FolktalesAfrica.com

Browse Tag

Gabon folklore

An illustration of woman and river spirit during drought in Gabon.

The Woman Who Befriended the River

by Quwwatu-Llah Oyebode

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales

In a land shaped by thick forests and winding waters, there once lived a woman known throughout her village for her gentle heart. She was neither the richest nor the most powerful among her people, yet she carried something far more enduring, kindness that showed itself in small, consistent acts. Her home stood not far from a river that had,

The tortoise isolated from animals after deception, Gabon folktale scene.

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales

Why the Tortoise Walks Alone

In the dense forests of Gabon, where the Fang and Myene people lived close to the rhythms of the land, life was shaped not only by survival but by cooperation. The forest gave generously, but it required unity. No one lived entirely for themselves, for what one gathered or harvested

An illustration of moon retreating from sun and stars in Gabonese sky myth.

How the Moon Learned to Hide

Long before the world settled into its familiar rhythm of day and

An illustration of fisherman and leopard confrontation in Gabon coastal forest scene.

The Leopard and the Fisherman’s Oath

Along the coastal waters near what is now Libreville, where the Atlantic

An illustration of sacred truth drum revealing village secrets in Gabon.

The Drum That Remembered Everything

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales·Mpongwe Folktales

In a coastal Mpongwe village of Central Africa, where mangroves met the restless Atlantic winds and life moved in rhythm with tides and seasons, there stood a sacred object

An illustration of widow at mangrove forest listening to fading spirit voices in Gabon.

The Woman Who Heard the Mangrove Speak

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales·Mpongwe Folktales

Along the winding estuaries of the Ogooué River in Gabon, where fresh water from the land meets the restless tides of the sea, there once lived a widow known

An illustration of tortoise falling as wisdom scatters, Gabonese folktale scene.

The Tortoise Who Borrowed the Sky’s Wisdom

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales·Mpongwe Folktales

Long ago, when the world was still young and the boundaries between earth and sky felt closer than they do now, it was believed that all wisdom did not

An illustration of hunter and forest spirit in Gabonese sacred forest scene.

The Spirit of the Sacred Forest

Central African Folktales·Gabonese Folktales

In a village nestled at the edge of a vast and ancient forest in Gabon, there lived a young hunter whose name was spoken with a mixture of admiration

Go toTop