Black Horse

Sparrow, Elephant and Crocodile

In short: In a Lower Congo tale, Sparrow ties the ends of one rope to Elephant and Crocodile.

Sparrow, Elephant and Crocodile · The unseen end of the rope FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 245 Sparrow, Elephant and Crocodile In a Lower Congo tale, Sparrow ties the ends of one rope to Elephant and Crocodile. Origin Lower Congo · regional record Atlas record 1911 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The unseen end of the rope 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 book, a storyteller named Bakula tells the tale. Elephant nearly knocks down Sparrow’s nest. Crocodile sleeps at Sparrow’s bathing place. Sparrow promises to show them her strength and ties them to opposite ends of one rope. In the Atlas tellings about Anansi and Soungoula, two strong animals also pull without knowing who is at the other end.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1911 · Lower Congo · regional record
    John H. Weeks · Congo Life and Folklore · Part I, chapter VI · Published collection

Country pages

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Origin
Black Horse. Sparrow, Elephant and Crocodile. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-congo-sparrow-rope/