready to fruit; he set his six sons to watch it, or the slaves would steal the fruit, and he would have none for many a year. The oldest went, and had his slaves beat the drums to keep him awake, but when it grew light, they slept, and a bird ate all the dates. Every year after that, he set a different son, and for six years the bird still ate the dates. The seventh year, he set a man of his, and his youngest son asked why he did not send him, himself. Finally the father agreed. The youngest went, but sent his slaves home, and slept until early. Then he sat with corn in one hand and sand in the other. He chewed on the corn until he grew sleepy, and then he put sand in his mouth, which kept him awake.
The bird arrived. He grabbed it. It flew off with him, but he did not let go, even when it reasoned with him. It gave him a feather and said if he put it in fire, it would come wherever he was. He returned, and the dates were still there. There was much rejoicing.
One day, the sultan's cat caught a calf, and the sultan refused to listen to the complaint. The next day, it caught a cow, and then a donkey, a horse, and a child. Finally it lived in a thicket and ate whatever went by, and the sultan would still not hear complaints. One day, the sultan went out to see the harvest with his six sons, and the cat sprang out and killed three. The sultan demanded its death.
The youngest son set out after the cat, which was called "Nunda, Eater of People
Mngwa
Mngwa or Nunda is a gigantic, ferocious, gray feline, said to stalk the East African country of Tanzania. Described as, "the size of a donkey," English contact with this animal first began in the 1900s. In 1938, an open-minded discussion of this animal appeared in the then-world-famous British...
" and could not find it for many days. Finally, he and his slaves tracked it to a forest. The prince and slaves surrounded it and threw spears into it, killing it. The people and sultan rejoiced.
See also
- Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray WolfTsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray WolfTsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.It is Aarne-Thompson type 550, the quest for the golden bird/firebird...
- The Nine Peahens and the Golden ApplesThe Nine Peahens and the Golden ApplesThe Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples is a Serbian epic poetry. It was published for the first time as a fairy tale by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in 1853. Later on it was published as a Bulgarian fairy tale by A. H...
- The Golden MermaidThe Golden MermaidThe Golden Mermaid is a German fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book, attributing it to the Brothers Grimm, but there are noticeable differences between it and the common Grimm version of The Golden Bird.-Synopsis:...
- The Golden BirdThe Golden Bird"The Golden Bird" is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, number 57, about the pursuit of a golden bird by a king's three sons.A French version, collected by Paul Sébillot, is called The Golden Blackbird. Andrew Lang included that variant in The Green Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 550,...
- SimurghSimurghSimurgh , also spelled simorgh, simurg, simoorg or simourv, also known as Angha , is the modern Persian name for a benevolent, mythical flying creature...