Master Man Nigeria

Folklore From Nigeria
ONCE there was a very strong man.However, he was very boastful. His name was Shadusa. He always said t that he was the strongest man on earth.He called himself as the Master Man.
His wife, Shettu, often reminded him. She often advised him not to be boastful. One day, she said, “Remember, no matter how strong you are, there must be someone stronger than you are.“
“That's impossible! No one is stronger than I am!“ said Shadusa arrol gantly.t On the following day, Shettu went to the neighboring village. On the way home, she felt very thirsty. She saw a well. She wanted to take some water.She threw in a bucket. After the bucket was full of water, she tried to pull the rope. Sadly, the bucket was too heavy.She could not pull the rope.

While she was trying to pull the rope, a woman approached her. She was carrying her baby. The woman asked,t “What's the matter? You seem to have problem.“
Shettu said, “I cannot pull this rope.The bucket is too heavy.“

The woman replied, “Don't worry.My baby will help you.“ Later she put her baby on the ground then said,t “Honey, please pull this rope.“
The baby easily pulled the rope and gave the bucket to Shettu.

Shettu could not believe what she saw. She said, “That's amazing. How can your baby be so strong?“ The woman said, “His father is the Master Man. He is very strong.“
Shettu went home. Later she told her husband about the strong baby whose father was the Master Man. Shadusa looked upset. He said, “No way! The woman was playing some tricks on you. It's impossible that a baby could pull the rope.“

“If you don't believe me, why don't you go to the well and see how strong the baby is,“ replied Shettu.,Shadusa was so curious. Later he went to the well and waited for the woman. Few minutes later, the woman with the baby came.

Shadusa asked, “I heard that the baby's father is the Master Man. Is it true?“The woman answered, “Yes, it is.“
“May I see him?“The woman shook , her head. “I don't think so. You cannot see Mas, ter Man because he will eat you.“
“I don't care! I want to see him and prove who the real Master Man is,“ said Shadusa.
“It's up to you,“ replied the woman.

Later, Shadusa followed the woman , to her home. When they arrived, a giant welcomed them. “That's my husband. He is the Master Man.“
Shadusa's body was shaking. He was so scared. He ran away. Unfortunately, the giant saw him. He chased Shadusa.

Shadusa ran very fast. He met a stranger. He asked, “Why do you look so scared?“ “The Master Man is trying to catch me. He is going to eat me.“ SENO “It's impossible. I'm the Master Man,“ replied the stranger.

Suddenly, the giant came! The stranger challenged the giant to fight to prove who the Master Man was.

They were fighting for days and still there was no winner. They fought not only on the ground. They were even fighting in the sky! The sound of the fight was so deafening.

Since then when people heard thunder they said, “Those two men are fighting to prove who the Master Man is. Media Indonesia, 21/09/2014, halaman 21

The Lion and the Rabbit

FOLKLORE FROM INDIA
IN a jungle, there lived kinds of animals. They lived in fear. They did not live happily nor peacefully. It was because of the Lion, their king.
When the Lion was hungry, he would catch and eat any animals he saw. Because of that, the animals were always in danger. They were afraid that they would meet their king when he was hungry.
One day, all ani mals had a secret meeting to solve their problem.
“We have to do something.We cannot live like this forever,“ said the deer.
“Yes, we have to find the solution. Anyone had an idea?“ asked the goat.
The Cow nodded. He had an idea. “Listen, when the Lion is hungry, he always catches any animal he sees, right? Why don't we offer to him that we will provide one of us for him to eat regularly? That way, other animals can live peacefully.“
“But how can we choose one of us to be his food?“ asked the Rabbit.
“We choose the oldest animal,“ replied the Cow.
“Who is the oldest animal now?“ asked the Goat.
“I am,“ said the Rabbit sadly.“Let's start now,“ said the Buffalo.
“No! Wait!!! Not now! Let's talk to the Lion first. We have to suggest this idea. If he agrees, we will start tomorrow,“ said the Rabbit. He hoped he would find a way to save his life.
The Cow agreed. “He is right.We should offer this idea to the Lion. Let's meet him.“
Soon, all the animals in the jungle went to the Lion's place.
The Cow dared himself to speak. “Sir, we don't live peacefully here. It's because when you are h u n g r y, you will chase and eat any animal you see.“
“It's true. When I'm hungry, I eat you and not eat grass!“ said the Lion.
“Sir, can we suggest something? Instead of you chase any animal you see, why don't we come to you regularly. That means you just stay here and eat one of us. So, the rest of us can live peacefully,“ continued the Cow.
“That's an excellent idea!“ The Lion was smiling showing off his sharp teeth and that made all the animals were so scared.
“When do we start?“ asked the Lion.
“Tomorrow, Sir.“
“Good! If one of you don't come here tomorrow, I will continue chasing any animal I see,“ said the Lion.
At night, the Rabbit could not sleep. He was thinking hard how he could save his life. He finally found a great idea.
On the following day, the Rabbit went to the Lion's place. The Rabbit pretended to be very tired. He said, “I'm so lucky that I can come here safely.“
The Lion was confused. He asked, “What do you mean?“ The Rabbit replied, “I just met another Lion. He is bigger and stronger than you are. He wanted to eat me but I said that he could not eat me because my King will eat me.He is laughing and challenging you, Sir. He said that he is the best Lion.“
The Lion was angry! “Show me where he is! I will kill him now!“ The Rabbit brought the Lion to a well. “Sir, look! He is over there!“ The Rabbit pointed at the bottom of the well. It was deep and filled with water. The Lion immediately looked at the bottom of the well. He saw another Lion. Well, actually it was his own reflection. Fortunately he did not know that.
The Lion yelled, “Who are you?“ The reflection echoed, “Who are you?“ The Lion was upset. He thought that the Lion at the bottom of the well was making fun of him. He jumped to the bottom of the well to attack him.
The Lion was drowned. He tried to climb up to the surface but the well was too deep. The Lion tried several times and slowly he was running out of breath and energy. He was so weak that he was finally dead.
The Rabbit was so happy to see that. He immediately told other animals that the Lion was dead and they could live peacefully. Media Indonesia, 7/09/2014, hal 20

