Reading Notes: Stories from the Congo, Part A

 Stories from the Congo by various authors

- A certain man, named Nenpetro, had three wives, Ndoza'ntu (the Dreamer), Songa'nzila (the Guide), and Fulla Fulla (the Raiser of the Dead)

*I think it's a cool idea to have the different wives' names symbolize something*

- But the dancing and singing had made them very thirsty, so that when they came to the clear water they drank deeply. And when they were satisfied, they found to their dismay that they had forgotten the names of the girls.

*The memory loss and constant repetition of this story might make for an interesting plotline*

- Tired and weary of life, Buite one night fell asleep and dreamt that a beautiful girl called him, that he rose and followed her, and that she led him through the thick jungle and woods until they arrived at a river.

*Hm, visions coming in a dream*

-But after a time Buite ran after the boy, and caught him up just before he got home, and cut the heads of the fish off, so that his wife should not see them. 

* Why does Buite tempt fate like this? It eventually causes his doom so I don't understand why he doesn't just cut off the fish heads immediately. It's like damning yourself.*

- But when she looked again at the child, she was horror-struck to find that she had killed her own child. She wept as she picked up its little body and, wrapping it up in her cloth, she ran away with it into the woods and disappeared.

*How sad! But it serves her right though*

- When he got her well into the woods, he placed her upon a rough table he had constructed and cut off her arms and legs. Then the wife wriggled her body about and sang: "Oh, if I had never married, I could never have come to this."

*Wow, is this dark or what?? I'm surprised at the light tone!*

Leopard (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Stories from the Congo by various authors. Website: Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook.