Z is for Zebras (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi)

Status: Endangered

How the zebra got its stripes

There are various stories around Africa about how the zebra became striped. One of the most well-known origins is a legend from the San people. According to this one, zebra used to be pure white, and lived in a land with very little water. The watering hole the animals had was guarded by a fierce baboon who claimed all the water for himself. Zebra decided to challenge the baboon to a fight, and after a long and hard duel, managed to defeat him. However, during the fight the zebra fell into the baboon's campfire, and it marked his white fur with black stripes. He has been wearing them as a mark of his bravery ever since. (And ever since then the baboon has had a bald patch on his behind, reminding him of the ass-kicking he got). 

In another, West African folktale, it's a tortoise who's guarding the well, and a zebra keeps stealing water from it. Tortoise catches him and ties him up, but zebra manages to escape - through a campfire, which marked his white fur. 

Yet another legend from South Africa claims the zebra used to have horns. The gemsbok wanted to borrow one of them, but the zebra refused; however, he put his horns down when he slept because they were heavy and awkward. One night the gemsbok stole the horns, and has been proudly wearing them ever since - and zebra, on his part, has not really been missing them. 

Sources: Read the stories here, here, here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, or here.

Thank you all for visiting during A to Z! It has been a great year! Which animal or story was your favorite? How did you enjoy the challenge?

See you all next week for Reflections!

(Also, in case you are interested, I'll be teaching a 90-minute online workshop in May, about researching stories! More information here.)

Y is for Yangtze river dolphins (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Yangtze river dolphin or baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

Status: Declared "functionally extinct" in 2006 (possibly critically endangered); Critically endangered

The Goddess of the Yangtze

Chinese legend

Most legends agree that the white river dolphin was once a human woman. There are many different versions of what happened to her, but they all agree that she jumped or fell into the river and drowned. Because she was pure of spirit, she was transformed into the river dolphin, and lived on as the Goddess of the Yangtze. In many stories the evil man or hurt her/killed her also fell into the water, and became the finless porpoise or "river pig."

In some stories the stepfather of the girl tries to take advantage of her while they are crossing the river, and she jumps into the water to escape him. In others, she falls in love with a poor man below her standing, and they are forbidden to meet, so she either kills herself, or drowns while trying to cross the rived to be with him. In a third variant, she was a princess who was being forced to marry a man she didn't love, and when she refused her father drowned her as punishment. Whatever the cause, the girl was rewarded for her pure heart by turning into a beautiful dolphin goddess, while the man that tried to hurt her became a porpoise. 

Sources: Read the story here, here, here, or here.

How can I help?

While the river dolphin has been declared extinct, experts are fighting for preserving its habitat (the Yangtze River) in case new specimens are found. Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.
Read about conservation efforts of the finless porpoise here or here.

Do you think the river dolphin is still out there somewhere? Might they come back one day?

X is for Xolotl (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Status: Critically endangered

How Xolotl became an axolotl

Aztec myth

The god Xolotl was the twin brother of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. He was the god of Venus, fire, lightning, sickness, and monstrosities. He guarded the Sun as it traveled across the Underworld every night, and he similarly guarded the souls on their journey into the afterlife. He gained this role after he descended into the Underworld together with his brother to retrieve the bones of the people of an earlier world, and use them to create the humans we are today. 

When the Fifth Sun was created (see the Volcano rabbits post two days ago), initially it didn't move. The God of Winds then started sacrificing all the other gods to make the Sun move forward. Xolotl did not want to be killed, so he turned himself first into maize, then into a maguey plant (giving these two important food sources to the people), then into an axolotl and threw himself into Lake Xochimilco (now the only lake axolotls can be found in). In some versions of the myth he was captured and killed anyway, while in others he avoided his fate by hiding as this strange, magical amphibian ever since. 

Sources: Read about Xoloth here, here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here or here.
Plus here is a video about how to correctly pronounce axolotl.

What being would you turn into to avoid death?

