Palm tree
(Photo from Dennett)
The Congo unit consists of many folk tales. Here’s part A:
How the Wives Restored their Husband to Life
A man had three wives, one could dream things, the other
could guide and the other could bring back the dead. The man went hunting one
day for his wives and was killed by an ox. The dreamer saw this, the guide took
them to his body and the last one brought him back to life. He deemed the one that
brought him back most important, though most people think he shouldn’t have picked
favorites.
How Nsassi Got Married
Two wives of the same husband each had a daughter. Anyone
that wanted to marry the daughters had to guess their names. The antelope
failed, but the gazelle, Nsassi succeeded with the help of his dog.
The Vanishing Wife
There were two brothers, one had everything and the other
nothing. The one with nothing left one day and found space and built himself a
home. One day a woman appeared and so did a beautiful house. Her only request
was that he go catch fish and cut the heads off because she couldn’t bare to
look at them. One day he was too lazy and didn’t and everything disappeared and
he went back to being alone.
Another Vanishing Wife
This story was similar to the one before. His wife had
specific instructions and he didn’t follow. She told him not to speak of her
and when his family asked he was able to resist at first. After a few visits he
told them everything and she disappeared. He was too interested in pleasing his
family, who were his enemies and betrayed his wife who stood by him.
The Jealous Wife
The elder wife was jealous of the younger wife because her
child was smarter. One night when the kids were asleep and the younger wife was
out getting food, the elder wife decided to kill the smarter child. She
realized the next morning she had killed her own and ran away. The husband
returned, hunted her down, found out about the child and killed her as well.
Ngomba’s Balloon
A sister was covered in sores and fell behind from her
sisters. She was found by a murderer who cured her and fell in love with her.
She tried to escape but couldn’t. Her sister, disguised as a cricket and saved
her. The family pretended to thank the murderer and tricked him. He fell into a
hole and they poured boiling water on him.
The Wicked Husband
A man killed his own wife by chopping off her limbs. A
hunter finds her and takes her to his wife and tells her not to tell anyone.
The prince finds out and they hunt down the husband. They have to dry her body
by smoking it and they placed the husband in the fire under her.
How Kengi Lost her Child
Two wives were given land from their husband. They got in a
fight and so they agreed that whatever was born on the land belonged to them.
One wife went to the others to ask for help because she was sick and had a
baby. The other wife deemed that the child was hers because it was born on her
land. The prince and all the people agreed.
The Twin Brothers
The eldest set out to marry a woman. She fell in love with
him immediately. He was then convinced he needed to go to this place but people
warned he wouldn’t return. He left any ways and was killed. His younger twin
came looking for him. The wife mistook him for her husband and he went looking
for his brother. He found his brother’s bones and brought him to life but the
eldest brother betrayed him and killed him. The horse brought the younger
brother back to then sought his older brother and killed him.
These stories consist of mostly the same characters but difference
instances. Sometimes they’re twins, sometimes not. Polygamy is also popular in
this tales. Also, animals and humans seem to interact as one.
Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort. Translated by R.E. Dennett. Source.
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