Black Horse

Turtle and the Birds

In short: In a tale recorded in Juba, the birds give Turtle feathers so it can join a feast in the sky.

Turtle and the Birds · Borrowed feathers FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 250 Turtle and the Birds In a tale recorded in Juba, the birds give Turtle feathers so it can join a feast in the sky. Origin Gudele, Juba · recording site Atlas record 2015 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Borrowed feathers 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

Gudele, Juba · recording site

In John Onwar Akol’s 2015 Arabic recording, each bird gives a feather and Turtle can fly. Before reaching the sky, Turtle chooses the name Kulu, which the English translation glosses as “all” or “everything”. When Turtle uses the name to take advantage at the feast, the birds decide to reclaim their feathers. The same feathers carry Turtle up and leave it to fall.

Dated records and sources

  1. 2015 · Gudele, Juba · recording site
    John Onwar Akol · Arabic recording · University of Juba Folktale Project · Field documentation

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Turtle and the Birds. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-juba-turtle-birds/