W is for Whale sharks (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)

Status: Endangered

Lolo Awing

Bantoanon legend from the Philippines

Muslim pirates capture an old man from his island, but they decide he is not useful to them, so they put him ashore on a deserted island. With no way to get home, the old man prays every day to God for help, and survives by foraging. One day a whale shark swims up to the shore. The next it comes back with another whale shark. On the third day there are three of them. The old man hopes they were sent by God, so he tells them to swim away and come back, to prove they understand him. When they do, he sits on the back of the largest whale shark, and it carries him safely home, with the other two swimming along for protection.

I also found a Swahili legend from Kenya and Mozambique, in which God creates all the creatures of the sea, and he is so pleased with how beautiful the whale shark turned out that he and the angels throw handfuls of gold and silver coins at it. The coins stick, and the whale shark has had spots on its back ever since. In Kiswahili they call it "papa shillingi."

Sources: Read Lolo Awing here. Read the Swahili story here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, or here.

Would you swim with a whale shark? They are the largest fish in the ocean, and they only eat plankton! 

United Arab Folktales (Following folktales around the world 153. - United Arab Emirates)

Today I continue the blog series titled Following folktales around the world! If you would like to know what the series is all about, you can find the introduction post here. You can find all posts here, or you can follow the series on Facebook!

The tales from the next few countries are from two different books:

Folktales ​from the Arabian Peninsula
Tales of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
Nadia Jameel Taibah & Margaret Read McDonald
ABC-CLIO, 2015.

The Introduction tells us about the history and culture of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Three tales are from the Emirates.

Folktales from the Arabian Gulf
A selection of popular tales collected in the field
Dr. Fayyiz Shayyagh, Sylvia Ismail
Doha, 2003.

The stories in this book are from the archives of the Gulf Folklore Centre, which has been collecting traditional folklore from six countries around the Gulf for almost forty years. The short introduction talks about the work of the Centre, the process of selecting and translating the stories, and the cultural background of tales with female heroes. There is a separate chapter for opening formulas. The book contains four tales from the Emirates.

Highlights

The tale of Aziz and Azizah took some unexpected turns. Two cousins were promised to each other, but on the day of their wedding the man fell in love with a mysterious woman who was sending him signals from a window. His wife helped him decode the messages and meet the woman in secret - who turned out to be none other but the famous wily Zeinab from the 1001 Nights! The man married her too, but when she found out Azizah had been decoding her riddles, and the girl was wasting away from heartbreak, she kicked out her husband. Too late, sadly - Azizah died of a broken heart.
In another story a man caught a bird that brought him good luck. One day the bird escaped, and a shopkeeper caught it. They took their argument to a sheikh, who asked the bird itself who its real owner was - and the bird spoke, pointing out the man who'd first caught it.

Connections

The story of Deinoh and Arbab was very similar to that of the seven kids, except here there were only two kids, devoured by an evil sorcerer. The mama goat charged at the sorcerer and rescued her babies from his stomach. The tale of The two friends was the classic story type where one blood brother rescues the other from danger multiple times, and turns to stone when disclosing the secret. Here, the other brother sacrificed his own child to bring his friend back to life. The story of The fisherman's daughter was a Cinderella variant, here with a helpful fish instead of a fairy godmother.

Where to next?
Qatar!

V is for Volcano rabbits (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Image from here

Species: Volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi), a.k.a. teporingo or zacatuche

Status: Endangered (some populations are extinct)

The rabbit in the moon

Aztec myth

The Aztecs saw the shape of a rabbit in the spots on the moon - specifically, the shape of a teporingo. But how did it get there?
According to Aztec mythology, when it was time for the Fifth World to emerge (the one we are living in now), there was need for a new Sun and Moon. The gods decided two of them had to sacrifice themselves to become celestial bodies. The rich god Tecuzitecatl volunteered to be the Sun, while the poor, rugged Nanahuatzin was ordered to become the Moon. They offered sacrifices, and then the time came for them to throw themselves onto a roaring pyre, burn, and transform. In the last moment the rich and haughty Tecuzitecatl hesitated, but Nanahuatzin threw himself into the fire immediately. Ashamed, Tecuzitecatl followed suit.
Two Suns rose from the pyre, filling the world with light. However, so that the cowardly Tecuzitecatl wouldn't be as brilliant as the brave Nanahuatzin, one of the gods grabbed a rabbit, and threw it at the coward's face. The rabbit stuck, and it has been up there ever since, obscuring the light of the Moon; you can see its shape in the dark spots.

