Aluel ran until she reached a great river where the Sun was crossing. The water, heated by his fire, nearly burned her. The Sun stretched out his arm and pulled her across.
“Where have you come from?” asked the Sun.
“My stepmother sent me,” Aluel answered sadly.
“And your mother?”
“She died the day I was born.”
The Sun pitied her and took her home. There he lived with two wives who had no children. When they saw Aluel, they rejoiced. Each cried, “She will be mine!” But the Sun said, “She belongs to both of you. Treat her well.”
The wives obeyed. They bathed her, anointed her with oils, and adorned her with ornaments. Though they tested her with questions—“Which of us do you love more?”, Aluel always answered wisely, “You are both my mothers.”
READ: Aluel and Her Loving Father: Orphaned and Raised Alone READ: Aluel and Her Loving Father: Return and RuinMeanwhile, Chol returned to find his daughter gone. His wife lied: “She ran after a man and never returned.” Chol was undone. He raged, wailed, and became half-mad with grief. He was chained in the cattle-byre, refusing food, surviving only on water.
READ COMPLETE FOLKTALE: Aluel and the Sun: A Dinka Folktale of Love, Loss, and Betrayal
Each day the Sun passed above, seeing his misery. At last he said, “I must return his daughter, or grief will kill him.” One night he called from above the byre, “Man inside! Your daughter lives. She is with me. In three days I will return her. Prepare a place for her.”
Chol fainted at the words. The next morning, he ate for the first time in years, drank milk, and cut poles for an enclosure. The people wondered what he was doing.
On the third night, the Sun kept his word. He brought Aluel back, shining with beauty, dressed in ivory, and placed her inside the new enclosure. “Here is your daughter,” he told Chol. “Guard her well, for men will desire her.”
Moral of the Story (Part Two)
Even in times of great sorrow, compassion may come from unexpected places, yet joy can be fragile when envy and desire surround it.
Knowledge Check (Part Two)
Q1: Who rescued Aluel when she reached the river?
A1: The Sun pulled her across and took her in.
Q2: How did the Sun’s wives treat Aluel?
A2: They cared for her like a daughter, adorning her and feeding her.
Q3: What did Aluel always answer when asked which wife she loved more?
A3: She said, “You are both my mothers.”
Q4: How did Chol react when he found Aluel missing?
A4: He went mad with grief, refused food, and was chained in the cattle-byre.
Q5: What promise did the Sun make to Chol?
A5: To return Aluel in three days.
Q6: How did Chol prepare for his daughter’s return?
A6: He built a special enclosure in the cattle-byre.
