Discusses the difference between folklore and “folk-law.” Many of the stories take the form of parables and serve as a form of cultural law.
The Deceitful Spider, the Half-Man, and the Rubber-Girl
“The Spider” pretends to go and work everyday, until his wife asks where the ground-nut crop is. Then he goes and steals ground-nuts from the Half-Man. The Half-Man makes a rubber girl with big breasts. When the Spider grabs ahold of them, he gets stuck. HE kicks and gets even more stuck. THe Half-Man comes back and beats him up.
Clearly a pre-cursor to several stories.
The Greedy Girl and Her Cure
Once there was a very greedy girl who ate everything she saw. Her parents told her “Get ready and go away, we love you no longer, you are so very greedy.” SO the girl went to her girlfriend and they both left. First they come upon 9 dogs in the road and the greedy girl eats them. After that she can only speak dog. THey meet a king and he marries the greedy girl, who can only bark like a dog now. Her friend eventually takes her to a witch where the nine dogs were. THe witch beats are the back so hard that all nine dogs come out of her body. When she returns she goes to pound corn with the other wives who are taunting her with a song about dogs. She is so beautiful that the Earth and Sun both comment on it. She tells the king that if he is not happy he should get out his sword and do something about it. HE ends up killing the other wives and stays married solely to the greedy girl. (Tremearne)
