My theme for the year is fairytales, but I want to make sure I address other cultures. They’re beautiful, and they often have the most interesting stories. The aim requires me to play fast-and-loose with the “fairytale” definition; I find myself resorting to folktales and fables. Perhaps that’s not a point to quibble. Many modern fairytales have their roots in folk stories.
This month, I travel to Africa, where tortoises feature in a number of tales. The one depicted above is about a singing tortoise who could play the sansa. The man who found her took her home, promising he wouldn’t tell anyone about her talent.
He, of course, failed to keep the promise. He eventually found himself accused of lying by the tribe and chieftain. When he brought the tortoise forth as proof, she tucked herself into her shell and refused to sing or play. The man was beaten and thrown out of the tribe–the true fairytales and folktales aren’t always nice–at which point the tortoise emerges and sings, “It is man who imposes himself upon things, not things which impose themselves upon man.”
Moral of the story: keep your promises, and don’t impose your wishes on others.