There are no wolves in Africa so the people of Uganda are lucky to have escaped the reign of terror inflicted by werewolves. Having said that, they have plenty of other human/ animal creatures to be frightened of so perhaps they don't really consider the lack of the man-wolf all that much of a boon....
Sorcerors are said to be able to take the shape of any native animal and some creatures, such as lions and leopards, have a legendary ability to become human-like.
One such horrifying story concerns a Bantu lady who fell in love with and married a stranger to her village. After some years together they were blessed with the pitter-patter of tiny paws - erm - I mean, feet.
The husband suggests they make the journey to see his own parents and introduce them to their new grandchild. At the end of the first day's journey they make camp and the husband says he is off to hunt food. Where he is actually going is to find his real family and after dark (you can see where this is going, can't you) he becomes a huge hairy lion, and he, lion-mam and lion-dad return to the human camp in order to attack the unwary wife and baby.
As luck would have it, the lion's brother-in-law had, in his absence, built a strong kraal or fence around the camp so there was no supper for the pride of lions that night. In the morning, back in human form, the lion-husband returns with fish, saying he was detained and how sorry is that in his absence, his family might have been eaten by lions or other such predators. In due course he goes off, allegedly for food, again.
The woman's brother already suspects that the husband is really a lion and a gnome (akachekulu), of all things, confirms the fact. The gnome tells the man to build a drum, and hide his sister and nephew in it. Climbing up a tree, job done, the brother begins to beat the drum, his sister no doubt shouting from within the Ugandan/ Bantu equivelent of "Oi! You're giving me and babby a chuffing headache, you twit!"
There's a method in the madness, however, as the lion is attracted by the beating drum and can't help but dance to it, losing his false human skin in the process. While he runs to retrieve it, the human family have it away sharpish and though the lion-man manages to catch up with them a few times, they group manage to reach the village and safety before they're eaten so the lion returns home, hungry.
So, I think the lesson here is that if a fetching new bloke turns up in town, before agreeing to a date with said hunk, it might be best to dangle a dirty great ham shank in his face to see how he responds....
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/mlb/index.htm
Sorcerors are said to be able to take the shape of any native animal and some creatures, such as lions and leopards, have a legendary ability to become human-like.
One such horrifying story concerns a Bantu lady who fell in love with and married a stranger to her village. After some years together they were blessed with the pitter-patter of tiny paws - erm - I mean, feet.
The husband suggests they make the journey to see his own parents and introduce them to their new grandchild. At the end of the first day's journey they make camp and the husband says he is off to hunt food. Where he is actually going is to find his real family and after dark (you can see where this is going, can't you) he becomes a huge hairy lion, and he, lion-mam and lion-dad return to the human camp in order to attack the unwary wife and baby.
As luck would have it, the lion's brother-in-law had, in his absence, built a strong kraal or fence around the camp so there was no supper for the pride of lions that night. In the morning, back in human form, the lion-husband returns with fish, saying he was detained and how sorry is that in his absence, his family might have been eaten by lions or other such predators. In due course he goes off, allegedly for food, again.
The woman's brother already suspects that the husband is really a lion and a gnome (akachekulu), of all things, confirms the fact. The gnome tells the man to build a drum, and hide his sister and nephew in it. Climbing up a tree, job done, the brother begins to beat the drum, his sister no doubt shouting from within the Ugandan/ Bantu equivelent of "Oi! You're giving me and babby a chuffing headache, you twit!"
There's a method in the madness, however, as the lion is attracted by the beating drum and can't help but dance to it, losing his false human skin in the process. While he runs to retrieve it, the human family have it away sharpish and though the lion-man manages to catch up with them a few times, they group manage to reach the village and safety before they're eaten so the lion returns home, hungry.
So, I think the lesson here is that if a fetching new bloke turns up in town, before agreeing to a date with said hunk, it might be best to dangle a dirty great ham shank in his face to see how he responds....
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/mlb/index.htm
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