Long ago, in the days when animals were not yet as we know them now, there was a stallion unlike any other. He lived in the kraal with the rest of his master’s horses, grazing, resting, and following the rhythm of a tamed life. Yet within him burned a spirit that could not be contained.
This stallion was wild at heart. While the other horses grazed together peacefully, he would bolt into the open veld, racing across the tall grass as though the wind itself had called him. He galloped in wide circles, mane flying, hooves pounding against the earth with restless energy. No tether could hold him, no herd could keep him still.
His master watched this behavior with growing frustration. Each time the stallion ran off, he had to be brought back with effort. The horse did not seem to care for discipline or belonging, and no matter how often he was scolded, he remained untamed in spirit.
One day, after watching the stallion break away yet again, the master’s patience reached its end. He struck the horse with a stick and declared:
“This creature refuses to live with the others. If he longs so much for freedom, let him have it. He shall no longer be a horse of the kraal, he shall be a zebra of the wild.”
And with those words, the stallion’s form changed before their eyes. Stripes of black and white spread across his body like painted lines from the hand of fate. His coat shimmered in the sun, no longer that of a common horse but of a new creature altogether.
The transformed zebra reared proudly and then galloped away, free at last, into the vast veld. From that day forward, he belonged not to the kraal or the hand of man, but to the wilderness. He became the ancestor of all zebras, living forever as wild animals of the open plains.
Moral of the Story
The tale of the Zebra Stallion reminds us that the spirit of freedom cannot be bound. Those who resist restraint may find themselves changed by it, but in that change lies their true nature.
Knowledge Check
1. Who was the main character in the folktale?
The main character was a restless stallion who eventually became the first zebra.
2. Why did the stallion often run away from the herd?
Because he was wild at heart and longed for freedom, preferring the open veld to the kraal.
3. What action did the master take to punish the stallion?
The master struck him with a stick and declared he would no longer be a horse but a zebra.
4. What transformation occurred after the master’s declaration?
The stallion’s body changed, gaining stripes, and he became the first zebra.
5. What lesson does this South African folktale teach?
It teaches that true nature cannot be suppressed; freedom and individuality often come at the cost of change.
6. What is the cultural origin of the story?
This is a South African folktale explaining the origin of the zebra.
Source: Ghanaian Folktale
