ENVIES & VENGEANCE
C
The Boy with a Bag on His Stomach
Once upon a time, there lived a king called “Eze Omeni Oha 1 of Iyasara,” he had two wives, the first wife was named “ORIDI” meaning husband’s best, while the second wife is “ANASI” meaning next to her husband’s heart.
Both of them had a son each, the first son is “Omekanaya” meaning a child that acts like his father, while the other son is “Nwaeze” meaning the son of a king.
The first wife’s son was delivered with a bag on his stomach, and such a person is called “Nwa-ekpa” and that was Omekanaya.
One day as Omekanaya was going to the market he saw a very handsome man that called him by his name, charmed him and told him to come, he followed him, on their way they saw a big ocean and the man vanished and appeared across the ocean.
The boy looked into his bag and brought out a magic rope which he threw across the ocean and crossed. They continued their journey until they saw a pit filled with snakes. The man crossed the pit with his vanishing powers. The boy tried his ropes but it failed him, so he brought out an egg and threw it into the
pit and he was able to cross. As they were going they saw a shrine, the man vanished and appeared with a goat which was sacrificed to appease the gods. And they passed through, getting to the man’s hut, he showed the boy his room, and entertained him.
His family were worried and sent a search party but to no avail. When it was midnight the man tried to kill the boy, after countless stabs with is knife, to his amazement when he open the bed spread it was a big trunk of plantain, Omekanaya has escaped.
He first ran to the man’s store room, took a cow, goat, hen eggs, clothes, shoes, and some other valuables and put in his magical pocket that can contain many things and fled.
As he got to the shrine he sacrificed the goat he took, it was then he realized that the man was a spirit and wanted to use him as sacrifice.
The man appeared with other deadly spirits and they chased after Omekanaya, they couldn’t hold him because he had magical powers and was too fast the gods were with him.
When he got home he told his parents all that has happened and showed them the things he brought back, which made them so happy, his dad, The King was so proud of him. But the king’s second wife was angry and jealous, and stitched a very big bag to her son’s stomach and sent him on the same journey Omekanaya came back from.
Nwaeze obeyed his mum, went to the market and same strange man took him. He couldn’t cross the ocean and the pit, he was just crying, it was the man that crossed him. Reaching the man’s hut, the boy ate to his satisfaction.
At night the boy fell asleep, not remembering the task his mother gave him, Omekanaya had a night mare about his brother that he was about to die, he woke up with his magical powers and speed, he got there on time and put his younger brother inside his pocket while he was still asleep, took all valuables from the man’s store and fled. When the man noticed what happened it was late.
They arrived home safely and the king’s second wife begged for forgiveness, for her selfish actions. The king forgave her, there was peace and everyone was happy again in the community.
After the death of “EZE OMENI OHA 1 OF IYASARA,” Omekanaya became the next king of Iyasara Community. “EZE OMENI OHA 2 OF IYASARA,” got married and the community continued in peace and harmony, throughout his reign.
D
The Tortoise and the Eagle
Once upon a time in the animal kingdom, there lived a tortoise that was very clever; one day he asked his fellow animals to accompany him to his in-laws place. Only a female tortoise named “Aribo” accepted to go with him.
The tortoise took 7 stones and 3 spoons, while Aribo took 3 spoons and 2 stones. When they got to a point they decided to throw away their stones, when Aribo’s stones got finished the tortoise asked her to bring her spoons and they both threw their spoons away, but the tortoise hid one spoon, when they got to his in-laws place they welcomed and served them dinner, the tortoise told Aribo to go and wash her hands, which she did, when she came back the tortoise told her that there is sand in her hands, that she should go and wash it well, knowing too well that she will crawl on 4 legs, this she did trice, before she came back the tortoise had finished the food.
Then Aribo was so angry to the extent that she went to the tortoise in-laws to report the incident, the in-laws promised to give her some food, she told the tortoise in-laws that she would be on white gown when the come to deliver the food.
