One day, the hare’s child fell gravely ill. Desperate to save him, the hare went to consult a diviner, a wise man trusted by the Mossi people to reveal hidden truths and remedies. The diviner listened carefully, then instructed the hare to climb the mountain and make a sacrifice. The offering, he explained, would call upon the spirits of the land to heal the child.
The hare obeyed. He gathered honey, fried dough, and kola nuts, foods considered precious gifts, and climbed to the mountain. There, under the open sky, he spoke to the mountain as if it were a living being. He laid the offerings at its feet with humility, asking for mercy. The mountain accepted, and soon after, his child was cured.
But the diviner had warned that the healing was not yet complete. To show true gratitude, the hare was required to sacrifice a hyena. The hare’s joy turned quickly to worry. A goat or a chicken he could manage, but how could a small hare capture a strong, cunning hyena?
Troubled, he returned to the diviner. Again, the wise man asked him to bring offerings, and again, the hare obeyed. This time, the sacrifice also required millet beer. The hare asked his wife to prepare some, and together they tended the fire under the great brewing pot late into the night.
It was during this long wait that the hyena appeared. Drawn by the smell of cooking and the sight of fire, she crept closer. Her voice broke the stillness:
“Mba-Soamba, why are you awake so late at night? And why such a big fire?”
The hare, quick to hide his true intentions, replied calmly:
“I must prepare for a sacrifice tomorrow. Do you see those chickens and that goat over there? All of them are for the offering.”
The hyena’s eyes gleamed. “If it’s all right, may I join you for the sacrifice?”
The hare nodded. “Of course. But we must leave as soon as the cock crows. Come back then, and we will go together.”
The hyena hurried home, but her impatience gnawed at her. She could not sleep. She found a stick, crept to the roosters, and forced them to crow before dawn. Racing to the hare, she declared, “The cock has crowed! It’s time to leave!”
But the hare only laughed softly. “Not yet, it isn’t daylight. Go home and return when the sun rises.”
Still restless, the hyena tried again. She lit a fire in a clay pot and hung it in a tree, then told the hare that the sun was rising. But the hare shook his head. “It is still too early. Wait for true daylight.”
Frustrated, the hyena set the bush ablaze to mimic the morning glow. Breathless, she rushed back: “Now it is surely day!”
The hare only smiled knowingly. “Patience. Come back a little later.”
At last, too restless to return home, the hyena waited behind the hare’s compound. Soon, the hare prepared everything: he filled a jug with millet beer, tied his goats with rope, and slung the chickens over his shoulder. Together, he and the hyena climbed the mountain.
When they arrived, the hare lifted his voice to the mountain:
“O Mountain, I begged you to cure my child, and you did. I promised to offer a goat, some chickens, millet beer, and one more thing. Today, I have brought everything. But help me now, Mountain, so that she will not resist what I am about to do.”
The hyena, unaware that she was the “one more thing,” sat calmly. The hare began by cutting the chickens’ throats. He turned to the hyena and asked:
“Isn’t it wasteful to let the blood spill on the ground?”
The hyena agreed.
The hare continued, “Now I will slaughter the goat. Since it has more blood than the chickens, why don’t you lie down and drink so it does not go to waste?”
Trusting him, the hyena stretched out and opened her mouth. The hare assured her, “Do not worry if you feel something warm. It is only the knife’s heat.”
He laid the goat beside her, but instead of cutting its throat, he swiftly slit hers. By the time the hyena realized the trick, it was too late. She struggled, but her strength failed, and she died.
Only then did the hare sacrifice the goat properly. The mountain was satisfied. His child was healed completely, and the hare returned home victorious.
Moral of the Story
This Mossi folktale teaches that gluttony and impatience cloud judgment and invite downfall. The hyena’s greed for food and her inability to restrain her desires made her vulnerable to the hare’s cleverness. In contrast, the hare’s patience, wit, and self-control ensured both the safety of his child and the success of his offering.
In life, those who cannot master their appetites or wait for the right time are often led to ruin, while those who think carefully and act with restraint find protection and victory.
Knowledge Check
Who became sick at the beginning of the story?
– The hare’s child fell gravely ill.
What did the diviner advise the hare to do?
– To make sacrifices to the mountain to cure his child.
Why did the hyena grow impatient during the night?
– She wanted to leave for the sacrifice quickly and could not wait for daylight.
How did the hare trick the hyena on the mountain?
– He convinced her to lie down to “drink the goat’s blood,” then cut her throat instead.
What lesson does the story highlight?
– The dangers of gluttony and impatience, and the value of self-control.
What is the cultural origin of this tale?
– It is a Mossi folktale from Burkina Faso.
Source: Mossi folktale, Burkina Faso.
