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Stories are a big part of the African culture and growing up in the city of Port-Harcourt, these stories shaped my childhood. Times are different now and these bedtime stories which were passed down through generations are not as popular with children as they once were. This podcast aims to bring these stories to the new generation of African children and introduce everyone else to these wonderful stories from the motherland. The lessons and values learnt from these will never be forgotten. Welcome to Stories Mother Told.
Long ago in ancient Egypt, a mighty Pharaoh had everything he could ever wish for—everything except a child. He prayed to the gods, and finally, his queen bore him a son. On the night of the prince’s birth, the stars sparkled brighter than usual, and in the morning, seven figures appeared at the palace gates. They were the seven goddesses of fate, who came to pronounce the destiny of every newborn.
The goddesses looked at the baby prince and announced, “This child is fated to die by a dog, a snake, or a crocodile.”
The Pharaoh and his queen were struck with fear. They pleaded, “Oh, goddesses of fate, can you not change his destiny?”
But the goddesses had already begun to vanish, returning to the sky, leaving the prince’s fate hanging over him. Desperate to protect their son, the Pharaoh and his queen decided he would live far away from rivers, deserts, and places where any of these dangers might be found. They built a stone palace high in the mountains and surrounded the young prince with guards and servants to watch over him.
Years passed, and the prince grew up in his remote palace, safe but lonely. One day, he climbed up to the rooftop and saw a traveler walking along the road below with a dog trotting beside him. Fascinated, the prince asked one of his servants, “What is that beautiful creature?”
“That is a dog, my prince,” the servant replied.
“Then I must have one!” the prince exclaimed. He sent message after message to his father, begging for a dog, saying he couldn’t be happy without one.
The Pharaoh, remembering the prophecy, was deeply troubled and refused at first. But the prince persisted, saying, “What’s the point of living if I cannot be happy?” Finally, the Pharaoh relented and sent his son a young, loyal greyhound.
The prince was delighted with his new friend, and as they grew up together, the prince and his dog were inseparable.
As the prince grew into a young man, he began to wonder why he was kept hidden away in the palace. He wrote to his father again, saying, “Life without freedom is no life at all. If I am destined to die by dog, snake, or crocodile, then let me live freely while I can.”
Moved by his son’s words, the Pharaoh finally agreed to let him go. He provided the prince with weapons for protection, and the people gathered to see him off, saying, “May the gods protect you.”
With his dog by his side, the prince traveled far and wide, hunting game along the way and sleeping under the stars. Eventually, his travels took him beyond Egypt, to the land of Naharina. There, he encountered a curious sight: a high tower with seventy windows, and, at the very top, the most beautiful princess he had ever seen. Her father, the Duke of Naharina, had decreed that only a man who could leap up to her window would win her hand in marriage.
Day after day, noblemen from near and far tried to reach her window, but none succeeded. The prince watched the young men attempt to jump up to the tower, finding the spectacle amusing. Finally, he asked if he might try as well.
The other men laughed and said, “Go ahead; no one else has managed, so you may as well try!”
The prince took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and leapt higher than anyone had before. He reached the top of the tower, and the princess welcomed him with open arms. They fell in love, and the Duke, seeing the happiness between his daughter and the stranger, reluctantly agreed to their marriage.
One night, after they were married, the prince confided in his new wife, revealing the three fates the goddesses had foretold. Shocked, the princess insisted, “You must kill the dog immediately to escape one of your fates!”
But the prince shook his head. “I cannot harm my loyal friend,” he said.
The princess accepted his choice, and from that day on, she kept a close watch over her husband. One night, as the prince slept, she heard a soft hissing sound. To her horror, a snake had crept into their room. Quick-thinking, she poured a bowl of milk with a sleeping potion into it. The snake drank the milk and fell into a deep sleep. The princess then called for a guard to slay the snake, protecting her husband from one of his dooms.
Time passed, and the prince was safe for a while. But one morning, he took his dog for a walk by the river, and something strange happened. The dog, his once-loyal companion, suddenly stopped, fixed its gaze on the prince, and growled. Then, in a voice that sent chills down the prince’s spine, the dog said, “I am your fate.”
Horrified, the prince turned and ran, with the dog chasing after him, its snarls echoing through the air. He sprinted toward the river, hoping the water would deter his pursuer. But as he reached the water’s edge, he was met by yet another danger—a massive crocodile rising from the river, its eyes gleaming.
The crocodile, opening its jaws wide, said, “I am your fate. I have waited for you.”
Surrounded on both sides, the prince took one last, desperate step into the river. The crocodile seized him in its powerful jaws and dragged him to a small island. Yet, to the prince’s surprise, the crocodile did not harm him. Instead, it spoke again, “An evil spirit lives in this river and keeps me trapped here. If you help me defeat this spirit, I will let you go free.”
The prince listened, knowing that his fate was hanging in the balance. Would he agree to the crocodile’s strange demand, or was this just another trap?
And there, the story ends. The original papyrus scroll that holds this tale was burned in an explosion, leaving us with only fragments. Some say the prince defeated his doom and lived happily with his princess. Others believe fate caught up with him. The rest of his story remains a mystery, buried in the sands of time.