The Hairy Boy

FOLKLORE FROM SWITZERLAND - A long time ago, there lived a young king who loved hunting. He could spend days in the jungle to hunt the animals. The king did not go hunting alone. His soldiers and some dogs always accompanied him.
It was a beautiful day. The king was getting ready to go hunting. He prepared his weapons.His soldiers also brought their guns filled with some bullets.
The king arrived in the jungle. Suddenly, his dogs were barking at a big tree. It had a big hollow. The king carefully checked what was inside the tree. He was so surprised! He found a very beautiful girl! “Who are you? What are you doing here?“ asked the girl.
She said, “This tree is my home. I live here. I don't have any parents.“
The king felt sorry for her. He brought her to the palace.
Time passed by and the king fell in love with her. He finally got married with her. Unfortunately, the king's mother secretly hated the girl.She actually did not want her son to marry the girl. However she could not say it to her son.
After they got married, the king continued his hobby to go hunting. At the time, the girl was pregnant. The king's mother was getting angry with her. She planned to do something bad.
The girl delivered a healthy baby boy. The king's mother silently poisoned the baby. She gave some food that made the baby grew lots of hair in a l l over his body.
When the king came home, the king's mother said, “Your wife has given birth to an animal.Look, the body is full with hair!“ The king was angry and shamed. He asked his wife and the baby to leave the palace.
The king's wife was so sad. She did not know where to go. She finally brought her baby to the hollow tree in the jungle.
Slowly, the son grew as a young and strong boy. Amazingly, he was very strong and had lots of power.
The hairy boy one day asked his mother about his father.
“Your father is the king, but don't you ever go to the palace to meet him. He hates us!“ “But I want really want to see him, Mother.Please let me go there,“ begged the hairy boy.
The hairy boy's mother did not have the heart to see her beloved son begging. She finally let him go to the palace.
When he arrived at the palace, the hairy boy immediately met the king. He said, “Your Majesty, I'm your son!“ The king was shocked. He thought his hairy son had died in the jungle. Sadly, the king did not want to accept him as his son. He even asked him to leave.
“No, you're not my son! Go away and leave this palace!“ “All right, I will leave now but I will be back tomorrow,“ replied the hairy boy.
After the hairy boy left, the king ordered his soldiers. “Follow him, then shoot him in the jungle!“ The soldiers carefully followed the hairy boy.
When he was in the jung le, the soldiers shot the hairy boy! Surprisingly, the hairy boy did not die! He plucked the bullets from his body and threw them to the soldiers. Those soldiers were dead! The hairy boy returned to the palace. The king was so upset. He thought the soldiers had killed him. “They failed to kill him,“ thought the king.
He grabbed his gun and shot the hairy boy. Again, the boy easily plucked the bullet and threw it to the king. He instantly died! Meanwhile, the king's mother saw the whole incident. She was so scared. She said, “Please don't kill me. I have the cure to remove your hair in your body.“
She gave the cure to the hairy boy. Amazingly, all the hair was slowly gone. Well, his power and strength was also gone. Since the king had died, the boy then became the king. He and his mother lived happily. Media Indonesia, 24/08/2014, halaman 20