Long ago, in a small town built by Tortoise (Kudu) and Leopard (Nja), peace and cooperation defined their early lives. Together, they cleared plantations, cultivated food, and raised families. For a while, their diets consisted only of vegetables, as their hunters brought back no meat. Yet their hunger for flesh grew heavier day by day, gnawing at their bellies and sharpening their desires.
One fateful day, while foraging deep in the forest, Tortoise made a discovery that would change their lives. Hidden among the trees stood the Mbodi, the Giant Goat, a mythical beast said to be a special gift from Njambe, the Creator. Strangely, this enormous animal stood tied, waiting as though it were both guardian and provider. The Goat spoke to Tortoise, revealing its divine origin and inviting him inside its body.
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“Friend of Njambe, open for me your house!” cried Tortoise.
The Goat parted an opening in its body, and Tortoise stepped within. Inside, he marvelled at the abundance of flesh. Carefully, he cut fat meat and tied it into two bundles. When he asked the Goat to open again, the creature obliged, and Tortoise stepped out, returning to his town with a secret gift.
At home, Tortoise commanded his wives to prepare leaves for momba, a dish of meat wrapped in plantain leaves and cooked over coals. As the rich soup boiled and the bundles roasted, a savory fragrance drifted across the village.
Leopard’s children, lured by the aroma, came to Tortoise’s household. Tortoise’s children mocked them, flaunting the feast. A young Leopard child begged a taste, and after one bite, hurried to tell his father. “Father, our friend has meat! Perhaps it is Ngweya, we do not know.”
Curious and envious, Leopard approached Tortoise. He asked, “Chum, what shall we do about this hunger? Let us make an arrangement for the town.”
That evening, Tortoise invited Leopard to dine. When Leopard tasted the meat, his eyes widened. “Man! What animal is this?” he demanded. But Tortoise would not reveal the truth. Suspicion grew in Leopard’s heart.
Before dawn, Tortoise returned secretly to the forest. Leopard, having placed ashes in Tortoise’s bag and pierced it with holes, followed the trail. Soon he found the Goat and repeated the sacred words, “Mbodi, Friend of Njambe, open your house!” The Goat obeyed, and Leopard discovered Tortoise inside, slicing meat. Though displeased, Tortoise could not turn him away.
From then on, the two visited the Goat together. Yet greed soon overtook Leopard. Tortoise warned him, “Chum, do not touch the heart!” For Leopards always craved the heart of their prey. Ignoring the plea, Leopard seized the Goat’s heart. At once, the Goat bellowed in agony and fell dead with a cry that echoed through the forest.
Nearby villagers rushed to the scene. “What has happened to the Mbodi? Hurry, young men!” They found the enormous body and resolved to butcher it on the spot. Inside, panic spread between Tortoise and Leopard. They sought hiding places. Tortoise begged for the stomach, but Leopard claimed it. Tortoise pleaded for the bowels, but again Leopard refused. At last, Tortoise hid in the bladder, while Leopard remained in the stomach.
When the villagers carved the Goat, they set aside the stomach and bladder. The bladder was thrown into bushes, where Tortoise crept out unharmed, pretending innocence. “Who splashed me with dirty water as I searched for fungi?” he exclaimed. The villagers, fooled, invited him to join the butchering. He cunningly suggested they pierce the enormous stomach with spears.
When they did, Leopard cried out in pain as spears pierced his body. Moments later, Leopard lay dead.
Tortoise claimed Leopard’s skin, hung it secretly in his inner room, and forbade his children from letting any of Leopard’s offspring inside.
Time passed. Leopard’s children, unaware of their father’s fate, hunted rats with Tortoise’s children. One day, breaking into Tortoise’s forbidden room, they discovered their father’s skin. Rage burned in their hearts. Yet they suppressed it, and later challenged Tortoise’s children to a game of rolling wheels by the beach.
The game turned into insults. Leopard’s children boasted of impunity: “We sleep with people’s sisters and still feast with them!” Tortoise’s children retaliated with the cruel truth: “We killed your father and hung his skin!”
Fury erupted. Leopard’s children attacked. Tortoise and his family fled, scattering across the river, hiding in holes, and never returning to their town.
Moral Lesson
This tale teaches that greed and betrayal bring destruction, while cunning may grant survival but not peace. Leopard’s greed for the heart destroyed the sacred gift, and Tortoise’s deceit left him hunted and exiled. True harmony requires honesty, restraint, and respect for what is sacred.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who gifted the Giant Goat to the world?
A1: Njambe, the Creator, gifted the Giant Goat.
Q2: How did Tortoise first discover the Goat?
A2: He found it tied in the forest and was invited inside its body.
Q3: Why did Leopard insist on taking the Goat’s heart?
A3: Because Leopards are never satisfied until they eat the heart of their prey.
Q4: How did Tortoise escape death inside the Goat?
A4: He hid in the bladder, which was thrown aside by villagers.
Q5: What revealed Leopard’s death to his children?
A5: They discovered his skin hanging in Tortoise’s inner room.
Q6: What is the main lesson of this folktale?
A6: Greed and betrayal lead to downfall, while deception cannot ensure lasting peace.
Source: Fang folktale, Equatorial Guinea.
