A Home for All – The Story of Hyena Luo People of Kenya and Tanzania It all started when Hyena got lost in thoughts not only about being alone, but even being lonely. He was loitering in the mopane wood at the edge of the savanna plain. He wanted to laugh, but he was…
The Old Dog Zaporozhian Cossacks – Ukraine There was once a man who had a dog. While the dog was young he was made much of, but when he grew old he was driven out of doors. So he went and lay outside the fence, and a wolf came up to him and said:…
Fire on the Mountain Ethiopia During his adolescence Amadi had heard his father say many times: ‘Have no master or boss, always try to work for yourself, for few are just men who treat those under their command well’. Yes, he had many times heard those words from his father, but he had never…
Red River and Tengtiao River Hani People – China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam Grandfather Sun rose above the horizon to behold the proud ridges and forests of Mount Ailao, between the Yungui Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains. But he was disappointed to find that many of the forests and valleys were shrouded in…
No Brains Maghreb Sufism – Tunisia and Algeria One day Ŷḥā saw a group of neighbours pass by, all dressed in colourful clothes, carrying banners, and armed to the teeth. ‘Where are you going dressed like this?’ asked Ŷḥā, in amazement. ‘We’re going to war!’ answered one of them. ‘A neighbouring emir is offending…
The King and the Fear Taoism – China A king famed for his courage and equanimity lost almost his entire kingdom and every last one of his soldiers as a result of the violent attacks and plundering of barbarian hordes. He had only two servants left, and his castle was the last bastion that…
The Fire Bird Gaoshan Peoples – Taiwan Island, China In ancient times, the Gaoshan people dwelt on a vast plain located on an island the middle of the sea. At its centre rose a mountain overlooking the whole island. The evergreen landscape was full of palm trees and other tropical plants, in whose green…
The Missing Boy Yankton Sioux People – USA and Canada The water-fowls were flying over the marshy lakes. It was now the hunting season. Indian men, with bows and arrows, were wading waist deep amid the wild rice. Near by, within their wigwams, the wives were roasting wild duck and making down pillows. In…
Krishna and the Serpent Kalya Hinduism – India Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu and the supreme god of Krishnaism, loved his job as a cowherd, as it allowed him to roam the forests with his cows. He was greatly attracted to trees for, growing up as the adopted son of…
The Man Who Morphed into a Fox Ainu People – Japan and Russia A moneylender and trader in furs and feathers was travelling along a lonely road towards a cluster of villages, where he intended to stock up on goods for sale in the trading fortresses of the southern part of the island. He…