South Africa: Jackal's Bride

Story source: South African Folk-Tales by James Honey (1910).

Jackal's Bride

Jackal, it is said, married Hyena and carried off a cow belonging to the ants to slaughter for the wedding, and when he had slaughtered her, he put the cowskin over his bride, and when he had fixed a pole (on which to hang the flesh), he placed on the top of the pole (which was forked) the hearth for the cooking in order to cook upon it all sorts of delicious food.

There came also Lion and wished to go up. Jackal, therefore, asked his little daughter for a thong with which he could pull Lion up, and he began to pull him up, and when his face came near to the cooking-pot, he cut the thong in two, so that Lion tumbled down. Then Jackal upbraided his little daughter with these words: "Why do you give me such an old thong?" And he added, "Give me a fresh thong." She gave him a new thong, and he pulled Lion up again, and when his face came near the pot, which stood on the fire, he said, "open your mouth." Then he put into his mouth a hot piece of quartz which had been boiled together with the fat, and the stone went down, burning his throat. Thus died Lion.

There came also the ants running after the cow, and when Jackal saw them he fled. Then they beat the bride in her brookaross dress. Hyena, believing that it was Jackal, said:

"You tawny rogue! have you not played at beating long enough? Have you no more loving game than this?"

But when she had bitten a hole through the cowskin, she saw that they were other people; then she fled, falling here and there, yet made her escape.

(300 words)