Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Kassa Alamrew

Once there was a very serious famine in Wollo^{Formerly a province in north-eastern Ethiopia.} and a family was severely affected. They ate whatever they had and were left with only one ox, so they had nothing to eat. Finally they discussed what to do, and agreed to slaughter the ox and eat it. They slaughtered the ox and put the meat over a rope hanging between the walls of the house and went to collect wood to make a fire. On their way they met someone who asked them for directions to their neighbour's home. They told him how to find it by first taking their own home as a mark, and asked him not to go in. But the man followed their directions and went into their house and began to eat the meat.

When they got back with the wood, they found the meat was finished and there were only flies over the bones left behind.

The husband said, “It must be the flies who have eaten the meat.”

The woman agreed.

They wanted revenge on the flies and he got a very big stick to kill the flies. As he was trying to kill the flies he broke up his furniture and goods. Finally one of the flies landed on his wife’s nose. She pointed to it without speaking. So her husband picked up the stick, hit her on the nose and she was killed.