According to another Mexican legend, the other rabbits did not want to befriend the teporingo, because it is so tiny ans weak, and they chased him away to the mountainsides of volcanoes. However, when humans came along, they all started hunting the larger, fatter rabbits nearby, and did not even notice the tiny bunnies safely tucked away in the mountains.

Sources: Read about the story here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here. Read more about this species here.

Would you be brave enough to become a Sun or Moon? Or would you rather become another celestial body?

U is for Utah prairie dogs (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens)

Status: Endangered

The man saved by prairie dogs

Jicarilla Apache legend*

According to legend, forty-four warriors set out on a journey, forty-three died, and the last one was barely alive, dying of thirst. He finally collapsed by a prairie dog hole. The prairie dogs came out to see what happened, and asked him why he was lying there. When they learned he is dying of thirst, they took him into their home and gave him water from a small vessel - but no matter how much he drank, the vessel never emptied. They sent him on his way with the vessel. This is how people learned that prairie dogs have power over water and rain.
(One version of this story ends with "Prairie dog gave him no songs or ceremony. He just took pity on him and saved him from death.")

*Okay so I'm cheating here because the habitat of the Utah prairie dogs don't overlap with Jicarilla Apache lands, but I couldn't find any prairie dog legends that are more local. My resources are currently limited...

Sources: Read versions of the story here or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, or here.

Have you ever seen prairie dogs in the wild? I only ever met them in a zoo...

T is for Tigers (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: South China tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

Status: Critically endangered (possibly extinct in the wild)

Five Tiger General

Chinese folktale

This story begins with a humble woodcutter who goes out into the forest one day, and comes across a female tiger in great pain. The tigress is in labor, her intestines have come out (?), and she needs help. The woodcutter runs home and gets his mother, who is a midwife, to help. The two of them assist the tigress, and four cubs are born. Once everything is in order, the mother jokingly tells the tiger to bring a good bride for her son.
Some time later a bridal procession is traveling through the mountains, and they are caught up in a snow storm. Suddenly they hear a roar, and five tigers appear, herding the terrified procession to the woodcutter's house, where they find shelter. The woodcutter and the bride take a liking to each other, and get married.
However, the original groom's family is not pleased by this development, and they go before the magistrate to complain. The woodcutter tells them what happened, but they don't believe him. The old mother then goes to the mountains, and invites the tigers as witnesses. Once the five fully grown tigers show up, no one is contesting the marriage anymore (go figure).
Later on the woodcutter, with the help of the five tigers, fights off an invasion, and the emperor rewards him with the title "Five Tiger General."

Sources: Read the story here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here (this last one is about Siberian tigers in China).

What animals would you choose as your companions if you were made a general?

The king who trusted his kingdom to his daughters (Feminist Folktales 16.)

Another Thursday, another post for Feminist Folktales! It's a series of traditional stories from around the world that display motifs that reflect feminist values. I am not changing any of the stories, merely researching and compiling them, and posting them here as food for thought. You can find the list of posts here.

I read this story yesterday and I had to share it right away. 

