Black Horse

Tortoise’s Tug-of-War

In short: Read how Tortoise pits Elephant against Hippopotamus and how the collection links another telling to Cameroon.

Tortoise’s Tug-of-War · The unseen opponent FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 117 Tortoise’s Tug-of-War Read how Tortoise pits Elephant against Hippopotamus and how the collection links another telling to Cameroon. Origin A Mpongwe telling recorded in Libreville, with a publication reference linked to Cameroon. Atlas record 1912 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The unseen opponent Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 2 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

A Mpongwe telling recorded in Libreville, with a publication reference linked to Cameroon.

Tortoise leads Elephant and Hippopotamus to think he is pulling the other end of the rope. The trick depends on the stronger animals being unable to see one another. Nassau mentions a version by a writer from Cameroon in a British magazine. His foreword gives no issue details, so the Cameroon marker represents his testimony.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1912 · Libreville, Gabon
    R. H. Nassau · Where Animals Talk · Mpongwe, Tale 5 · Published collection
  2. Before 1912 · Cameroon · comparative record
    R. H. Nassau · Where Animals Talk · Mpongwe foreword

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Tortoise’s Tug-of-War. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-tortoise-tug-of-war/