Deng of the lioness hurried along the path in search of his brother. But Deng of the human mother, ashamed of his weakness, feared to be seen. He thought, If my brother finds me like this, he may do something reckless. So when he spotted him approaching from afar, he slipped into the bush and hid. Deng of the lioness passed by without noticing.
Once the path was clear, the wounded Deng limped back toward their home. He reached the cattle-byre before dawn, laid himself down on a mat, and covered himself with another. When his brother returned later from the search, the lioness acted as though nothing had happened, going back to her hut to sleep.
But word of the night’s events reached Deng of the lioness from Achol herself. She explained how Deng had arrived at her village bleeding, how she had tended to him, and how he had limped away before daybreak. Alarmed, Deng ran home at once.
There he found his brother lying under a mat. When he uncovered him, the wound was revealed, deep, raw, and dangerous. His heart blazed with fury. He stormed into his mother’s hut.
READ: Deng and the Lioness Stepmother: A Dinka Folktale of Betrayal and Survival
“No one but you has done this,” he accused. “Wherever you have hidden that gland, bring it back at once. Put it back as if nothing had happened, or you will die.”
The lioness tried to deny it. “My son, I did not do this.”
But Deng would not listen. He raised his spear. “Restore him or I kill you here.”
“Stop!” she cried. “Do not kill me. I will help him. But do not think I did it—I am only helping.”
So the lioness worked over Deng’s body. She removed the cotton, replaced the missing gland, and sealed the wound so skillfully that it appeared as though nothing had ever happened.
For a short while, peace returned. Yet Deng of the lioness could no longer trust her. One evening, he told his brother, “We are orphans now. Your mother died when you were a baby. Our father is gone. And my mother has turned into a beast. I cannot allow her to live with us. She may kill you one day, and I will not be left alone without a brother.”
Deng of the human mother resisted. “No—you must not kill her.”
But Deng of the lioness argued relentlessly. Finally, his brother yielded. That night, as the lioness entered her hut, her son piled dry grass around it and set it ablaze. To cleanse the sin of killing one’s mother, he threw a black ram into the fire as a sacrifice. The lioness perished in the flames.
For two months, the brothers lived quietly. But far away, news reached the lioness’s kin. Her brother, a mighty lion named Miyar, heard of her death. He swore vengeance and set out to find the killers.
READ: The Tale of Deng and Deng – An Ancient Story of Brotherhood and Betrayal
He traveled long and far until he reached their land. He did not know the village, nor the brothers, but fate guided him to the pool where Deng of the lioness was fishing.
“Young man,” the lion asked, “may I put a question to you?”
“Yes,” Deng replied.
“Where can I find the sons of Chol?”
Deng answered boldly, “There they are.”
As the lion stooped to lift his spears, Deng thrust his fishing spear into him, striking fatally. As his uncle lay dying, Deng said, “My name is Deng. I am the son of your sister. You came to avenge her death. Now see—the cost is yours.”
The lion gasped, “I see. Kill me quickly. But my son Miyar will avenge me!”
Deng finished him, burned the body, and again threw a black ram into the fire to remove the curse of murder.
In time, the two brothers married their sweethearts, the two Achols, and settled in peace. Yet Deng of the lioness remained uneasy. One month later, he told his brother, “The lions will not forget. My cousin Miyar, the son of the uncle I slew, will surely come. Let us strike first before he strikes us.”
Their wives wept at the thought of their departure. “You cannot face the land of lions alone—it is death!” But the brothers refused to be swayed.
The women gave them rings, saying, “If these rings rust, you are dead. If they shine, you still live. When you return, sing the song you have taught us. We shall know your voices in the night.”
So the brothers departed, singing their song as they traveled through the wilderness:
“Land of the wilds, land of the wilds,
A beast of a stepmother played jealousy on me.
Wife of my father, why did you do that to me,
When I had no jealousy in my heart?
What misfortune befalls the child of a stepmother!”
Then Deng of the lioness added his verse:
“In a land I have never treaded,
I killed a big bull, my mother’s brother.
And the great fighter steamed with burning fat,
Like the hut of my mother.”
At last, they reached the camp of Miyar, chief among lions. Their song echoed through the land until Miyar himself recognized it. He stepped out and challenged them.
“Is it you, Deng?”
“Yes,” the brothers answered.
Miyar proposed a contest. “Let us wrestle. The one who throws the other may kill him.”
So they grappled fiercely. The earth shook with their struggle. At last, Deng of the lioness hurled Miyar down. His human brother handed him a small axe, and with one stroke, he split Miyar’s head.
The lion camp broke into panic. Horned cattle remained, but the hornless cattle transformed into lions and lionesses and fled. Even the gourds of milk and butter ran into the forest. The brothers seized the horned herd, and with it they rescued two emaciated human children, captives of the lions, who had been drained of blood daily.
They journeyed slowly home, driving the cattle and guiding the children. Near midnight, they reached their village. As they approached, they sang their song once more.
At first, there was no reply. But at last, Achol woke and roused her friend. “Listen! Our husbands are singing!”
The women rushed out with tears of joy. They welcomed the brothers with milk and hot baths, and cared for the rescued children.
The brothers prospered. They raised the boy until he was returned to his family, and they adopted the girl as their sister until she was married. Their herds multiplied, and their names were remembered in song for generations. CLICK TO READ PART ONE IMMEDIATELY
Moral Lessons
The second part of the tale is a lesson in justice, sacrifice, and survival. Deng of the lioness showed great courage in confronting his own mother, proving that loyalty to a brother can be stronger than ties of birth. His sacrifice of black rams after each killing teaches that in many traditions, guilt and curses must be cleansed, even when bloodshed is unavoidable. Yet the story also warns of the endless chain of vengeance, for the death of the lioness brought her brother and nephew against the two young men, showing how violence can echo across generations. Still, the brothers triumphed because they stood together, relying on unity rather than strength alone. Finally, the wisdom of their wives, who gave them rings and songs to guide them, reveals how foresight and faith can preserve hope even in the darkest of journeys.
Knowledge Check
Q1: How did Deng of the lioness force his mother to heal his brother’s wound?
A1: He threatened to kill her with a spear unless she restored the missing gland, which she finally did.
Q2: What ritual did Deng perform after killing his mother?
A2: He burned her hut and sacrificed a black ram to remove the curse of murder.
Q3: Who was Miyar, and why did he come to the village?
A3: Miyar was the lioness’s brother. He came seeking vengeance after learning of his sister’s death.
Q4: How did Deng of the lioness defeat his uncle Miyar?
A4: He speared him fatally by the pool, burned his body, and sacrificed another black ram to purify the act.
Q5: What challenge did the brothers face in the land of the lions?
A5: They confronted Miyar’s son, also named Miyar, who wrestled with Deng until the brothers killed him with an axe.
Q6: What was the outcome of the brothers’ victory over the lions?
A6: They captured horned cattle, rescued two human children, returned home wealthy, and restored hope to their families.