Origin: Jewish folktale from a Romanian storyteller

The story

A cruel king has three daughters. He decides to put them to a test: he gives a gem to each, to see what they do with it. The first princess hangs the gem around her neck so she'll never lose it. The second puts it on top of  tower so everyone can admire it. The third asks for time to consider, because she is not sure what she wants to do. While musing, she wanders into a cottage where a mother of seven children is dying from illness. The princess sells the gem and buys food, medicine, clothes, etc. to help the family get back on their feet. When the king hears this, he exiles his daughter for wasting the gem.
While traveling, the princess meets a dwarf and helps him carry rocks. In exchange the dwarf gives her a small pendant. If she drops a tear into the pendant, it turns into a diamond. The princess travels the kingdom, and whenever she feels sorry for someone, she turns her tears into diamonds, and helps people in need.
Meanwhile the neighboring king attacks the realm. The king calls people to war, but they hate him, so they desert instead. When the princess appears, however, they love her for her kindness and help, and they rally around her. The princess starts negotiations. The two kingdoms reach peace, and the princess marries the neighboring king's son. They end up ruling both countries with wisdom and kindness, and they live happily ever after.

What makes it a feminist story?

Visit to the child at nurse
George Morland, 1788.

When we talk about feminist folktales and "strong female characters", we often tend to think of warrior women, rebellious girls, Amazons, dragon slayers, ladies disguised as knights, Artemis-like huntresses. Think Disney's Brave. There is obviously a reason we think of these first. But sometimes, as a storyteller, I think about whether we are putting too much emphasis on female characters who are physically strong, or carry masculine traits, engaging in violent activities (war, hunting). Because I think gentleness, empathy, and kindness can also be a strength in any gender. In fact, I think it is a radical act to be caring and gentle when it is seen as a "weakness", "soft", or "feminine" (see the percentage of men and women in helping professions).
This is exactly what happens in this story. The two elder daughters hide or display their riches, but they don't use them; only the considerate youngest princess puts the gem to use, by selling it and helping someone else. Her father punishes her for "wasting" the gem on someone who doesn't deserve it, showing that he really is an awful king, not caring for the poor of his country at all.

(I especially like the fact that the princess asks for time to consider her options. A lot of young people nowadays are not prepared to make file decisions at the drop of the hat - school, career, relationships, etc. - and it is important to let them know it is okay not to, even though the social pressure is great. You are not lesser than anyone for not finding your path right away.)

I love the symbolism of the tears turning into diamonds. When the princess see someone suffering, she sheds tears, and then helps. To me, the tears symbolize empathy, and also the will to help. Crying in itself would be useless. It has to turn into something tangible to make a difference. Empathy is wildly underrated, and probably the most important human trait - maybe the only one that can change things for the better. It should be fostered, taught, developed, and celebrated. The princess saves her entire kingdom by being kind to people. One by one, on a small scale. Yes, she "coddles" them, and yes, she gives them "stuff for free" when they are in need. In exchange, the kingdom becomes a community, stronger and healthier than it was under the cruel king. Kindness has more power than fear.
You don't need a sword to be a feminist hero.

Things to consider

I have been thinking about what would happen if instead of raising an army the princess would go straight to negotiations, placing diplomacy over war. It might not work with the story's symbolism, but it's worth musing about.

Sources

This story was recorded from a Jewish lady named Sima Goldenberg, who was born in Romania from parents of Romanian and Turkish backgrounds, and moved to Israel in the 1960s.

Haya Bar-Itzhak & Idit Pintel-Ginsberg: The power of a tale: Stories from the Israel Folktale Archives (Wayne State University Press, 2019.)

Notes

The text doesn't really say what kind of gems the king gives his daughters. I imagined them as rubies.

S is for Singing Snails (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Partulina variabilis, image from here

Species: Lanai tree snail (Partulina semicarinata), Lanai tree snail (Partulina variabilis), Achatinellidae (tree snails)

