The Wife, the Marabout, and the Lioness

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

The Wife, the Marabout, and the Lioness


A wife wanted to gain the favor of her husband, who had multiple wives, so she went to see a marabout. He told her:

“Go into Kâgne Forest and bring me the milk of a lioness.” With a gourd and a piece of meat in hand, the wife went into the dense forest. In a clearing she saw a lioness nursing her cub. The woman gave the meat to the mother lion and began petting the cub, singing sweetly all the while. The mother lion, entirely contented, graciously offered up her milk. When the wife returned to the marabout, he exclaimed,

“Aha! Have you gotten the milk of a lioness?”

“Yes, here it is!”

“How did you get it?”

“I gave meat to the mother lion and pet her cub, singing sweetly all the while.”

“Very good,” said the marabout. “You have earned your gris-gris. Do the same with your husband and you will be his best friend. And if he does the same with you, everyone will be happier.”