Black Horse

Civet and Tortoise

In short: In a Lower Congo tale, two friends drift apart when they fail to ask each other about what they have heard.

Civet and Tortoise · A rumour heard on the road FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 246 Civet and Tortoise In a Lower Congo tale, two friends drift apart when they fail to ask each other about what they have heard. Origin Lower Congo · regional record Atlas record 1911 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF A rumour heard on the road Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Lower Congo · regional record

In Weeks’s 1911 collection, Civet and Tortoise both turn back from visits after hearing frightening news on the road. For a long time they do not speak. At last, before the elders, each tells what she heard. The elders ask them to speak directly to each other when they hear something troubling. The tale unravels the rumour by letting both friends tell their side.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1911 · Lower Congo · regional record
    John H. Weeks · Congo Life and Folklore · Part II, tale XIII · Published collection

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Civet and Tortoise. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-congo-civet-tortoise/