Part One of a new shelf: fables of the Namaqua — the Nama people of Great Namaqualand, north of the Orange River, in what is now Namibia — and one household tale of the Damara, from "Reynard the Fox in South Africa; or, Hottentot Fables and Tales" (London: Trübner and Co., 1864), edited by W. H. I. Bleek (1827–1875) and chiefly translated from original manuscripts in the library of Sir George Grey. Most of the fables were taken down in the Nama language at Berseba, in Great Namaqualand, by the Rhenish missionary Georg Krönlein (1826–1892); the Damara tale, in the Otjiherero language, was written down by the missionary Johannes Rath (1816–1903), who had worked in Damara Land. Billed by collector, book and people, exactly as the source prints them; not a survey of all the traditions of Namibia, and no completeness is claimed. Every tale in the book was read in full, in book order, under this shelf's standing rule, and most were set aside — every one stands named, with its reason, in the shelf register. The five tales built are given in the book's order.
Disclosure: this performance is narrated by AI-generated voices.
The Lion's Defeat — while the Lion sleeps, the Jackal persuades the little Fox to tie the Lion's tail to a shrub with a rope of ostrich sinews, and the little Fox alone answers the Lion's question truthfully. The White Man and the Snake — a man frees a snake from under a stone, and she wants to bite him; the Jackal is called to judge. The Cock — caught by the Jackal, the Cock asks him to pray first, as the white man does. The Flying Lion — in the days when the Lion could fly and nothing could live before him, the great Frog breaks the bones the White Crows are guarding. The Unreasonable Child to Whom the Dog Gave Its Deserts — a little girl lends out her eingi fruit, a needle, an axe, honey, food, feathers and milk, and asks for every one of them back, until she meets the family's dog.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:03 The Lion's Defeat
4:02 The White Man and the Snake
6:29 The Cock
7:40 The Flying Lion
9:50 The Unreasonable Child to Whom the Dog Gave Its Deserts
W. H. I. Bleek (ed.), Reynard the Fox in South Africa (Trübner and Co., 1864) — public domain.
Narrated by Magnolia. Music: opening and closing theme, "Rain of the Celestial Court," also heard as short separators between the stories — the tales themselves are read dry. This episode's theme track runs hot as recorded, so its excerpts are gain-reduced in the mix.
KacheliTV — world classics, read aloud.
Namaqua fables · Namibia folk tales · Georg Krönlein · Johannes Rath · W. H. I. Bleek · Damara tale · African folk tales · world folk tales · free audiobook
