In a quiet village by the banks of a wide river, there lived a fisherman whose life depended on the strength of his nets and the rhythm of the water. Each morning before the sun rose fully into the sky, he would set out with patience and hope, casting his nets into the current with the skill of one who had long lived by its gifts. The river was his friend, his field, and his fortune. Some days it gave plenty, filling his basket with shimmering fish; other days it gave little, testing his resolve and hunger.
One morning, after hours of waiting, he pulled up his nets to find them empty. The water had yielded nothing, and his belly cried out for food. His steps were heavy as he made his way home, his thoughts clouded with worry for the day ahead. On the dusty path leading back to the village, he was stopped by a sly and hungry creature, a hyena.
The hyena, with eyes glinting and ribs showing through its mangy coat, greeted him with a cunning voice. “Fisherman,” it said smoothly, “give me fish, and I will give you meat in return. You will not go hungry, and I will share from my bounty.”
The fisherman, weary and empty-handed, thought for a moment. The promise of meat seemed a gift, something to ease his hunger and make the day bearable. Trusting the creature’s words, he agreed to the bargain.
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True to its word, the hyena returned later with meat. But when the fisherman laid his eyes upon it, his heart sank. The meat was foul, reeking with the stench of decay, crawling with worms and rot. The fisherman recoiled, his disappointment heavy. “This is no gift,” he said bitterly, tossing the carrion aside. “This is trickery. You have brought me nothing but lies dressed as food.”
The hyena only laughed, its laughter hollow like dry bones clattering together. Without shame, it turned away, leaving the fisherman with nothing but the sour taste of betrayal.
The next morning, the fisherman once again took his nets and went to the river. He cast them carefully, watching the ripples spread over the water’s surface. This time, the hyena slinked behind him, its greed not yet satisfied. It crouched near the riverbank, watching as fish glistened in the mesh of the nets.
When the fisherman pulled the net close, heavy with fish, the hyena could no longer restrain itself. With a leap and a snarl, it tried to snatch the fish straight from the net. But its clumsy paws and ravenous hunger betrayed it. The hyena slipped, lost its balance, and plunged into the cold water with a splash.
The river, deep and strong, closed over its head. The hyena thrashed, but the more it fought, the more it sank. The fisherman stood on the bank, his face calm, his eyes steady. He did not move to help, nor did he pity the beast. Instead, he turned away, letting the river decide its fate.
As he walked back toward the village, carrying his basket of fish, he spoke aloud the words that the elders would later repeat: “He who cheats others drowns in his own lies.”
From that day on, the story spread through the land. Parents told it to their children, elders spoke it to the young, and the people remembered: dishonesty brings no reward, and deceit leads only to ruin.
Moral Lesson
This Sudanese folktale teaches that deceit and greed always come back to harm the deceiver. The hyena’s cunning trick, offering rotten meat in exchange for fresh fish, brought it no gain, only shame and destruction. Lies may provide a momentary advantage, but truth and honesty endure.
The fisherman, though hungry, kept his dignity and saw through false promises. The hyena, blinded by greed and treachery, fell victim to its own actions. The tale reminds us that those who exploit others ultimately destroy themselves.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who are the main characters in “The Hyena and the Fisherman”?
A1: The main characters are a fisherman and a deceitful hyena.
Q2: What did the hyena promise the fisherman in exchange for fish?
A2: The hyena promised to give the fisherman meat in return for fish.
Q3: Why did the fisherman reject the hyena’s gift?
A3: The meat was rotten, full of worms, and unfit to eat.
Q4: How did the hyena meet its downfall?
A4: It tried to steal fish directly from the net, slipped, and drowned in the river.
Q5: What proverb summarizes the lesson of this story?
A5: “He who cheats others drowns in his own lies.”
Q6: What is the cultural origin of this folktale?
A6: It is a Sudanese folktale, collected among the Shilluk people by Frobenius in 1923.
Source: Sudanese folktale, collected among the Shilluk people by Frobenius, 1923.
