Nigerian Folktale: The Tortoise and The Elephant

In this story, a small but cunning Tortoise and a powerful but prideful Elephant come head to head. The Elephant, feeling overshadowed by the Tortoise's growing reputation for cleverness, challenges him, only to be offered a seemingly simple task. What follows is a humbling lesson about strength, wisdom, and the dangers of underestimating others.

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What is Stories Mother Told: African Folktales?

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.

The Tortoise and the Elephant

Once upon a time, in a bustling village on the edge of a vast forest in the heart of Nigeria, lived a Tortoise. He was not physically imposing like the Elephant or as fast as the Antelope. He was, however, extremely clever and had a sharp wit. The Tortoise was known far and wide for his cunning. His reputation for outsmarting even the largest and most formidable creatures in the forest was legendary. Many of the villagers often sought his advice, and his tales of trickery were told around evening fires.

In the same village, there also lived an Elephant. The Elephant was proud of his size and strength. He towered over the other animals in the forest and was admired for his power. However, despite his size, he was somewhat insecure about the small, clever Tortoise and his growing reputation.

One day, fed up with the stories of the Tortoise's wit overshadowing his own brute strength, the Elephant decided to confront the Tortoise. He called out to the Tortoise in a loud voice, "You may be clever, Tortoise, but you are small and weak. I refuse to believe that you can do anything that I cannot!"

The entire village turned to watch as the Tortoise looked up at the towering Elephant. A hush fell over the crowd. Tortoise's eyes twinkled with amusement. He had a quick retort ready, but instead, he smiled and issued a challenge, "Alright, Elephant. If you're so confident in your strength, then prove it! I challenge you to pluck a single hair from my back."

The Elephant laughed uproariously at the absurdity of the challenge. To him, it seemed like an effortless task. How difficult could it be to pluck a single hair from a tiny tortoise's back? He would show the Tortoise that strength and size were superior to wit and cunning.

Proudly strutting towards the Tortoise, he lowered his long, muscular trunk, aiming for a thin, bristly hair on the Tortoise's back. The villagers held their breath as the Elephant's trunk closed around the hair. With a swift jerk, he tried to pull it out... but to his surprise, the hair remained firm. His face turned from smug to astonished as he tried again, pulling harder, but the hair wouldn't budge.

For hours, the Elephant tried. His pride prevented him from admitting defeat, and he grew more and more frustrated. Sweat poured down his brow, his trunk ached, and his knees trembled with fatigue. But no matter how hard he tried, the hair remained attached to the Tortoise's shell, unyielding and strong.

Finally, as the sun began to set, painting the sky with shades of orange and purple, the Tortoise addressed the exhausted Elephant. "See, Elephant," he said, the hint of a smile playing on his lips, "Strength is not just about size and power. It is also about how and where you use it."

And so, the Elephant, once the epitome of strength and power in the village, was humbled. He learned a valuable lesson that day about underestimating others and overestimating his own abilities, while the Tortoise, once again, had proven his point with his superior wisdom and wit.

From that day forward, the Elephant's laughter was less boisterous, and his gait less arrogant. He would often be found in the company of the Tortoise, listening rather than talking, learning rather than asserting.

And that is how the Tortoise, small and unassuming, used his wit to teach a lesson to the powerful Elephant, a lesson that resonated throughout the village and the forest beyond - strength is more than physical might; it's also in wisdom, patience, and the clever application of one's abilities.