In a quiet Zambian village, deep within the forest, lived the wife of a hunter who possessed a rare and gifted hand. With clay, tree gum, and beeswax, she shaped lifelike dolls that delighted the children of her village. Each rainy season, her husband gathered honeycombs, storing honey in earthen pots, while she carefully collected the wax to craft her figures. Over time, she gathered so much wax that she moulded two life-sized maidens, striking in their beauty and grace.
The hunter’s wife became captivated by her creations. Every day, she gazed at them and whispered prayers to her ancestral spirits, longing for the maidens to come alive. One evening, her prayers were answered. The ancestral spirits granted her wish, and the wax-maidens came to life, speaking and singing like real daughters. The entire village rejoiced, and for the hunter and his wife, life became brighter with these new companions in their home.
As the seasons passed, the villagers accepted the maidens as part of the community. One day, a young farmer from a neighbouring village saw the maidens resting beneath a tree. Their pale, wax-like beauty enchanted him. Though already married, he could not rid his mind of them. He wondered whether they were spirits meant to haunt men or women who could be wed. His heart burned with longing, and he grew thin with desire.
His wife noticed his troubled state and asked for the reason. With hesitation, he confessed his love for the wax-maidens. To his surprise, his wife gave her consent, reasoning that additional wives could help increase the family’s prosperity, if they too shared in housework and farming duties. Encouraged, the young farmer hurried to the hunter and his wife, offering marriage. He paid a bride price of eight cattle, four goats, and six hens, and the parents agreed, though they warned him never to let the maidens toil in the hot sun or strain themselves, for if they did, they would melt away.
Blinded by eagerness, the farmer accepted the condition but withheld the truth from his first wife. The marriage was celebrated, and the maidens were welcomed into his home. Yet, the moment the first wife laid eyes on them, she saw the folly. Their delicate, uncalloused hands revealed they had never cooked, carried loads, or tilled land. Their straight posture made it impossible for them to bear baskets on their heads or babies on their backs. They avoided fire, refused to cook, and grew weary with little effort. Most troubling of all, they dreaded the open sun and refused to work in the fields.
For months, the first wife bore the extra burdens alone. Eventually, resentment consumed her. Her husband dismissed her complaints, preferring to enjoy the maidens’ beauty and songs while she slaved endlessly. Bitter but determined, she confided in her neighbours, who advised her to trick the maidens into working when her husband was away.
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The wife soon imposed heavy chores upon them. Under the strain, their waxen beauty faded. They grew frail and listless, yet she drove them into the fields. Alarmed, the younger maiden pleaded for her sister, fearing she would melt beneath the scorching midday sun. “Nonsense,” scoffed the first wife. “No woman melts by working in the fields.”
But under the blazing heat, the elder maiden’s body began to dissolve. Wax dripped onto the soil until, by dusk, only her big toe remained. The younger sister gathered it in sorrow, placed it in a pot of cold water, and fled to her mother’s home.
When the husband returned that evening, there was no food, no work done, and no sight of his beloved brides. Rushing to their parents’ home, he found only the waxen toe and learned of the elder’s fate. Overcome with grief, the younger maiden too melted from sorrow and exhaustion, leaving nothing but a shapeless lump of wax.
Devastated beyond reason, the farmer tore into the night, crying in anguish. He disappeared into the forest and was never seen again.
Moral Lesson
The Wax-Maidens reminds us that beauty without substance cannot endure. Desire, when unchecked by wisdom, leads only to regret. The farmer’s blindness to the truth cost him not only his wealth but also his peace, while his wife’s bitterness hastened tragedy. True strength lies not in outward charm but in the ability to endure and contribute meaningfully.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What material were the maidens originally made from?
A1: They were moulded from beeswax.
Q2: Who granted the hunter’s wife her wish for the maidens to come alive?
A2: Her ancestral spirits.
Q3: What warning did the parents give the farmer before the marriage?
A3: The maidens must not work in the hot sun or overexert themselves, or they would melt.
Q4: Why did the first wife grow resentful of the wax-maidens?
A4: They avoided all work, leaving her to toil alone while the husband admired their beauty.
Q5: How did the elder wax-maiden perish?
A5: She melted under the scorching midday sun while forced to work in the fields.
Q6: What is the central moral of the tale?
A6: External beauty without substance or resilience is fleeting, and unchecked desire leads to ruin.
Source: Kalulu the Hare and Other Zambian Folk-Tales, Zambia
