The world was a very pleasant place in which to live. All the animals were friends and, although they occasionally had disagreements, they would never think of fighting, or harming each other. Indeed, there was only one thing to be feared – and that was fire. Not the safe, warm fire that Man kept in…

It was a scorching dawn. Scattered across the vast grassy savannah beyond the rocky mountains, the villages seemed to bleach under the thick blanket of clay dust that accompanies the dry season. Birds were singing in the azure sky. On that day, a genie decided to make all butterflies disappear from the face of the…

Because there was a famine in the land, the spider and his family grew thinner and thinner and hungrier and hungrier. In his desperation, the spider said to his wife: “Here we are, starving, while the elephant and hippo have stored away much grain for these lean times. The big ones have, the little ones…

One day, a penniless farmer from an oasis went to a rich merchant in the neighbouring village to ask for a loan. The old harvest was finished, the new one was still in the field and there was nothing left in the pantry to barter. But as borrowing is a savannah custom, the farmer decided…

Many years ago, peace reigned in the forest under the rule of the leopard, the ruler of all animals. But one day news spread that a monster was lurking in a corner of the forest, terrorizing all who ventured that way. A menacing voice came out from among the plants, shouting at every intruder: “Stop!…

Many years ago, when the sky was sparsely populated, Hubeghedeh, God of heaven, came to visit his wives on earth, which even then was full of beautiful girls. In those days, a great Limba tribal chieftain had a very beautiful daughter. She was the only daughter among the many children he had from his many…

There was once a herd of elephants who went to gather honey to take to their in-laws. As they were walking along, they came upon Hare who was just about to cross the river. She said to one of them: “Father, please help me get across the river.” The elephant agreed to this request and…

Once upon a time, the rainy season came to the forest, as it must come every year. But this time there was more rain than ever before. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. At night the water fell with a roar like thunder. In the morning it beat against the branches of the trees…

One day frog swam to the surface of a little pond and glanced around him for a place to rest: “The water is cold today – he complained – it would do me good to bask in the sun for a little while.” And so, he left the water and crouched on a warm, flat…

The ltzaes, a brave and peaceful group of Maya have been in these lands since time immemorial. They were led by a priest named Zamna, and while they were resting after their arduous journey, he recalled the words spoken to him by the queen of Atlantis: “Our land will disappear within one moon. Since you…

Once upon a time, there was a baboon and a hare. They lived happily with their families. One day, the Hare decided to have a family party at his house. He invited Baboon and his family. The Baboon was so excited to get the invitation. “But there is one condition,” the Hare said. “What is…

There was a good and peaceful young man named Ponga. He was also an excellent hunter. One day he caught in a trap a ‘mugumbi’, a small forest animal that burrows underground. The poor beast begged him: “Let me go. You will see, one day I will help you!” The next day he found rain…