We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/). The Story Crossroads theme for this year is Beating the Odds…Lucky Folktales Around the World to Brighten Your Day. Each post highlights that the stars aligned and what would have normally been…bad…turned out after all. Considering what we – as humankind – have experienced the past year, how nice is it to remember that all of us can “beat the odds” to some level in our lives.
And we’ll admit now…some are actually myths, legends, or epics rather than only limited to folktales. So is that a type of “loading the dice”? Ah, but the stories were too wonderful to pass by.
ELEPHANTS-
From Botswana
Where can you find the most elephants in Africa? Yes, Botswana. Despite this fact, the elephant population is declining due to anobacteria developing exponentially within the water supply. Here is an article about this mystery from BBC, published September 21, 2020. While the folktale focuses on the danger of elephants, keep in mind that elephants are facing their own battles by and beyond humans.
What makes elephants dangerous?
Most of the time elephants are gentle creatures, though any creature can cause harm. Bull elephants are most dangerous in musth when getting older and having 60 times the amount of testosterone levels. When an elephant becomes aggressive it can charge at 30 mph and can weigh as much as 13,000 pounds. While this documentary was featuring elephants in India, it can give a feel for how dangerous can be: https://youtu.be/LjSM3jLsymw. Now, I happen to have a friend who LOVES elephants. I love them, too. So I bring up this story as this was still trouble that was faced in this folktale.
50-words-or-less summary:
Elephants smash family’s pumpkins. Elephants too dangerous and grandparents say to move. Brother volunteers youngest boy to get inside largest pumpkin. Bull elephant swallows pumpkin with boy inside it. Boy cuts out through knife. Emerges from elephant. Scares elephant herd away. Family’s farm saved.
That boy was lucky to survive the stomach of an elephant! The family was lucky to keep the farm and livelihood. Interesting how lucky and unlucky go hand in hand…like unlucky to be small enough to fit in a pumpkin and be swallowed by an elephant. Hopefully you are lucky quickly after those unlucky times in life.
Finding the Story and Background:
“The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales” by Alexander McCall Smith pp. 29-35 can be found online to purchase here – https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Married-Lion-Africa/dp/0375423125
Video of elephants smashing/eating pumpkins: https://youtu.be/mOWBwFqltYA
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/06/can-elephants-and-humans-live-together
Please share in the comments…or anything on your mind. While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings with virtual as well as proper-distanced/masked/outdoors.
This somehow remember Little Red Riding Hook. Isn’t is strange?
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – The Great War
This inside-out monster elimination technique seems to be very popular around the world 😀
The Multicolored Diary