The Story of the Cannibal Mother (Sikhamba-nge-nyanga and the Ogres)
Xhosa folktale · iintsomi
Kwesukasukela. In the old tales the izimu (cannibal-ogre) was a creature of terror who roamed the land hungry for human flesh. In one well-known tale, a beautiful girl was carried off by an izimu who meant to fatten her and eat her. He shut her in his dwelling and went out hunting, leaving her in the care of his old mother or his kin. The clever girl won the trust of those left to guard her, or sent secret word to her brothers. When the ogre returned, expecting his feast, he found that the girl had been spirited away, or that a trap had been laid for him. In some versions the girl's brothers came armed and slew the ogre, cutting open his belly so that all the people and cattle he had swallowed came pouring out alive into the daylight. The released captives sang and rejoiced, and the girl was carried home in triumph. These ogre tales were told around the fire to thrill children and to teach them not to wander far, not to trust strangers, and to remember that family will come to rescue their own. Cosu cosu, iyaphela intsomi.
The lesson: Do not stray into danger or trust the deceiving stranger; courage and the bonds of family can overcome even the most fearsome evil.