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005 - The Fairy Frog - Swazi · Myths and Legends Around the World - Collection 05

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  Speaker 1: The fairy Frog a Swazi taiale from Fairy Tales from
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  Speaker 1: South Africa by E. J. Bourhil and J. B. Drake.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. The Fairy Frog a Swazi tail.
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  Speaker 1: Tom Biende was the most beautiful girl in her father's kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: She had milk white teeth and sparkling eyes. Her figure
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  Speaker 1: was perfect and very gracefully turned, and no one could
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  Speaker 1: lead the dance half so well as she. Besides, you
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  Speaker 1: could not help noticing her the moment she appeared, for
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  Speaker 1: she was taller than all her sisters and carried her
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  Speaker 1: head like a true princess. Her parents looked on her
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  Speaker 1: daily with joy and pride. They called her tomby Ende
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  Speaker 1: the Tall Maiden, and expected she would one day be
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  Speaker 1: a mighty queen. But no one has an altogether happy lot.
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  Speaker 1: And though tomby And was tall and beautiful, and had
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  Speaker 1: the gayest and most wonderful handkerchiefs with which to deck herself,
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  Speaker 1: and more beads and bracelets than any other girl in
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  Speaker 1: the countryside, this only gave her the more trouble, for
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  Speaker 1: none of her sisters were as pretty as she or
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  Speaker 1: as much admired, and as time went on they grew
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  Speaker 1: more and more jealous. At last they decided that tom
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  Speaker 1: be Ende must die or no one would ever notice
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  Speaker 1: them at all. So they made a plan to kill
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  Speaker 1: their sister, as as if by accident. One day they
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  Speaker 1: all came to her and said, let us go and
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  Speaker 1: get red Ochre out of the great pit. There is
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  Speaker 1: none left in the Kraal at all. So every maiden
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  Speaker 1: shouldered her pick and they walked together, singing and laughing,
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  Speaker 1: for many miles. At last they reached a great red pit,
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  Speaker 1: many feet deep, surrounded by tall grass on every side.
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  Speaker 1: There they stopped. Each girl leapt down in turn, dug
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  Speaker 1: out a lump of the precious red earth, and then
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  Speaker 1: jumped up again. They all stood round the pet waiting
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  Speaker 1: for one another, but directly Tomby, and they jumped down.
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  Speaker 1: Every one of those wicked girls seized her pick and
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  Speaker 1: threw earth upon her as fast as she could, till
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  Speaker 1: poor Tomby and they was buried alive. Then they ran away,
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  Speaker 1: leaving her for dead, for the red earth is very heavy,
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  Speaker 1: But tom Bende was not dead. The people who passed
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  Speaker 1: heard screams coming from the pit, and sometimes a voice calling,
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  Speaker 1: I am tom Behende, I am not dead, I am
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  Speaker 1: like one of yourselves. Two men turned out of the
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  Speaker 1: path and looked down into the great hall, but all
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  Speaker 1: they could see was the red earth glistening in the sun,
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  Speaker 1: so they turned away and walked on. The wicked sisters, meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: went back to their father's growl and told all whom
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  Speaker 1: they met, tom Bender is dead. She fell down in
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  Speaker 1: the red oakre pit and was smothered. But when the
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  Speaker 1: king came to question them, they grew confused and could
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  Speaker 1: not tell their tale. So he chopped off their heads
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  Speaker 1: there and then with a great battle axe, and gave
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  Speaker 1: their bodies to the vultures. And that would have been
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  Speaker 1: the end of them, had not a dear, good old
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  Speaker 1: fairy come along, who knew that tom Be Andde was
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  Speaker 1: not dead and was sorry to see her sisters so
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  Speaker 1: severely punished. She went to the bodies and sprinkled them
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  Speaker 1: with medicine from her magic calabash. The sisters sat up
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  Speaker 1: at once, alive and well, rubbing their eyes. Take the
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  Speaker 1: girls away and keep them out of the King's sight
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  Speaker 1: till tomb Ande returns, said the fairy, and every one
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  Speaker 1: was only too glad to obey her tomb and lay
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  Speaker 1: in the red oach pit for many hours and thought
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  Speaker 1: no one would ever rescue her. But at evening she
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  Speaker 1: heard a great croaking above her. Looking up, she saw
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  Speaker 1: an enormous frog, blinking his little eyes at the edge
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  Speaker 1: of the pit. Beautiful princess said he, what are you
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  Speaker 1: doing here? Alas, said tomb Ande, My sisters are jealous
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  Speaker 1: of me and hate me, and they have left me
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  Speaker 1: here and thrown earth upon me so that I cannot
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  Speaker 1: get out. I will help you, said the frog. He
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  Speaker 1: jumped into the pit, opened his big mouth, and swallowed
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  Speaker 1: the princess entirely. Then he jumped up again and landed
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  Speaker 1: safely on the path above, the princess still inside him. Forthwith,
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  Speaker 1: the frog set out on his travels. He hopped all night,
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  Speaker 1: carefully avoiding any kraals by the way, for a frog
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  Speaker 1: brings bad luck and is not welcome in human dwellings.