Status: Endangered to Extinct

Kawelona and Lauka-ie-ie

Hawaiian legend

Lauka-ie-ie is a beautiful girl, raised by her aunt and uncle, who is friends with all the plants, flowers, and animals of her home in Waipio Valley. Her best friends are the singing sails; she sings along and plays with them every day. Lauka-ie-ie is protected by the goddess Hina-ulu-ohia, the red flowered ohia tree, who is also raising her brother.
When she grows up, Lauka-ie-ie sees a dream: she dreams of a handsome young chief whose face is bright like the setting sun. Her snail and plant friends all volunteer to set out to look for him together. They are aided in their search by the Wind, Lauka-ie-ie's brother, who carries the party from island to island, searching for the mysterious young chief.
Meanwhile, on the westernmost island of Kauai, young chief Kawelona also dreams about a beautiful young girl he's never seen. He sets out with the help of his friends, the iiwi birds (scarlet honeycreepers) to find her. The two traveling parties meet on the island of Lehua. They sail back to Waipio Valley on a white cloud and a giant shell, and throw an amazing wedding attended by all plants, kupua-spirits, gods, sharks in human form, and, of course, singing snails.
In some versions of the story Pupu-kani-oe, the singing snail, also falls in love along the way, and settles down on Oahu, only to return for the wedding along with her husband and daughters. 

Sources: Read the story here, here, here, or here. Read more about Hawaiian snails here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.

What plants and animals would you invite to your own wedding?

Image from here

R is for Rattlesnakes (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Massasauga rattlesnake

Species: Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), Arizona black rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus)

Status: Threatened, listed as Endangered is some states of the USA

How the rattlesnake got its fangs 

Akimel Oʼotham ("Pima") and Tohono O'odham ("Papago") legend*

According to legend, when the Creator (Elder Brother) created the rattlesnake, it was very beautiful (as it still is), but it didn't have anything to protect itself with. When people appeared, they played with the beautiful snakes, rolling them into balls, or twisting them around their neck like a scarf. Poor rattlesnake was sore and bruised. It went to the Creator to complain, and Elder Brother put fangs into the snake's mouth. The next person to try to play with it got bitten and died from the venom. EVer since then, Rattlesnake has had a way to defend itself. 

In another version of the story, it was the other animals that kept poking at Rattlesnake, because they liked to hear him rattle. They called him Soft Child (Maik Solath) because his movements were so soft. Rattlesnake went to Elder Brother to complain, and the Creator pulled out a piece of his hair and put fangs into the snake's mouth. Next time Rabbit tried to poke at him, Rattlesnake bit him. Rabbit was the first creature in the world to die. The animals, in order to burn his body, also had to learn how to make fire.

* "Pima" and "Papago" as names are not in use anymore, I included them as clarification.

Sources: Read the story here, here, or here. Read a picture book version here. Read more about indigenous snake lore here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.

Arizona black rattlesnake (image from here)

Q is for Quoll (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Status: Endangered

Crow and Quoll go fishing

Legend from Arnhem Land

According to an Aboriginal legend from north-eastern Arnhem Land (culture unspecified) Walik the Crow and Bari Pari the Quoll ("marsupial cat") one day invented the first fish-trap together. Unfortunately, while they were not looking, a relative of Crow, Balin the barramundi swam into the trap along with other fish. While Crow and Quoll were celebrating their invention with dancing, another clan came along, speared all the fish in the traps, and ate them. Crow and Quoll returned too late, and only found Balin's bones in the sand.

Mourning for Balin, they placed the fish bones into a hollow log, and set out with their clans to take revenge. The fight, however, did not go their way, so the crows and quolls decided to flee into the sky, carrying the hollow log and the fish bones with them. They set up camp along the shores of Milnguya, the Milky Way. The twinkling of stars is actually the light of their campfires, and the bright spots on the quolls' back. In the dark spots along the Milky Way you can see the crows, and the hollow log. 

Sources: Read this story here, here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.

What do you see in the dark spots of the Milky Way?

Happily ever after, with a little help (Following folktales around the world 152. - Oman)

Today I continue the blog series titled Following folktales around the world! If you would like to know what the series is all about, you can find the introduction post here. You can find all posts here, or you can follow the series on Facebook!

Halimah ​and the Snake and Other Omani Folktales
Grace Todino-Gonguet
Stacey International Publishers, 2008.

The book contains ten Omani folktales. It is an important collection: it's very hard to find folktales from Oman in English (or, according to the introduction, even in Arabic). The book has gorgeous, colorful illustrations, and there is a glossary at the end.


