Naga folklore about how Universe was made

Every tribe has folklore to foretell with the generation to passed on.  We usually heard the stories from our grandparents as a kid. I believe our folktales needs to be retold. This is the folklore of how the universe was made. The stories may vary from one another but this is the story I have heard as a kid.

The Universe

In the beginning the universe consisted of the Sun, the Moon, the Sky and the Earth. Sun and Moon are husband and wife and Earth the wife of Sky. The Sun is as large as a field and he comes out only by day because he is afraid to go about at night. When he does come he is so ashamed by his cowardice, he flashes up and comes out like a lightning.

Once the Sun decided not to come out, the earth became dark and man couldn’t see anything, so man went to call him, but he came not. Then the bull went and called him, but he came not. Then the pig and after him the dog went and called the Sun, but still he did not come.

Even when the fowls called him he would not listen. So the rooster said, “Very well, I will come looking for you and if anything touches me I shall crow, and you will have to come out.” Since then, the Sun always comes out when the rooster crows for him.

In the moon there are nettles and a cotton tree. Like the Sun, she moves about while the Earth is still. The Sky who is the husband of Earth was smaller than the Earth. The Sky said to the Earth, “you are so big, I cannot cover you, fold up your knees so I can cover you.” So the Earth folded up her knees to let the Sky cover her, and that is why we have hills and valleys on Earth while the Sky is smooth. But even after folding her knees, all the Earth could not get covered, and one place got left outside. 

This place is known as Hedzura. There is no sky in Hedzura, and so they never see the sun there, but they have a precious stick by which they tell the time, and the light there is like a sort of moonshine. The wind in Hedzura is very strong. The wind blows so fiercely all year round and as a result people get old very quickly. They marry off their children one year and cannot recognise them the next. Hedzura is so far away that if a man wished to go there, he must start when he is born, otherwise he will die of age before he reach, growing old upon the road.

By Akholu Zango