Reading Diary B: Nigerian Folktales

I finished reading Nigerian Folktales, and it was great. The rich Nigerian culture was able to really come to life in these stories. I love reading cultural stories that are relayed through the personification of animals; it really shows where each of these stories are coming from.

The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise: This was quite the perplexing story. I found it really interesting that the tortoise would go to such great lengths to have the king hippo leave the land. Nothing about the story made it seem like the hippo was unfair to anyone. I really want to make a backstory explaining why the tortoise wanted to get the hippo out of his role, even though the tortoise did not try to take the vacant throne himself. I did enjoy reading that his seven wives would be the hippos ultimate downfall. He could not possibly expect to keep his name a secret while have that many wives.

(hippopotamus)

Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes: This a very interesting explanation for the cycles of the moon. The full moon being a large woman is something that I have never heard before. The little girl in the story is still the most intriguing to me. She is only mentioned the one time that she alerts everyone. Why didn't she have any loyalty to the old woman? I want to know more about her. I did like how the moon only being out at night was explained by the fact that she was scared of people after her encounter.