Usikulumi and the Cannibals
Zulu folktale · izinganekwane
Kwesukasukela. Usikulumi was a king's son, born in a time when the land was haunted by the amazimu, the cannibals who hunted men for their flesh. To save him from a threat upon his life, or from the devourers, the boy was hidden away and raised in secret until he grew into a strong and clever young man.
When he came of age, Usikulumi set out upon a journey, in many tellings to win a bride or to claim his rightful place. Along the way he and his companions fell into the country of the cannibals, who pursued them hungrily. By courage and by cunning Usikulumi outwitted the amazimu again and again, using tricks, swift flight, and the help of beasts or magical objects given to him, to escape their jaws.
In the course of his adventures he overcame the chief of the cannibals and freed people who had been taken captive, and at last won the maiden he sought and returned in triumph to claim his inheritance. The tale, one of the longest and most celebrated of the izinganekwane, weaves together the hero's narrow escapes, his cleverness, and the final defeat of the man-eaters, ending with his rightful kingship restored. Cosu cosu, iyaphela.
The lesson: Courage joined with cleverness overcomes even the most monstrous foes; rightful destiny is won through trial and perseverance.