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  Speaker 1: Whenever he passed a bird, he sang, do not swallow me.
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  Speaker 1: I carry the princess tomby and there and no creature
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  Speaker 1: touched him. The next morning, they narrowly escaped a great danger,
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  Speaker 1: for they met a horrible ogress. She had heard that
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  Speaker 1: tombay and they were still alive and defenseless, and had
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  Speaker 1: already been to the red oak pit and found it empty.
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  Speaker 1: Now she was searching for her everywhere in savage haste.
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  Speaker 1: But luckily she paid no attention to a big frog
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  Speaker 1: and went her way without heeding its appearance. At midday,
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  Speaker 1: the frog stopped, opened his mouth, and let the princess
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  Speaker 1: walk out. Then he said, wait here and rest by,
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  Speaker 1: and by we will go on again. He also provided food.
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  Speaker 1: He merely croaked, and delicious porridge appeared in a little
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  Speaker 1: brown pot, all ready for the princess to eat tombay,
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  Speaker 1: and they ate, and then slept under the bushes, for
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  Speaker 1: she was very tired. Towards evening, the frog swallowed her again,
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  Speaker 1: and they set forth once more on their journey. They
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  Speaker 1: had decided not to go back to her father's kraal
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  Speaker 1: for fear of her jealous sisters, but journeyed towards the
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  Speaker 1: home of her grandmother, where she was sure of every welcome.
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  Speaker 1: They traveled for days, resting in the heat, but never
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  Speaker 1: stopping all night long, and one morning they arrived at
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  Speaker 1: the grandmother's kraal. The frog went up to the door
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  Speaker 1: of the chief hut and sang loudly, I am carrying
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  Speaker 1: tomby Ande, the beautiful princess whom they killed in the
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  Speaker 1: red wit. The old grandmother came out, saying, who is
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  Speaker 1: this speaking? Who knows what has become of my darling
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  Speaker 1: tomby Ande. I know all about her, said the frog.
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  Speaker 1: Bring clean mats, spread them before me and you will see.
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  Speaker 1: All The women brought fine new mats and put them
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  Speaker 1: before the frog. When all is ready, the frog just
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  Speaker 1: said ooo ooo ah, And in a moment tomby and
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  Speaker 1: herself was before them, as tall and beautiful as ever.
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  Speaker 1: Great was the joy of all, and no one could
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  Speaker 1: hear her tale often enough, or her praises of the
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  Speaker 1: wonderful frog. What can we do for you as a
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  Speaker 1: reward for your kindness, said the grandmother to the frog.
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  Speaker 1: Is there nothing we can give you. I only ask
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  Speaker 1: you to kill two oxen and two bulls, said the frog,
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  Speaker 1: and let us have a feast. So a great feast
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  Speaker 1: was held, and the frog sat by the princess's side
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  Speaker 1: and had great honor. Next morning he had disappeared, and
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  Speaker 1: though the princess searched for him all round the kraal,
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  Speaker 1: he could nowhere be found. The grandmother knew that Tomby
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  Speaker 1: and it was now in no danger at home, so
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  Speaker 1: she sent a message to her father to tell him
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  Speaker 1: of his daughter's safety. The king was much delighted and
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  Speaker 1: at once despatched Tomby and his brother to fetch her home.
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  Speaker 1: He rested a few days at the grave, for the
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  Speaker 1: journey was long, and then they both set out on
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  Speaker 1: their return. Now the rains had been short that year,
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  Speaker 1: and many streams were dry. The sun was very hot,
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  Speaker 1: and after hours of walking, the princess and her brother
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  Speaker 1: were very thirsty. Nowhere could they find the accustomed springs,
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  Speaker 1: for the ground was harder than brick dried in an oven,
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  Speaker 1: and the water courses were dry. They went on and
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  Speaker 1: on till they were fainting with the heat. Suddenly they
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  Speaker 1: met a stranger, an immensely big man who stood right
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  Speaker 1: across the path. Except for his size, he was like
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  Speaker 1: like other men, and they did not at first distrust him.
