There
was once a man who claimed he was ‘A-Man-Among-Men’
Whenever
he came back from the forest, he threw down the firewood on his shoulders and shouted
‘I am A-Man-Among-Men!’
But every
time he said this, his wife said, “if you meet A-Man-Among-Men, you’d run.”
He thought otherwise and dared the one who also
thinks he is a man among men to show up.
One day,
his wife went to fetch water from a well, but the bucket attached to the well
was such that only 10 men could lift it.
As she
returned home with her empty calabash, she met an older woman with a baby on
her back.
After exchanging
greeting, the wife of ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ informed her about the bucket at the
well.
The old
woman said “Oh, let’s go my son would do it.” So they returned and the baby
fetched the water for them to the astonishment of the wife of ‘A-Man-Among-Men.’
She returned
home and told her husband what she had seen. He was so eager to see this
family that he didn’t sleep.
At dawn
they were off to the well and co-incidentally, the old woman was coming there
to fetch water. The one who called himself ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ tried to fetch the
water from the well but almost fell in with the bucket, only to be saved by the
baby.
After
dusting himself off, the one who called himself ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ demanded to
see the father of the child.
So he
followed the old woman and baby home. When they arrived the child’s father had
gone to the forest. The old woman hid him in a room with a peephole where he
could see the child’s father and cautioned him to escape when he was asleep.
The
child’s father came back from the forest and ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ trembled at the voice
that shook the building. Indeed he was a giant - a man among men.
The child’s
father said “I smell a human being around,’ but his wife convinced him there
was no one around.
At midnight
‘A-Man-Among-Men’ escaped from his hiding and made for the forest in top speed.
The
child’s father heard him run and tracked him into the bush.
Running
all night with the child’s father not far behind, ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ met a group
clearing a farm. They said “why are you running,” and he replied “a man among
men is chasing me.” They thought they were strong enough to stop whosoever it
is so they told the man who called himself ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ to stand. As they
waited, the force of his pursuer’s steps caused a great wind to push all of
them to the floor, the one who called himself ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ asked “are you
sure you can fight him?” this time they said “no, please go”.
So he
continued running until he met a man and his relatives clearing a farm, they
stopped him and asked why he ran, after explaining what has happened they said “stand
there, we would stop him.”
But as
they waited the wind came and pushed them to the floor and they all scattered.
So the
one who called himself ‘A-Man-Among-Men’ continued running until he met a giant
under a baobab tree who was twice the size of his pursuer. The giant asked why
he ran, and after explaining the giant said “sit, let us wait for this man among men.”
As they sat the wind came and he was
thrown yards away, but the giant was still as though the wind was scared to come
near him.
Finally
the child’s father arrived and demanded to know who ran from his house. In the
argument that followed the two giants got into a fight.
Legend
has it that they fought until they both levitated into the clouds - the sound of
their tussle in the cloud is said to be the origin of thunder.
-
Adapted from Hausa Folk-Lore,
Customs, Proverbs, Etc, R. Sutherland Rattray, 1913 Claredon Press
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