In the sun-baked plains of Burkina Faso, where the grass bends beneath the harmattan winds and villages gather around the drum’s call, there once lived a rooster and an elephant who found themselves drawn to the same woman. Their rivalry grew fierce, for neither wished to concede the prize of her affection. The day came when the two suitors would meet, and each prepared his boast and his strength for the challenge ahead.
When the rooster arrived first at the home of his future bride, he puffed his chest and cried aloud:
“If ever I meet the one who dares to court the same woman as I, I will show him who is master!”
In a dramatic gesture, he tore off his tail feathers and thrust them into a garbage heap, as though to mark the place with his defiance.
Soon after, the elephant arrived, steady and towering, his shadow covering the ground. He asked the people, “Where is my rival?”
They told him, “He has just left, but he placed his feathers there.”
The elephant looked at the heap, laughed deeply, and pressed his left hoof into the earth. The ground sank beneath his weight, and a pond formed in the hollow. He declared proudly:
“The day I meet this rooster, I will show him what true courage is!”
A duel was agreed upon: in twelve days’ time, they would meet and settle who was the stronger, and who would win the woman’s hand.
The Gathering of Allies
The rooster rallied his supporters, small but fierce: the bee and the wasp. The elephant, with his vast stature, gathered all the four-legged beasts, even the toads. Each side prepared with care.
No-Raogo, the rooster, carried two tins: one filled with curdled milk, the other with a red liquid squeezed from crushed shea nuts. He hid these, plotting how they might serve him.
When the day arrived, the calao bird acted as the rooster’s war chief. The elephant, punctual and sure, reached the battleground first. To scout the enemy’s approach, he sent a monkey climbing into the branches of a tall cedrat tree.
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The rooster, spotting this, commanded a bird to strike the monkey with the tin of milk. The can broke, spilling its contents over the monkey’s head and chest. From afar, the crowd cried in horror, believing his skull had split and his brains poured out. But the monkey merely wiped himself clean, embarrassed though unharmed.
Then the second bird swooped with the tin of red liquid and struck again. This time, the watchers were certain blood had been spilled.
The Song of Battle
As tension thickened, the calao bird lifted its head and sang:
“Zom bugnum, na zibd bugnum!
Climb onto the fire! Stamp out the fire!
Climb onto the fire! Stamp out the fire!”
The rooster echoed the chant, beating his wings:
“Kul wanyrmgne bem!
The deer are conquered!”
His followers swayed to the rhythm, moving forward with confidence.
The bees then buzzed at the rooster’s side and said:
“Leave the enemy to us. We will sting them until they know our power. If we fail, the other winged insects will follow.”
And so they swarmed. They stung the elephant on his trunk, in his ears, between his toes, every tender place. The elephant bellowed, shaking the earth, but the stings were too many. His great body could not withstand the burning pain.
At last, he turned to flee. All the four-legged animals ran with him in terror.
The Triumph of the Small
The rooster’s allies pursued, singing triumphantly:
“Zom bugnum, na zibd bugnum!
Zom bugnum, na zibd bugnum!
Zom bugnum, na zibd bugnum!”
In their stampede to escape, the four-legged animals trampled the toads. The chickens, followers of the rooster, swallowed them whole in the chaos.
And so, against all expectation, the flying insects secured the woman’s hand for the rooster. Strength had yielded to cunning; the mightiest beast had fallen before the smallest wings.
Moral Lesson
This Mossi folktale teaches that true courage is not always found in size or strength but in wit, unity, and persistence. The elephant, confident in his bulk, trusted only in force. The rooster, humble yet clever, relied on strategy, allies, and timing. In life, those who depend solely on power may falter, while those who think, plan, and unite with others often prevail.
The tale reminds us that even the smallest voices and weakest bodies, when bound together with wisdom and cooperation, can topple giants.
Knowledge Check
Q1. Who were the two rivals in the story, and what did they seek?
A1. The rooster and the elephant, both competing for the same woman’s hand.
Q2. What symbolic act did the rooster perform before leaving?
A2. He tore out his tail feathers and placed them in a garbage heap as a sign of defiance.
Q3. How did the elephant demonstrate his strength?
A3. He stomped the ground, creating a pond with his hoof.
Q4. What trick did the rooster use with the tins?
A4. He spilled curdled milk and red shea liquid to make it seem the monkey was injured.
Q5. Which allies secured victory for the rooster?
A5. Bees and other flying insects, whose stings drove the elephant away.
Q6. What key lesson does the folktale teach?
A6. That courage and wisdom can overcome brute strength, and unity empowers the small.
Source: Mossi folktale, Burkina Faso.
