The Elephant and the King's daughter "A Tale of deception

In the animal kingdom, the king's daughter refused all her suitors. She had a dream of riding an elephant through the village, so she declared that any suitor who could bring her a live elephant would win her hand in marriage. The king announced this challenge to all the animals, but they were discouraged, except for the cunning tortoise.

The tortoise approached the king and said, "I will bring a live elephant and marry your daughter. Though I was chased away before, this time, I will succeed." The tortoise then visited his friend, the elephant, and told him, "The king of my village is holding an Ofallah festival in two days, and he wants you to be the chief guest."


The elephant, honored by the invitation, agreed to go. The tortoise promised to pick him up on the day of the festival. When the day arrived, the tortoise was late, and the elephant, annoyed, urged him to hurry. The tortoise replied, "Don't worry, we'll get there on time."


As they walked, the tortoise asked, "Can I ride on your back to make the journey faster?" The elephant agreed. Then the tortoise asked, "Can I tie this rope around your neck to stay stable?" Again, the elephant agreed.

When they reached the palace, the tortoise started singing, "Nnam Eze akpata m Enyi" (My king, I have brought the elephant). The elephant, confused, asked, "Nwa mbe isi n' ikpata onye?" (Who are you talking to, the king?) The tortoise replied, "Asi m ani ya Dube enyi chebe enyi. Enyi n' aga na anyi so gi na azu." (I told the land to guide your feet and keep you safe. Mr. elephant, proceed; we are strongly behind you.)

The elephant, deceived, entered the palace. The tortoise handed the rope to the king, symbolizing his ownership of the elephant. In Igbo culture, presenting an animal with a rope around its neck shows true ownership and dominance. Realizing too late, the elephant found himself captured. The king gave his daughter to the tortoise, and the elephant became their beast of burden.


The moral of the story: Be cautious of friends you travel with, for some cannot be trusted.

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