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  Speaker 1: What do you want, said he, in a deep bass voice,
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  Speaker 1: which rumbled like thunder. We are looking for water, said
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  Speaker 1: the prince. All the springs are dried up, and we
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  Speaker 1: are yet many days from home. If I give you water,
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  Speaker 1: said the giant, what would you give me in return?
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  Speaker 1: Ask for anything in my father's kingdom, said the prince.
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  Speaker 1: Give me this beautiful princess, said the giant, with a
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  Speaker 1: wicked smile. If not, you will die of thirst. All
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  Speaker 1: the springs are dry within three days journey. The brother
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  Speaker 1: and sister were in dismay, But although the prince hated
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  Speaker 1: the idea of giving his sister to a stranger, they
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  Speaker 1: were both so helpless that he could only consent. The
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  Speaker 1: giant chuckled and led the way to a great fig
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  Speaker 1: tree by the side of the dry watercourse. He struck
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  Speaker 1: his stick upon the ground, and out of the very
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  Speaker 1: roots of the tree sprang a fountain, clear as the
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  Speaker 1: moon and cool as the depths of the forest. They
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  Speaker 1: all drank eagerly and long, and it was only after
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  Speaker 1: some minutes that the princess lifted her head and looked
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  Speaker 1: towards the giant. She shrieked long and loud, for the
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  Speaker 1: giant had turned into a most terrible inn zuma, monstrous
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  Speaker 1: and misshapen, covered with red hair, and glaring at her
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  Speaker 1: with his little wild eyes. His long tail lay behind
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  Speaker 1: him on the grass, and his white pointed teeth showed
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  Speaker 1: between his thick lips. The prince looked up at once,
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  Speaker 1: and he also saw in what great peril his sister lay.
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  Speaker 1: The ogre was terribly strong, and no fighting could save them.
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  Speaker 1: He simply glared at them. His eyes is full of
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  Speaker 1: evil pleasure. Suddenly the princess heard a well known croak,
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  Speaker 1: and right out of the water sprang a great frog.
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  Speaker 1: There is my preserver, said tom behnde help us, frog.
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  Speaker 1: No one is so clever and wise as you. The
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  Speaker 1: frog advanced right in front of the ogre, who looked
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  Speaker 1: at him with disdain. He just opened his mouth and
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  Speaker 1: said boo or boo or. In one minute he had
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  Speaker 1: swallowed the ogre right up, tail and all, and then
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  Speaker 1: he disappeared into the fountain. There he stayed till the
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  Speaker 1: ogre was drowned. When he came out again, the water
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  Speaker 1: had dried up, and the ogre lay buried among the
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  Speaker 1: roots of the great fig tree. Ah, frog, how can
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  Speaker 1: I thank you enough, said the princess. This time you
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  Speaker 1: must not disappear. You must come home with us. In
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  Speaker 1: three days they reached her father's kraal. The king's guards
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  Speaker 1: stood in order to greet them gloriously arrayed in otterskins,
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  Speaker 1: with shields and assegies. Her father stood at their head
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  Speaker 1: and hailed them both with joy. But what said her father,
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  Speaker 1: is that horrible frog at your side? I must have
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  Speaker 1: the wretch killed. Do not kill him, father, said Tombihende.
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  Speaker 1: He saved my life twice. And at those very words,
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  Speaker 1: the frogs suddenly grew into a handsome man, taller than
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  Speaker 1: tombe Ende herself. He was in full warlike array, with
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  Speaker 1: shield and assegai, and a great plume of white, ostrich
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  Speaker 1: feathers on his head. Any One could see at once
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  Speaker 1: that he was a prince. All greeted him with loud shouts.
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  Speaker 1: Only tom Behende was not so very much surprised. I
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  Speaker 1: am no frog, said the prince. My father is a
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  Speaker 1: great chief. The ogre from whom I rescued the princess
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  Speaker 1: overcame me by witchcraft in former days. But now that
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  Speaker 1: I have won the love of a maiden, I am
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  Speaker 1: once more free. Give me the hand of your daughter
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  Speaker 1: in marriage, and one hundred cattle shall be yours. A
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  Speaker 1: few days later, tom be Ende married a fairy frog.
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  Speaker 1: And all will acknowledge that it was a reward he
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  Speaker 1: well deserved. As for the wicked sisters, the King forgave
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  Speaker 1: them in his great joy, and tom be Ende forgot
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  Speaker 1: all her troubles in a new home. And of the
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  Speaker 1: Fairy Frog a Swazi tale by E. J. Bohil and J. B.
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  Speaker 1: Drake