Highlights

The story of the invisible woman was both heartbreaking and beautiful. A girl was kidnapped by an evil magician and kept locked in a cave for years. Even when she was allowed to leave, he made her invisible to everyone, so she could only follow her loved ones around like a ghost. Eventually she escaped with the help of her beloved. In another story an evil magician cursed a girl and everyone thought she was dead. The girl believed to be dead, however, climbed out of her coffin, and became a servant to a mean family until as an adult she found her way back home.
In the story of The arrogant man a dying miser left his hidden treasures to a man, telling him to be generous. The inheritor, however, became rich from the treasure, and told everyone he'd worked hard for it. The ghost of the old man warned him multiple times, but this is not Christmas Carol - the rich man didn't listen, and his whole palace burned down with him in it.
In the story of The good wife a girl married a man in secret, and helped him uncover the intrigue of his first, mean wife. In the tale of The true brothers a rich man adopted the son of a poor farmer and raised him together with his own son. The two boys helped each other and saved each other more than once, and lived happily without conflict.

Connections

Halima and the snake, the title story of the book, was a classic snake husband story; Ain Az-Zaman was a Sleeping Beauty, Maryam's secret a Cinderella variant. Asif's betrayal belonged to the folktale type where an evil man blinded and betrayed his friend, who managed to turn his misfortune around. 

Where to next?
The United Arab Emirates!

P is for Pangolins (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Image from here

Species: Tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), Giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea)

Status: Endangered

Okpwa wins Pangolin's daughter

Bulu folktale

Pangolin announces that he will give his beautiful daughter as a wife to whoever can best tell the time of dusk and dawn. Pangolin, you see, is nocturnal, and he wants to know when he can set out to eat and when he should head back home before dawn. Several animals try to tell the time correctly, but none of them succeed. Nkulengui, the rail bird, for example chatters for a while at dusk but then falls asleep, and makes Pangolin mistake the time. Nothing quite works out.

Eventually, Okpwa (scaly spurfowl, Pternistis squamatus) decides to try too. He flies up into a tree at dusk, and chatters for a short while, waking up Pangolin who heads into the forest to eat some ants. Pangolin feasts on little black ants until dawn is about to break, at which point Okpwa begins chattering again. Just as Pangolin reaches his home the first light of dawn appears - the timing was impeccable. Okpwa wins the contest and marries Pangolin's daughter; ever since then he has been marking the time of dusk and dawn for the entire forest (and especially pangolins) to hear. 

Sources: Read the story here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, here, or here.

The spurfowl usually signals dawn between 4 and 5 o'clock in the morning. Is that a good time to wake up? Or to go to bed? Are you nocturnal like a pangolin?

O is for Otters (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)

Status: Endangered

The girl who married a sea otter

Coos legend

There are various legends among the indigenous people of Oregon about women who marry sea otters. In one version a young woman rejects all her human suitors, and goes swimming in the ocean, after which she becomes pregnant. The boy she gives birth to keeps crying until he is given seal fat to suck on. A sea otter man comes from the ocean and takes the woman and the baby with him to the realm of the sea otters. The woman, now transformed into a sea otter, swims back up a river to visit her family. People shoot arrows at her at first, but they can't wound her, and she collects the arrows for her sun. After that, sea otters and humans live in peace; sea otters send furs to the people sometimes, and give them whales washed ashore.

In another version a girl rejects all human suitors and hopes for a sea otter lover. She gets pregnant from the sea and gives birth to a boy. A sea otter man comes from the sea and puts her to several tests, which she passes with the help of a friendly sea gull. She marries the sea otter, and her children bring valuable gifts to their grandparents as payment for them accepting the marriage. 

Sources: Find the stories in this book. Find another version in this book.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.

If you were to live as a sea creature, what creature would you prefer to be?

N is for Numbats (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Numbat (banded anteater, Myrmecobius fasciatus)

Status: Endangered

Why is the numbat's back red?

