Long ago in the land that is now Equatorial Guinea, there lived a mighty king named Ukanakadi. He had many wives, and among them one gave birth to a son, whom he named Lombolokindi. The boy grew with extraordinary strength and skill, and because of this, his mother gained special favor in the king’s household. But such favor did not sit well with the other wives. One, consumed by jealousy, secretly gave the child an evil medicine. From that moment, Lombolokindi became cursed with endless hunger. No matter how much he ate, his stomach never felt full.
King Ukanakadi grew furious. His son’s endless appetite consumed the kingdom’s food supplies, and the king, blind to the truth of the fetish medicine, cast mother and child out: “Go back to your father’s house. You have cursed us!”
At her father’s home, the same disaster struck, the boy ate all the food. She was sent again to her grandfather’s, but soon wore out her welcome. Heartbroken, she left with her son, carrying only two ears of corn. Wandering into the forest, she built a shelter, planted the corn, and raised a small garden. But flocks of birds soon descended, devouring their crops.
“Mother,” said Lombolokindi, now nearly a man, “why do you let the birds take everything?”
“What can I do?” she sighed.
The youth fitted a spearhead he owned onto a shaft and hurled it. The spear flew with magic, piercing every bird in turn, before vanishing into the forest. Calling it by name, “Tombeseki, return!”, the spear obeyed. From then on, Tombeseki became his greatest weapon.
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Yet greater trials came. Wild hogs and gazelles raided the garden. Lombolokindi cast Tombeseki, killing them all. Soon, elephants trampled the fields. Again, the spear slew every beast, clearing swathes of forest in its path. Gardens flourished in the new clearings.
But one massive ox, secretly a man transformed, entered their land. Lombolokindi struck it, but it fled into the forest with Tombeseki lodged in its side. He followed it and came upon an old woman in a lonely hut. She told him the truth: the ox was dead, and its people had taken the spear. Hungry and weary, he ate at her hut with such gluttony that she suspected sorcery. While he slept, she cut him open with magic, removing a crystal-like tumor, the source of his endless hunger. At last cured, he could eat like any other man.
Following her advice, he traveled to the ox’s village, pretending to mourn: “Who killed my uncle-o-o?” The villagers, believing him kin, welcomed him. He was shown the spear and allowed to carry it away.
But trials did not end. A great elephant, larger than all others, attacked their gardens. Lombolokindi wounded it, and it fled toward the sea. Pursuing, he found the beast dead upon the shore. Climbing its carcass, he saw, for the first time, the endless ocean and a foreign ship on the horizon.
The sailors, drawn by the sight, came ashore. They did not seek him, but the tusks of ivory. “There are countless tusks in the forest,” he told them. They begged him to bring more, promising rich goods in exchange. So began the trade.
He and his mother carried tusks until the ship was filled. In return, the sailors left carpenters to build him a great house. Lombolokindi reunited with his father’s people, and even married among them.
Yet jealousy resurfaced. The same woman who had cursed him as a child saw his spear, Tombeseki, and hurled it into the sea. But Lombolokindi’s call brought it back, obedient as ever. Knowing her treachery, he declared judgment. Showing the crystal tumor she had caused him to carry since birth, he slew all who had stood with her, sparing only his wife, mother, and sister.
Leaving behind the cursed land, he sailed with the foreigners to Manga-Manene across the great sea. There, he never returned, but he told of the abundance of elephants and ivory in Africa. Thus, through his story, the ivory trade began.
Moral Lesson
This tale reminds us that jealousy breeds destruction, but resilience and wisdom can transform hardship into destiny. Lombolokindi’s cursed hunger nearly destroyed his family, yet his perseverance, the aid of wise counsel, and his magical spear turned suffering into survival. At its heart, the story cautions us about envy while explaining the deep, often tragic origins of trade that shaped history.
Knowledge Check
Who was Lombolokindi’s father in the story?
King Ukanakadi, ruler of the land.
What caused Lombolokindi’s endless hunger?
An evil fetish medicine given by a jealous wife.
What was the name of Lombolokindi’s magic spear?
Tombeseki, a spear that obeyed his call.
How did Lombolokindi’s hunger finally end?
An old woman removed a magical tumor from his body.
What role did the elephant on the seashore play in the story?
Its tusks drew the attention of foreign traders, sparking the ivory trade.
What cultural origin does this folktale belong to?
It is a traditional folktale from Equatorial Guinea.
Source: Equatorial Guinean folktale.
