WHOM THE GODS WANT TO KILL.
Written by Mike Ngozi Osuji;
Tel; +2348033865418:
Email; Osujimichael60@gmail.com
Once upon a time there lived an animal named the tortoise. The tortoise was a great fortune teller in the land of animals. He was very famous for his trade and craft as a fortune teller in all the surrounding animal kingdoms both in the sky and on earth.
The tortoise foretold for animals on earth and in the sky. He also foretold for men and women; men who were in dare need of male children as well as female children, He was always consulted as the great suit sayer; People refered to him as the wise sage, the great tortoise; women who wanted to know what to do to make their husband to love them more and more, also consulted the tortoise.
Kings and Queens, all over the kingdoms, also went to the tortoise for fortune telling, especially those who wanted to know the future in advance. Farmers and hunters alike went to the tortoise to have a glimpse of the future of the harvest and the likely result of hunting expeditions even before embarking on them.
Comparatively, the ancient Igbos, especially Mbaise Igbos consulted the Oracles when they were faced with situations which were beyond their human capacity. Other reasons were when an event is beyond human comprehension, and if there was difficulty in making the right choice and the correct decisions. Consultation visits to the Oracle were either at the family or community levels.
For example, knotty and problematic boundary disputes, and some very stubborn family cases and marriage issues were resolved through the Oracle.
Meanwhile, the fowl and the fox are sworn enemies. The fox was in the habit of terrorising the fowl and her chicks, and whenever the fowl crossed the path of the fox, the fox will catch her to kill and eat. And so the fowl was in a desperate need of what to do to escape the killer fox.
One day, the fowl went to the great fortune teller of all places and of all times. So the fowl arrived at the shrine of tortoise to consult the Oracle of the hills as it was popularly known, who was endowed with knowledge and wisdom, and having the keys of solution to all teething problems of mankind, and of all animals. But barely has the fowl settled down on his arrival at the shrine than the fox came calling too for consultation with the Oracle over how to catch the fowl to kill and eat.
On sighting the fox as he raced towards the shrine, the tortoise took a basket and covered the fowl with it as he sought to know the mission of the fox at the shrine at the same hour with the fowl. Explaining, the fox said that he came to consult the Oracle on what to do to be able to catch the fowl and her chicks always to kill and eat.
"You will have to always be in your house, and if you see the fowl scavenging around your house, go after her, kill her and eat, but if not do not harrass her", said the tortoise to the fox. " thank you great one", replied the fox, I will do as foretold". The fox then left to wait in his house as the Oracle had foretold.
The tortoise, then removed the basket he had used in covering the fowl. " Did you hear what I told the fox?", asked the tortoise. "Yes, I heard you", said the fowl. "It is up to you", said the tortoise; "if you know how to pound, pound in the morter, if you don't know how to pound, pound on your laps". " If you counsel the wise, he becomes wiser, but counsel the foolish, he will fly away into the bush by becoming most foolish", so says an Igbo proverb
But one thing is obvious, the fowl was a foolish and stubborn animal that hardly listened to advise and good counseling.
As foolish and stubborn as the fowl was,she took her chicks to scavenge at the backyard of her enemy, the fox, without putting into consideration, the warnings of tortoise, the fortune teller. On that fateful day, the fowl and her chicks were scavenging around the house of the fox. They became preys to the fox who sighted them from the window of his house as they were scavenging around his house and remembering what the Oracle foretold, he seized them, killed them and made a good meal of them.
The fox, feeling grateful returned to the tortoise to thank him for his wise and accurate foretelling, but the tortoise had requested a token of kolanut with four cotyledons as a token gift from the fox; but despite tortoise's moderate request, the fox failed to return to tortoise to show appreciation till this day
The tortoise was obviously infuriated by the foolish and stubborn fowl who could not obey the simple counsel of his Oracle. "Maybe the gods wanted to kill the fowl", the tortoise reflected. Otherwise why would he go to his enemy's backyard to look for food after haven been warned by the great oracle? "Whom the gods want to kill they first make him deaf", so says an Igbo proverb
On the other hand, the fortune teller was very enraged by the fox who failed to come back to him to show appreciation with kolanut with four cotyledons.
This is why the tortoise and the fox have remained enemies till this day. This is also why the fox and the fowl can never be friends but sworn enemies of all times.
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