Pitjantjatjarra legend

One day Walpurti (the numbat) and Ngintaka (the perentie lizard) were camping together, and they decided to paint each other's backs with pretty patterns. Walpurti took up a stick, dipped it into paint, and painted nice yellow circles on Ngintaka's back. They have been there ever since. In turn, Ngintaka took up a stick, and painted stripes on Walpurti's back.
When they were both done, they turned to admire their new colors. Ngintaka was very pleased with the circles, but Walpurti was not satisfied with the plain dark stripes at all. He picked up a handful of red dirt and threw it over his back. The red dust stuck to his fur - and Walpurti has been wearing dark stripes on bright red fur on his back ever since.

Sources: read the story here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, or here.

What animal's colorful patterns would you choose to paint on your own back?

M is for Monarch butterflies (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

Status: Status under reassessment in 2020 for the Endangered Species Act

The butterflies come for the Day of the Dead

Legend from Mexico

According to legend a group of indigenous people were migrating south from the Rocky Mountains, all the way to Mexico. On the way they met cold, harsh weather, and they had a hard time moving forward. They decided to leave the children and old people behind so they could shelter while the stronger adults found the way and a new home. To weather the cold, the children and old people covered themselves in tree pollen and resin. Their god saw their suffering, took pity on them, and changed them into beautiful butterflies so that they could make the southward journey easier, and reunite with their families.
Other legends say the butterflies are (or carry) the souls of the dead on their wings. Incidentally, they arrive to their wintering places in Mexico around November 2nd, which is the traditional Day of the Dead. According to this belief, the souls of the departed come back to visit their families for the occasion.

Sources: Read the story here, here, or here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, or here.

What kind of an animal would you like to become after you die?

L is for Loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and other assorted sea turtles (I wanted to talk about sea turtles in this series somewhere but S was taken)

Status: Endangered

The turtle nuts of the vonu tree

Legend from Fiji

According to legends on Koro Island, there once lived a beautiful woman who was the wife of a chief. She went fishing to the reefs with her daughter one day, and was kidnapped by fishermen who showed up in a canoe from a nearby village. The women called for help, and the god of the sea transformed them into turtles. Ever since then every year the girls of the village go to the beach to sing, calling the turtles to come to shore.*

In another story from Koro, from Nacamaki village, the yearly ritual of calling the turtles was observed for generations. After decorating themselves with flowers and dancing and singing on the beach, people had to turn around and go home without ever glancing back. Tradition dictated they should stay in their houses for a night and the next day, leaving the beach alone to the mysterious activities of the turtles.

According to this story, one man was curious to see what the turtles do on the beach, and was not afraid to invoke the anger of the gods by breaking tradition. He hid himself among the mangrove trees to spy on the turtles after everyone went home. As he watched the beach swarming with turtles, suddenly a cloud showed up, and a voice spoke to him, reproaching him for breaking the sacred tradition, and not respecting the turtles' privacy. The spirit in the cloud turned the man into a vonu (turtle) tree to stand on the shore forever, bearing turtle-shaped nuts.

*Sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. This is a very vulnerable time for them, and the eggs also need protection until the baby turtles can find their way to the sea.

Sources: Read the stories here, and here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, and here.

What do you think the turtles do on the beach (besides laying their eggs) when the humans are not watching?

K is for the Kakapo (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

Status: Critically endangered

Kakapo and Albatross play hide-and-seek

Maori folktale

Kakapo and Toroa (albatross)* had an argument over which one of them should rule the land, and they decided to put their abilities to the test. They agreed to take turns trying to hide from each other, and the one who could blend in best would win. Toroa tried to hide first in open land, but his bright white feathers gave him away. He tried a second time, but kakapo had an easy time spotting him again.
Now it was kakapo's turn. He lay down under some ferns, and blended in so well he became invisible. Toroa searched and searched but couldn't find him until kakapo began to laugh. They agreed on a second try and kakapo hid again - so perfectly that toroa lost the game.
Ever since then, the albatross has been living out at the wide ocean, flying over water, while kakapo lives on land, blending in with the colors of the forest.

*Many albatross species are also critically endangered or endangered.

Sources: You can find the story here and here, or read it online here or here.

