Long ago, in the rolling highlands of Ethiopia, there lived a man of great wealth. His fortune was not measured in gold or jewels but in living treasure: vast herds of cattle. Their lowing filled the valleys, and their shadows stretched like dark rivers across the fields. Herdsmen guided them each day, and the man was respected throughout the land for his abundance.
But fortune can turn with the wind.
One day, as the herds grazed, a strange and powerful wind swept across the land. It was no ordinary breeze, it roared with a force that bent trees and carried dust high into the sky. When it passed, the cattle were gone. Every beast, every herdsman, vanished into the whirlwind’s embrace. No trace remained.
The man searched everywhere. He climbed hills, walked valleys, and called across rivers, but neither the herds nor the herdsmen returned. Day after day he searched until grief consumed him. Empty-handed and brokenhearted, he died, leaving behind his wife and their small child.
The Youth’s Resolve
The child grew into a young man. One evening, as he sat beside his mother, he asked about the herds he had never known. His mother’s voice carried both sorrow and wonder as she said:
“A marvelous wind came and carried them away.”
The youth’s heart stirred. He resolved to seek what had been lost. With only a simple staff in his hand and a bag slung across his shoulder, he set out on the long road.
In each village he passed, he sang of his quest. His song told of his father’s cattle, of the wind that had stolen them, and of his determination to bring them home. Villagers listened, but none had seen the herd. They pointed him farther along the path, urging him to keep searching.
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At last, he reached a village where a very old man listened carefully. With a slow nod, the elder recalled, “Long ago, yes… a mighty wind drove cattle across the land, rushing by like storm clouds. None have seen them since.”
This was enough for the youth. His journey carried him beyond the villages, deep into the untamed bush where shadows lay heavy and silence pressed like a weight.
Calling the Herd
In that wilderness, the youth climbed tall trees to search the horizon. From the treetops he lifted his voice in song, calling for the leader of his father’s herd.
He sang:
“Uule, unlike any other,
with twisted horns,
with pointed teats…”
His song drifted across the land, but only silence answered.
Undeterred, he traveled onward, climbing tree after tree, repeating his song with patience and hope. Days passed. Hunger gnawed at him, and weariness pressed on his shoulders, yet his voice did not falter.
Then one day, as he finished his song, he heard it, the deep, resonant lowing of cattle. The sound rose like thunder from the earth itself. Following the sound, he pushed through the bush until the sight opened before him.
There stood the herd.
But they were no longer the same in number. Where once his father had owned many, now the cattle were multiplied beyond measure. They filled the land as far as his eyes could see.
The Return
The youth lifted his voice again and sang. The herd stirred, listening. Then, as though enchanted, they began to follow him. He walked, singing, and the cattle followed, their hooves pounding the ground, their lowing echoing like drums of triumph.
He sang again, and more followed. From every corner, the herd gathered behind him. By the time he reached the edge of his town, the dust of their countless bodies rose in clouds so vast that the villagers thought an army was marching upon them.
The herd poured into the clearings, overflowing every space. Bushland had to be cut down to make room for their numbers. Never had the people seen such abundance.
The youth stood tall before his mother and declared, “I have brought my father’s cattle.”
Tears of joy filled her eyes as she embraced him. “Yes,” she said, her voice trembling with relief and wonder. “Those are the very ones.”
The Moral
This Ethiopian folktale teaches that patience and determination can reclaim even what seems lost forever. The youth’s unwavering resolve, guided by song and persistence, reminds us that hope can bring abundance where despair once lived.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who lost the cattle in the beginning of the Ethiopian folktale?
A wealthy man lost his vast herds when a marvelous wind carried them away.
Q2: What drove away the cattle and the herdsmen?
A mysterious and powerful wind swept them away, never to return.
Q3: Why did the youth set out on his journey?
He sought to recover his father’s lost cattle after learning of the wind that had carried them off.
Q4: How did the youth call for the herd?
He climbed trees and sang, naming the herd leader Uule in his song.
Q5: What was remarkable about the herd when he found it?
The cattle had multiplied beyond measure, filling the land in countless numbers.
Q6: What lesson does this Ethiopian folktale teach?
It highlights the power of persistence, hope, and determination in overcoming loss.
Source: Ethiopian folktale
