Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Zeritu Kebede

Once upon a time, there was a king who used to have a wise old counsellor who could see into the future.

When the wise man died, the king sent for his son and asked him to foretell the future. The son didn’t know anything and he was very sad.

As he was going to the king’s castle, he met a fox. And the fox said, “Listen. I can tell you about the future if you give me fifty sheep.”

The son agreed, and the fox told him, “Tell the king that the next few years are going to be years of fire and burning.”

So the son went to the king and told him this. But in fact he didn’t bring back any sheep for the fox. Instead he brought back fire and tried to burn him.

After three years, the king again sent for the boy and the boy did not know what to do until he met the fox. And the fox said, “If you bring me back fifty sheep, I will tell you about the future.”

And the boy promised that he would. And the fox told him that the next three years would be the time of war. And the boy went back to the king and he said that the time would be the time of war.

And this time again he didn’t bring the fox any sheep but instead he brought a spear and he tried to kill the fox.

After three years the king sent for the boy again and on the way he met the fox who told him that it would be a time of peace.

So the boy went and he brought back fifty sheep and it was a time of peace, so the men and the animals, the boy and the fox, also had peace between them.