In the highlands of Eritrea, where the soil lies red beneath the plough and the thorny hedges rise to guard men’s labor, a tale is told of a man, a boar, and a fox. It is a story whispered by elders to remind the young that trust, when misplaced, can lead to destruction, and that deceit, when offered as counsel, often brings death instead of salvation.
There was once a man who owned a fertile field. He ploughed it carefully, furrowing the land until it was fine and ready for seed. To protect his labor from wild intruders, he built a strong hedge around it, for he feared the hunger of the great boar, whose strength and appetite were feared by all who tilled the land.
The boar came wandering one day, lured by the scent of fresh soil and the promise of roots and tender shoots within. But when he circled the field, he found no opening. The hedge was tight, without gap or weakness, and every path seemed closed.
Frustrated, the boar turned to a creature famed not for strength but for cunning, the fox. “Friend,” said the boar, lowering his voice, “advise me. Tell me where I might enter this field, for the hedge has barred me out, and my hunger grows unbearable.”
The fox narrowed his eyes, thinking not of the boar’s safety but of trickery. With sly assurance he said, “Wait until evening. The man who owns this field goes each day to take his meal. When he departs, he leaves the gate by which he exits unclosed. There is your chance, slip inside then, and you will find food enough to satisfy your belly.”
The boar, trusting the fox’s counsel, waited.
When evening came, the man finished his work in the field and made his way home to eat. As the fox had said, he left the gate ajar. Seeing the chance, the boar lumbered in, grunting with delight. The field lay open before him, and he rooted about, chewing greedily, trampling where he pleased.
But hunger makes one careless.
As night fell, the man returned. In the dim light he saw the hulking form of the boar inside his hard-kept field. Rage rose in him, for his work and his crops lay under threat. Without hesitation, he lifted his spear and struck. The iron bit deep, and the boar bellowed in pain. Staggering, bleeding, he fled the field, his strength failing with every step.
In agony he sought the fox. “You have deceived me!” the boar roared. “The advice you gave has brought my death. See what you have done, my life pours out from the wound.”
But the fox, true to his sly and careless nature, shrugged. “Why do you blame me?” he answered coolly. “It is not my fault. This is a debt left by your father for which you must pay. What is done is done.”
The boar collapsed, his body broken by misplaced trust. And from that day, people remembered the fox’s callous words: “Thy father has eaten for thee.” It became a proverb, spoken to those who suffer the burden of another’s fault, or who foolishly trust in deceitful counsel.
Moral Lesson
This Tigrean folktale from Eritrea reveals the dangers of misplaced trust and the emptiness of deceit. The boar, blinded by hunger, placed his fate in the words of a fox whose cunning cared nothing for truth. In following false advice, he invited his own ruin.
The tale warns us that wisdom is not found in every counsel, and not every friend who speaks offers guidance meant for our good. Trust must be given with care, and advice must be weighed with discernment. Just as the boar’s reliance on the fox led him to destruction, so too can human folly lead us astray when we fail to judge counsel wisely.
Knowledge Check
Who built the hedge and why?
The man built the hedge to protect his field from intruders like the boar.
Why did the boar seek the fox’s advice?
Because the hedge blocked his entry and the fox was known for cunning.
What advice did the fox give?
To enter the field in the evening through the open gate.
What happened to the boar when he followed the advice?
The man returned, struck him with a spear, and fatally wounded him.
What was the fox’s response when the boar accused him?
He blamed the boar’s fate on his father’s sins, dismissing all responsibility.
What proverb arose from this tale?
“Thy father has eaten for thee,” meaning one may suffer for another’s fault.
Source: Tigrean (Tigrinya) folktale, Eritrea.
