The Greedy Girl

A Hausa folk-tale goes like this :

Once there was a greedy girl. She would eat anything. She would eat cows, dogs - she would even eat the earth from under your feet. One day, her parents decided that they had had enough ;'Go away', they said. 'You are too greedy. We don't want you anymore.'

The girl went to see her best friend. 'My parents have told me to go away. Come with me.' 'OK,' said her best friend, and off they went. They walked along the road, out into the forest. At a bend in the road, they met seven dogs, jumping at them and barking. The greedy girl eat them. Then she went into the jungle. When she came back, she could no longer speak. All she could do was bark. Like a dog.

The two girls walked on. They came to a river ; on the other side of the river was a city. They crossed the river and entered the town. The king saw them coming. "Ah," he said, "that is a very beautiful girl. I must marry her." So he did. His Prime Minister married the girl's friend.

The king was very pleased with his new wife, but he wished she could speak instead of barking like a dog. He called all the witch-doctors of the kingdom, but none of them could do anything to help. So then he decreed that all the women of the kingdom would come one morning to the city square, and there they would pound millets together until the sky shook. At this, the greedy girl's friend went to find her. "Come with me," she said. They went back upon the road that they had arrived on, back over the river and into the jungle, until they came to the bend where the girl had eaten the dogs. "Follow me," said the friend, and they went into the jungle, far into the jungle, until they came to hut.

An old woman lived in the hut. When she saw the greedy girl, she took a big stick, and told her to offer her back. Then she beat the girl. "Whap" went the stick, and one of the dogs jumped out of the girl's mouth. "Whap" went the stick again, and another dog jumped out. The old woman hit her seven times with the stick, and seven times a dog jumped out of her mouth. After that, she could speak again.

The two girls went back to the city. They arrived just as the women were gathering in the square. "I must be quick", said the greedy girl, and ran to her room. There she put on her most beautiful jewels. When she emerged from the palace into the square, the sun said "Oh - you are so beautiful! Shall I hide my face?" "Don't be stupid", said the girl. "If you do that, noone will see me. Stay where you are." So the sun stayed. The earth said "Oh - you are so beautiful. Shall I move away from beneath your feet?" "Don't be stupid," said the girl. "If you do that, I shall not be able to walk down to the king. Stay where you are." So the earth stayed.

The king saw his young wife walking towards him, and he was astounded by her beauty. "Oh," he said, "you are so beautiful. I will make you my first wife." "Hmmm," said the girl. "Where there are many, the one will be envied." "You're right," said the king. So he had all his other wives' heads cut off, and he and the girl lived happily ever after.

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