In the days before Nambi descended from the Cloud Land to bring companionship to earth, Kintu walked alone through the vast wilderness of Uganda with only his beloved cow for company. The world felt impossibly large around this solitary figure, and every sunrise brought another day of profound silence broken only by the lowing of his faithful friend and the whisper of wind through endless grasslands.
One afternoon, the sky darkened with the promise of storms. Thunder rolled across the heavens like the drums of angry gods, and soon the rain came not the gentle showers that blessed the earth, but torrential sheets of water that turned the red soil to rivers of mud. Lightning split the sky with brilliant white fire, and the wind howled through the trees with a voice that seemed to carry all the loneliness in the world.
When the storm finally passed, leaving the air clean and sweet with the scent of wet earth, Kintu ventured out to survey the aftermath. It was then that he heard it the faintest buzzing, weak and desperate, coming from near his feet. Looking down, he discovered a small bumblebee lying helpless on his back in a puddle of rainwater. The poor creature’s wings were too waterlogged to lift his round, fuzzy body, and the cold droplets that continued to fall from overhead branches threatened to end his tiny life.
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Without hesitation, Kintu knelt and gently scooped the struggling bee into his warm palms. He could feel the creature’s minute heartbeat against his skin as he breathed softly upon the bedraggled insect, sharing his warmth until the bee’s wings began to flutter weakly. As life returned to the small body, something miraculous happened the bee spoke.
“Kind Kintu,” the bumblebee said in a voice like the whisper of grass in the wind, “you have saved my life when you could have walked past without notice. For this great kindness, I pledge myself as your friend forever. When trouble finds you and it surely will I will be there to help you.”
Kintu marveled at this wonder but accepted the bee’s friendship with the same gentle grace he showed all living things. Little did he know how soon he would need that promised help.
One morning, Kintu awoke to a silence that felt wrong in his bones. He called for his cow, but no answering lowing reached his ears. Racing from his shelter, he searched frantically across the familiar grazing grounds, but his beloved companion had vanished as completely as if the earth had swallowed her whole. Panic seized his heart without his cow, he would face a loneliness more complete than ever before.
It was then that the bumblebee appeared, hovering before Kintu’s face with urgent purpose. “Do not despair, my friend,” the tiny creature buzzed. “Your cow lives, but she has been stolen by the herdsmen of a powerful wizard who dwells in the Mountains of the Moon. The journey is perilous and the wizard cunning beyond measure, but together we can retrieve what was taken from you.”
The Mountains of the Moon! Kintu had heard whispers of these legendary peaks where snow crowned the summits even under the blazing equatorial sun, where magic flowed like water and ordinary men feared to tread. Yet love for his cow and trust in his small friend gave him courage.
They set out at dawn, the bee flying ahead like a tiny scout while Kintu followed with his walking stick. Their path led through dense forests where ancient trees created cathedrals of green shadow, across swift rivers that sang over stones worn smooth by countless seasons, and through grasslands so tall that Kintu felt like a child walking through a world of giants.
Day after day they traveled, climbing ever higher until the air grew thin and the distant peaks began to loom before them like sleeping giants wrapped in clouds. When they finally reached the wizard’s domain, Kintu gasped at the sight that greeted him. This was a land of impossible abundance vast herds of cattle dotted the mountainside like brown and white flowers, flocks of sheep and goats grazed on slopes so green they hurt the eyes, and terraced gardens created a patchwork of cultivation that spoke of ancient mastery over the land.
The wizard himself was a figure of intimidating power, with eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of centuries and robes that shimmered with threads of starlight. When he learned of Kintu’s arrival, he summoned the lonely traveler with curiosity dancing in his ancient gaze.
“So,” the wizard mused, his voice like distant thunder, “you are the mysterious Kintu who lives alone in Uganda. How did you discover the theft of your cow, and how did you find your way across such vast distances to my domain? These are marvels that suggest you possess powers beyond those of ordinary men. Very well if you would reclaim your cow, you must prove your worth through tests that would challenge the wisest of sages.”
The first test came with the setting sun. Ten thousand of the wizard’s people appeared at Kintu’s door, each bearing a basket overflowing with delicious food. The feast they presented could have fed an entire village for days, yet the wizard expected Kintu to consume it all.
“Thank them graciously,” whispered the bee, “and tell them to return for their baskets when you have finished.”
As soon as the crowd departed, buzzing with speculation about this strange visitor, the bumblebee began to work his own magic. From every corner of the mountainside came the ant armies millions upon millions of the tiny creatures. Red forest ants with insatiable appetites, white ants who built earthen castles on the hillsides, large black ants who raced about in eternal confusion, and small black ants who moved like silent shadows. Together, they devoured the enormous feast until only one basket remained for Kintu’s actual dinner.
When the people returned to find empty baskets, their amazement echoed through the mountains. “Truly, this man commands powers beyond our understanding!”
