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Ethiopian folktales

"Painting of an Ethiopian woman gently reaching toward a resting lion in a lush mountain landscape, illustrating a scene from the folktale The Lion’s Whiskers."

The Lion’s Whiskers

by Aimiton Precious

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

In the highlands of ancient Ethiopia, where the coffee plants first learned to bloom and the morning mist clings to mountain peaks like ancestral spirits, there lived a woman whose heart carried both joy and sorrow. She had recently married a kind man from her village, a widower whose gentle nature had drawn her love like honey draws bees. But

Parchment-style illustration of Ethiopian Hasseeboo emerging from honey pit to meet giant snake, beginning their unlikely friendship.

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

The Physician’s Son & the King Snake

In the ancient lands of Ethiopia, there once lived a renowned physician whose wisdom was known throughout the region. When death claimed him, he left behind a young wife and an infant son. True to her husband’s dying wish, she named the boy Hasseeboo Kareem Ed Deen, hoping he would

Parchment-style illustration of Ethiopian woman under tree as greedy husband falls, revealing shameful trick.

The Greedy Husband

In the highlands of Ethiopia, where the terraced fields meet the horizon

Foolish dog drops meat into a river after mistaking his reflection for another dog in a Tigray Ethiopian folktale

The Greedy Dog Who Lost Everything

Long ago, in the highlands of Tigray where the earth is rocky

Parchment-style Ethiopian folktale illustration of Hirsi and Kabaalaf stealing butter and ram from the market.

The Two Ethiopian Thieves

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

In the rolling highlands of ancient Ethiopia, where red earth stretched beneath endless blue skies and small towns dotted the landscape like scattered jewels, there lived two men whose

Parchment-style Ethiopian folktale illustration of Abba Bukkush confronting royal guards with staff in palace courtyard.

Abba Bukkush: The Clever Court Jester

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

In the ancient highlands of Ethiopia, where the morning mist danced across golden fields and the royal palace stood proud against the azure sky, there lived a man whose

Little bird stands on the head of a blind elephant trapped in a ditch in a Tigray Ethiopian folktale

The Little Bird and the Elephant

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

Long ago, in the dry lands of Tigray where trees stretch toward the sun and rivers run low in summer, there lived a little bird who had just built

Mother Fox tricks the greedy Hyena into falling into a hidden pit covered with goatskin in a Tigray forest

How Mother Fox Outwitted the Hyena in Tigray

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

In the highlands of Tigray, Ethiopia, there lived a clever fox with her two young cubs. She named one Weynai, meaning not too bright, not too black, and the

Parchment-style illustration of Penda with her shining children on cloth mats, Ethiopian folktale scene.

Penda Who Could Not Be Shamed

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Ethiopian Folktales

Long ago, in the highlands of Ethiopia where the mountains rise like ancient guardians and the valleys breathe with green, there lived a woman who gave birth to a

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