DinkaFolktales

Parchment-style illustration of owl threatening Adöl at nest entrance; Dinka folktale from South Sudan.

The Owl Who Pretended to Have Horns

African Folktales·Dinka Folktales·East African Folktales

Once upon a time, in a land where birds lived among the branches and built their homes in the safety of the trees, there existed a neighborhood where many different birds made their dwellings. Among these birds lived Agumut, the Owl, and Adöl, a brown bird of the ibis family known for her remarkable building skills. They were neighbors, sharing

Parchment-style illustration of Atoc tearing divine rope from sky; Dinka folktale of death’s origin, South Sudan.

African Folktales·Dinka Folktales·East African Folktales

Atoc and the Rope to Heaven

In the time before death walked among humanity, the world existed in a state of wonder that modern hearts can scarcely imagine. When illness crept into a person’s body, bringing fever or weakness, there was no cause for despair. No families gathered in grief, no final farewells were spoken. Instead,

Parchment-style illustration of two warriors arguing as Jok approaches; Dinka folktale from South Sudan.

The Advent of Death

In the time before death became permanent, in the days when the

The Owl Who Pretended to Have Horns

Atoc and the Rope to Heaven

The Advent of Death

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