While the tortoise will be on black, Aribo slept off and the tortoise switched the clothes. When the food was served the tortoise ate it and they never knew it was him.
The tortoise rubbed oil on Aribo’s mouth, when she woke in the morning; she asked the tortoise in-laws why they didn’t wake her last night for the meal?
They were surprised, they said we served you dinner and you ate to your satisfaction.
Aribo began to cry and left the tortoise at his in-laws place in anger, but Aribo died of hunger on her way home. The tortoise took her body and ate it. When Aribo’s brother the eagle heard of the incident from a rodent, he became very furious and promised to avenge his sister death.
So he went to the tortoise and asked to join him on his next visit to his in-laws house, the tortoise agreed. 2 weeks later they embarked on the journey. When they got to a spot the tortoise with his cunny attitude told the eagle that they have to throw away their stones and spoons. The tortoise was holding 7 stones and 4 spoons, while the eagle had 14 stones and 8 spoons, the tortoise was unaware of this, he taught his stones and spoons is greater in number.
When they started throwing away their stones, the tortoise stone got finished, but the eagle’s stones were still remaining. And they also threw away the spoons, the tortoise spoons got finished, but the eagle still had 4 spoons. At the in-laws place, they were served a bowl of rice, the eagle not minding about the tortoise, started eating with his spoon, while the tortoise went to wash his hands. When he came back the eagle told him that his hands were still dirty, that he should go back and wash his hands and he repeated the process trice, before he came back the third time the eagle has finished the food.
The tortoise was so hungry and he told his in-laws what has happened, and they promised him another dinner, and he told them that his dress code will be white, while the eagle will be on black.
The eagle heard the conversation, and while the tortoise slept off he took his white gown and wore him his own black and ate everything that was due the tortoise that night, and also rubbed oil on the tortoise lips. At the break of down, the tortoise went to his in-laws to ask why they failed to give him dinner.
But his in-law asked him of the particles of food in his lips and the oil, so he told his in-laws that he knows nothing about it.
His in-laws later gave him meat, fish and other items that he went home with. The eagle flew and saw maggots on the ground and he told the maggots to walk round his body but not to enter inside his body and the maggots did according to his instruction.
When the tortoise came close to where the eagle was laying, thought the eagle was dead and he said “You wise bird, I will wash you with salt, cook and eat you and throw your bones to the dogs to eat.”
The tortoise picked up the eagle, removed the maggots and put the eagle inside his bag. The eagle ate up everything in the bag. When the tortoise got home he called his wife and children to bring a big basin, when they brought it, he poured out the contents in the bag, and behold the eagle flew and only excretes was left in the basin.
The eagle landed on the head of tortoise’s wife, as the tortoise was trying to kill the eagle with a cutlass he killed his wife, next was his son and his daughter, and he ended up killing his family.
Finally the eagle landed on the tortoise head and he killed himself on his quest to kill the eagle.
The Eagle became happy for avenging the death of his sister Aribo, whom the tortoise killed.
E
The Python and the Woman
Once upon a time, there lived a man called “Amadi,” who had 2 wives, Utugpe and Egumma.
One day Utugpe went to the bush to fetch some fire wood, luckily she saw 8 eggs, she took it and went home.
She called her mate Eguma to come and take 4 of the eggs she brought, but her mate refused and decided to go look for her own eggs.
The next day Eguma went to the farm without informing anyone, she went to the farm in search of eggs.
She saw a heap of eggs and she took it all. When she got home, she went straight to the kitchen to cook the eggs for herself; she cooked the eggs for 2 hours to no avail, so she rubbed palm oil on the eggs and swallowed it. She was not only greedy but stupid.
Unknown to her that the eggs were python eggs and it was time to hash and the Python was searching for her eggs. The python could perceive her eggs from a distance, so it tracked down Eguma, tore her stomach and brought out her eggs, hashed them and they feasted on Eguma’s corpse and left.
This story makes us to understand that Eguma died because of her greed, selfishness and hatred for Utugpe.