The second trial arrived with the morning light. The wizard’s servants presented Kintu with a brass axe and issued an impossible command: “Our master desires rock-wood for his fire. Go to the mountainside and cut firewood from the stones themselves.”
Again, the bee proved his worth, leading Kintu to a place where lightning had shattered a great boulder into perfect splinters. Kintu gathered these fragments, bound them with mountain grass, and returned with his “firewood,” leaving the wizard’s people to shake their heads in wonder at this new impossibility.
The third test seemed the most challenging of all. “Our chief drinks no ordinary water,” they told him, presenting an ornate pot. “He refreshes himself only with pure dew. Fill this vessel in the forest above.”
The journey to the bamboo groves required climbing seven towering peaks, each one bringing them closer to the realm where earth touched sky. In the misty heights where the bamboo grew in cathedral groves, the bee spoke to the swaying stalks in the secret language of growing things. “This is Kintu,” he told them, “help him in his need.”
The bamboos whispered among themselves “This is Kintu, this is Kintu” and began to sway in perfect unison. As they moved, dewdrops scattered from their leaves like liquid diamonds, collecting in a natural basin that the bee had discovered in the rock. Soon Kintu’s vessel overflowed with the purest dew that had ever kissed the mountain heights.
When he returned with his impossible prize, even the wizard’s composure cracked into delighted laughter. “Magnificent!” the ancient sorcerer declared. “I will test you no more. If you can identify your cow among my vast herds, she is yours to take home.”
The final challenge seemed overwhelming. Thousands upon thousands of cattle stretched across the mountainside like a brown and white sea, their long horns creating a forest of bone that stretched beyond the horizon. How could one man find a single animal among such multitudes?
But the faithful bee knew his friend’s cow as well as Kintu did. Flying ahead through the maze of horns and hides, the tiny creature alighted upon one particular horn, marking the beloved animal that had shared Kintu’s lonely years.
“There!” Kintu cried, his heart singing with joy. “There is my dear friend!” He led the cow from the herd while the wizard’s people marveled at this final demonstration of the mysterious stranger’s powers.
As Kintu prepared to depart with his recovered companion, the wizard approached with genuine respect gleaming in his ancient eyes. “You are indeed a remarkable man, Kintu of Uganda. May your journey home be swift and your friendship with your small guide prove as enduring as the mountains themselves.”
The journey home passed like a dream of contentment. Kintu’s cow seemed to share his joy at their reunion, and the bumblebee buzzed with satisfaction at having kept his promise. When they finally reached the familiar grasslands of home, all three friends settled into their peaceful routine, enriched by the adventure they had shared.
To this day, travelers who venture into the bamboo forests of the Mountains of the Moon report a strange and wonderful phenomenon. As they walk among the towering stalks, the bamboos lean down to whisper among themselves: “This is Kintu, this is Kintu, this is Kintu!” For they remember the first man they ever saw, and in their ancient memories, he has become eternal a symbol of the power that flows from kindness given freely to even the smallest of creatures.
The Moral Lesson
This enchanting tale teaches us that acts of kindness, no matter how small, create bonds that can overcome the greatest challenges. Kintu’s compassion toward a helpless bumblebee returned to him magnified a thousandfold when he needed help most. The story reminds us that friendship knows no boundaries of size or species, and that true magic lies not in power over others, but in the willingness to help those in need.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What was the relationship between Kintu and the bumblebee in this Ugandan folktale? A1: The bumblebee became Kintu’s loyal friend and helper after Kintu saved the bee’s life during a rainstorm. In gratitude, the bee promised to help Kintu whenever he faced trouble, which proved essential during his quest to recover his stolen cow.
Q2: Where did the wizard who stole Kintu’s cow live in this story? A2: The wizard lived in the legendary Mountains of the Moon, described as snow-capped peaks where magic was common and the land was filled with vast herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and goats, and terraced gardens.
Q3: What were the three impossible tests the wizard gave to Kintu? A3: First, Kintu had to eat food brought by 10,000 people; second, he had to cut firewood from rocks using a brass axe; and third, he had to collect dew (not water) in a pot from the mountain forest.
Q4: How did the bumblebee help Kintu complete the seemingly impossible tasks? A4: The bee called millions of ants to eat the enormous feast, led Kintu to lightning-struck rocks that had splintered into wood-like pieces, spoke to the bamboos to help collect dew, and finally identified Kintu’s cow among thousands by landing on its horn.
Q5: What magical phenomenon still occurs in the Mountains of the Moon according to this tale? A5: The bamboo trees in the mountain forests still whisper “This is Kintu, this is Kintu” to travelers, because they remember the first man they ever saw and believe he has returned whenever someone walks among them.
Q6: What does this story teach about the relationship between kindness and friendship? A6: The tale demonstrates that small acts of compassion can create powerful friendships that transcend size and species. Kintu’s kindness to a tiny bee in distress returned to him as life-saving help during his greatest challenge, showing that genuine friendship multiplies our strength.
Source: Ugandan folktale, traditional oral literature of the Baganda people, Uganda
