In the lush wetlands of Uganda, where crystal-clear ponds reflect the towering trees that have stood for centuries, and where the air hums with the ancient songs of countless creatures, there once lived two friends whose story would forever change the way they and their descendants would appear to the world.
Long, long ago, when the world was younger and the laws of nature more fluid than they are today, frogs possessed magnificent tails that they carried with pride. These weren’t mere stumps or tiny appendages, but full, elegant tails that curved gracefully behind them as they moved through their watery domains. The tails helped them navigate the currents with exceptional skill and gave them a dignity that commanded respect from all the pond creatures.
Meanwhile, the lizards of that ancient time had sleek, refined faces with narrow cheeks that spoke of aristocratic breeding. Their heads were perfectly proportioned, their necks slender and graceful, giving them an air of sophistication that matched their agile movements through the trees. They were considered among the most handsome of all the forest dwellers.
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It was in this world of different possibilities that a particular lizard made his home high in the branches of a magnificent cedar tree. This tree was a giant among giants, its trunk so wide that ten men holding hands could barely encircle it, its branches reaching so high they seemed to brush the very clouds. The lizard had chosen well his perch offered him commanding views of the entire forest, and the rough bark provided perfect grip for his nimble claws.
Not far from this towering cedar lay a serene pond, its waters so clear you could see straight to the bottom where smooth stones nestled like sleeping giants. In the center of this pond sat a small island, no bigger than a chief’s hut, covered with soft moss and tiny wildflowers that bloomed in rainbow colors. This island paradise was home to a frog who had grown quite content with his aquatic life, spending his days diving for water beetles and his evenings croaking melodious songs that echoed across the water.
Despite the natural barriers between their different worlds one arboreal, one aquatic the lizard and the frog had struck up an unlikely but genuine friendship. They would spend hours calling to each other across the distance, sharing stories of their respective domains, and finding common ground in their love of warm sunshine and their mutual disdain for the rainy season that made life uncomfortable for both tree-dwellers and pond-inhabitants.
One day, filled with the generous spirit that true friendship inspires, the lizard decided to host a grand feast. He had discovered a cache of the most delicious insects fat beetles, succulent caterpillars, and moths with wings that shimmered like jewels. His excitement was infectious as he called down to his amphibian friend, “Come up, dear friend! Join me for a celebration feast such as we have never shared before!”
The frog’s heart swelled with happiness at this invitation. Swimming swiftly to the shore, he hopped with eager anticipation to the base of the mighty cedar tree. But as he stood there, looking up at the seemingly impossible height he needed to climb, reality crashed down upon him like a cold wave. His webbed feet, perfectly designed for cutting through water and gripping slippery rocks beneath the pond’s surface, were utterly useless when it came to scaling the rough bark of a tree trunk.
Seeing his friend’s predicament, the lizard scampered down with characteristic agility, his mind already working on a solution. “Fear not!” he declared with the confidence of someone accustomed to solving problems through quick thinking. “I have rope woven from the strongest marsh grass. I’ll tie it securely to your beautiful tail and pull you up with me. You’ll be dining in the treetops before you know it!”
The plan seemed sound enough. The lizard tied the rope with what appeared to be careful knots around the frog’s proud tail, and began his ascent with practiced ease. But here was where disaster struck whether through thoughtlessness, excitement, or perhaps a cruel streak he had never revealed before, the lizard began to climb far too quickly and pull far too hard.
The frog, dangling helplessly below, felt the rope cutting into his tail as he was jerked upward with violent, jarring motions. The pain was excruciating, but worse was the terrible moment when he felt something give way entirely. With a sickening snap, his beautiful tail parted from his body, and he plummeted to the ground with a thud that knocked the breath from his lungs.
As the frog lay there, stunned and tailless, gasping for air and trying to process what had just happened to him, he could hear something that cut deeper than any physical wound laughter. High above in the cedar branches, the lizard was holding his sides, convulsed with mirth as he shared the story with other guests who had apparently arrived for the feast. Their collective laughter rang through the forest like cruel bells, each giggle and chuckle driving deeper into the frog’s wounded pride.
Humiliated beyond measure and burning with pain both physical and emotional, the frog dragged himself back to the pond. As he slipped into the familiar, soothing water, his mind began to work furiously. This betrayal could not go unanswered. This public humiliation demanded justice. The friendship was over, but the reckoning was just beginning.
For weeks, the frog nursed his wounds and his grudge in equal measure. He watched his reflection in the pond’s still surface, seeing how strange and unbalanced he looked without his tail, and with each viewing, his desire for revenge grew stronger. He began to plan, considering and discarding various schemes until he hit upon one that seemed perfect in its poetic justice.
When sufficient time had passed for the initial sting of the incident to fade somewhat, the frog extended his own invitation. Swimming close to shore, he called up to the lizard with a voice carefully modulated to sound friendly and forgiving. “My dear friend,” he said, “I’ve prepared a wonderful feast on my island. The water beetles this season are exceptionally fat and delicious. Won’t you join me?”
The lizard, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt over the previous incident, or perhaps simply assuming that his friend had gotten over what he might have viewed as a minor mishap, readily accepted the invitation. His mouth watered at the thought of those plump water beetles, and he scampered down from his tree with enthusiasm.
Standing at the water’s edge, however, the lizard was faced with the same type of impossible barrier that had once confronted his friend. The island sat tantalizingly in the middle of the pond, but the lizard’s climbing claws and dry-land agility were useless when it came to swimming across the expanse of water.
