The Wife Who Was Made of Honey-Beer (Demane and Demazana)
Xhosa folktale · iintsomi
Kwesukasukela. Demane and his sister Demazana were orphans who fled cruel relatives and went to live alone in a cave in the wild. Demane was a skilled hunter; each day he went out to hunt and warned his sister never to open the cave to anyone, for the door would open only to his own voice singing their special song. He sealed the cave with a magic word. But a cannibal-ogre had been watching, and he learned the secret song. One day, while Demane was away hunting, the ogre came and sang in a rough voice, but Demazana knew it was not her brother and would not open. The cunning ogre swallowed something to smooth his voice, and sang again so sweetly that the trusting girl was deceived and opened the door. The ogre seized her and carried her off in a sack. As he passed certain people, the girl sang of her plight, and word reached Demane. He pursued the ogre, tricked him into setting down the sack, freed his sister, and filled the sack with biting ants and a snarling dog in her place. When the ogre opened it later he was set upon and destroyed. Brother and sister were reunited. Cosu cosu iyaphela.
The lesson: Heed the warnings of those who love you, for a sweet voice may hide a deadly intent; vigilance and loyalty save us.