Folktales of Nigeria

Nigerian folktales are epic stories that can explain the world around us!


These stories and myths have been told within generations. Nigerian folklore include proverbs, myths, "just so" stories, and riddles. "Just so" stories are designed to explain features of an animal, such as their appearance or their habits. Morals are either explicitly stated at the end of Nigerian folktales, or hidden within the text. Animals, especially the tortoise, hold prominence in the tales from Nigeria, and unlike other folk tales from Africa, there aren't many "trickster" figures like Anasi.


Reading some of the stories from Nigeria, you may note that the stories bear similarity to some European folk tales, filled with poor peasant girls, royalty, and magical properties; however, many of the folk tales bear a magic that is all their own, with grand narratives readers have loved for years.


The collection of Folktales from Nigeria consists of one book with 40 folktales collected from Southern Nigeria. The stories are full of mentions of strange institutions, as well as of rare adventures.


Book includes:


The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter
How a Hunter obtained Money from his Friends the Leopard, Goat, Bush Cat, and Cock, and how he got out of repaying them
The Woman with Two Skins
The King's Magic DrumItuen and the King's Wife
Of the Pretty Stranger who Killed the King
Why the Bat flies by Night
The Disobedient Daughter who Married a Skull
The King who Married the Cock's Daughter
The Woman, the Ape, and the Child
The Fish and the Leopard's Wife; or, Why the Fish lives in the Water
Why the Bat is Ashamed to be seen in the Daytime
Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground
The Elephant and the Tortoise; or, Why the Worms are Blind and Why the Elephant has Small Eyes
Why a Hawk kills Chickens
Why the Sun and the Moon live in the Sky
Why the Flies Bother the Cows
Why the Cat kills Rats
The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder
Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are bad Friends
The Cock who caused a Fight between two Towns
The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise; or, Why the Hippopotamus lives in the Water
Why Dead People are Buried
Of the Fat Woman who Melted Away
Concerning the Leopard, the Squirrel, and the Tortoise
Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes
The Story of the Leopard, the Tortoise, and the Bush Rat
The King and the Ju Ju Tree
How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus
Of the Pretty Girl and the Seven Jealous Women
How the Cannibals drove the People from Insofan Mountain to the Cross River The Lucky Fisherman
The Orphan Boy and the Magic Stone
The Slave Girl who tried to Kill her Mistress
The King and the 'Nsiat BirdConcerning the Fate of Essido and his Evil Companions
Concerning the Hawk and the Owl
The Story of the Drummer and the Alligators
The 'Nsasak Bird and the Odudu Bird
The Election of the King Bird


Enjoy This classic collection!?