“No problem at all,” the frog said smoothly, his voice betraying nothing of the dark satisfaction brewing in his heart. “I have rope here as well. I’ll tie it around your neck, it’s the strongest part of a lizard, isn’t it? and tow you across while I swim. You’ll be feasting in no time.”
The lizard, trusting in their friendship and eager for the promised feast, allowed the rope to be secured around his neck. It felt snug but not uncomfortable, and he had every confidence in his friend’s swimming abilities. The frog, indeed, was an excellent swimmer, and they set off across the pond with what appeared to be perfect coordination.
But as they moved into deeper water, the frog began to implement his revenge. The water grew progressively colder as they moved away from the sun-warmed shallows, and the lizard, being a creature of warm blood and dry land, began to feel the chill seeping into his bones. Fear started to creep in as the water rose higher around his body, and instinctively, he began to pull backward, fighting against the direction of their travel.
“Come along now,” the frog called back, his voice carrying a note that might have been encouragement but sounded suspiciously like mockery. “Don’t be afraid of a little water!” And with that, he began to pull harder on the rope, jerking the lizard forward with increasingly violent tugs.
The lizard’s panic grew as the water reached his chest, then his neck. He was not built for this environment, and every fiber of his being screamed against the cold, wet embrace of the pond. He pulled back with all his strength, fighting desperately to return to the safety of dry land, while the frog pulled forward with equally determined force.
The struggle grew more and more intense, with the rope becoming a battleground between two opposing wills. The lizard’s neck muscles strained against the increasing pressure as the frog pulled with vindictive satisfaction, remembering his own humiliation and pain. The rope, made from marsh grass and never intended to withstand such violent stress, grew tighter and tighter around the lizard’s neck.
Finally, with a sharp crack, the rope snapped under the tremendous tension. The lizard, freed from the deadly tug-of-war, thrashed desperately toward shore, his lungs burning for air and his limbs nearly paralyzed by cold and exhaustion. He barely managed to drag himself onto dry land, where he collapsed in a gasping heap, more dead than alive.
But the ordeal had left permanent changes. The rope had been pulled so tight around his neck during the struggle that it had compressed all the tissue in that area. When the pressure was finally released, his cheeks and throat puffed out around his neck in permanent swelling, giving him a grotesque appearance that bore no resemblance to his former elegant profile.
As the lizard lay there, struggling to breathe and coming to terms with his altered appearance, he looked back across the water to see the frog sitting on his island, convulsed with the same type of cruel laughter that had once echoed from the cedar tree. The revenge was complete, and perfect in its symmetry.
From that day forward, the friendship between the two creatures was not merely ended but transformed into perpetual enmity. The frog, forever tailless, and the lizard, forever puff-cheeked, became living reminders of how betrayal breeds betrayal, and how the cycle of revenge can transform even the closest friends into bitter enemies.
And so it remains today throughout the land of Uganda and beyond. If you look at any frog, you will see it has no tail, and if you examine any lizard, you will notice its puffy, swollen cheeks around its neck. These physical characteristics serve as eternal testimony to a friendship that died in mutual betrayal, and a reminder that some wounds both physical and emotional never truly heal.
The Moral Lesson
This tale serves as a powerful warning about the destructive nature of revenge and betrayal in relationships. While the lizard’s initial thoughtlessness (or cruelty) in causing his friend’s injury was wrong, the frog’s calculated revenge only perpetuated the cycle of harm. The story teaches us that friendship requires genuine care for others’ wellbeing, and that responding to injury with injury ultimately destroys all parties involved. True friends resolve conflicts through forgiveness and understanding, not through seeking to inflict equal or greater harm in return.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What physical characteristics did frogs and lizards have before the events of this Ugandan folktale? A1: Before this story took place, frogs had beautiful, elegant tails that helped them navigate water, while lizards had sleek, narrow faces with thin cheeks that gave them an aristocratic appearance.
Q2: How did the frog lose his tail in this story? A2: The lizard tied a rope to the frog’s tail to pull him up into a cedar tree for a feast, but he pulled so hard and fast that the tail was torn completely off, causing the frog to fall to the ground.
Q3: What was the frog’s method of revenge against the lizard? A3: The frog invited the lizard to a feast on his island, tied a rope around the lizard’s neck to tow him across the pond, then pulled so hard during the lizard’s panic in cold water that the rope compressed his neck, leaving him with permanently puffed cheeks.
Q4: What does this story explain about the current appearance of frogs and lizards? A4: The tale explains why frogs today have no tails (torn off during the lizard’s careless attempt to help) and why lizards have puffy, swollen cheeks around their necks (from the rope being pulled too tight during the frog’s revenge).
Q5: What role does the setting play in this Ugandan folktale? A5: The contrasting environments the high cedar tree and the pond with its island represent the different natural habitats of the characters and create the physical barriers that lead to both characters’ misfortunes, emphasizing how their friendship bridged different worlds.
Q6: What does this folktale teach about the cycle of revenge and friendship? A6: The story demonstrates how one act of thoughtlessness or cruelty can destroy friendship and create a cycle of revenge, where each party seeks to harm the other in return. It warns that revenge often causes permanent damage to all involved and transforms friends into permanent enemies.
Source: Ugandan folktale, traditional oral literature of Uganda