How can I help?
Read about conservation efforts here, or here.

What bird would you most like to play hide-and-seek with? Do you think you could win?

Picture from here

In the land of the djinn (Following folktales around the world 151. - Yemen)

Today I continue the blog series titled Following folktales around the world! If you would like to know what the series is all about, you can find the introduction post here. You can find all posts here, or you can follow the series on Facebook!

From ​The Land Of Sheba
Yemeni Folk Tales
Carolyn Han
Interlink Books, 2005.

The book contains 24 folktales. There is a long and detailed introduction that talks about Yemen's geography, history, customs, traditions, the Incense Road, everyday life, and the circumstances of collecting the stories. The tales were collected by the author herself, as well as her Yemeni friends, translated to English, and re-told. They have a strong atmosphere of literary re-tellings (none begin with "once upon a time"), but the story structure is still the same. There is a glossary at the end of the book.

Highlights

Sana'a

I liked the story where the cats in the mosque helped a shayk raise a foundling boy; it turned out one of the cats was a djinn (and we even found out where he got the money to help). In the tale of Johar and the green bird, on the other hand, a cat could see the djinn; it meowed every time its master got guests, but once it meowed ten times only and they had twelve guests. The last two confessed they were djinn in disguise.
In the tale of the cloud camels an entire village pretended to be insane to save their home from the sultan; even though he tried to make them give themselves away, they kept up the ruse and won.
In the story of Shayk Al-Mahdi the protagonist left his money with a friend while traveling, only to find out upon his return that the friend died and the money was gone. He went to the gates of Heaven and Hell (Zamzam's well and a volcanic crater) and yelled in; the friend responded from Hell, telling him where the money way hidden.
I was amused by The porter's wisdom in the tale where a man tried to pay the porter, carrying his valuable alabaster window panes, in wisdom instead of money. The porter, in return, dropped the alabaster panes, teaching a valuable lesson: "don't try to cheat the guy who is carrying your fragile cargo."
Probably my favorite story in the book was The djinn of Wadi Dahr, where a man moved into a tower already occupied by a djinn. They mutually tried to evict each other, the djinn by going full poltergeist, and the man by various rituals of exorcism, until a wise old man came along and helped them reach a truce. After that, they became friends, and lived happily together.

Connections

image from here

Ali, Ali and Ali was a version of the "lost camel" folktale type; three clever princes set out to find out which one of them was disowned by their father (since they all had the same name). A clever sultan helped them by figuring out which one of them was a bad person. There was also a Brave Tailor story (Brave Suleyman), and a Cinderella variant called Henna Leaf where the shoe test suddenly made a lot more sense, since the prince was not allowed to look at the girls' faces.

Where to next?
Oman!

J is for Javan slow loris (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Species: Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus)

Status: Critically endangered

(Slow) dance like nobody's watching

Folktale from Assam*

According to this story there was once a great nighttime feast in the jungle where all the animals were invited. Among them, the slow loris was the fiend of the dance floor. The animals enjoyed the party so much that they asked the Sun to stay down a little longer, give the more time in the dark to dance. The Sun did stay put, and the animals danced happily in the dark... but eventually the Sun became too curious about what was going on, and peeked over the horizon. The light fell on the slow loris just in the moment when they were doing some very embarrassing solo dance moves.

The slow loris became furious at the Sun for the betrayal. Ever since then these creatures have been nocturnal, avoiding the Sun, and they look perpetually bashful about having been seen while dancing their hearts out.

(In other stories they look perpetually scared because they can see ghosts.)

*Assam is in India, where Bengal slow loris are native, but the story is so cute I couldn't resist including it here. Bengal slow loris are classified as Vulnerable, but just like the Javan slow loris they are greatly threatened by the "traditional medicine" and exotic pet trade.

Sources: The story is referenced here and here, you can find other beliefs here.

How can I help?
Read about conservation efforts here, here, and here.
Also, don't buy or promote lorises as exotic pets.

What other animals do you suspect have secret embarrassing dance moves?

Bengal slow loris (pic from here)