The Tale of Sikhuluma, the Boy Who Did Not Speak
Xhosa folktale · iintsomi
Kwesukasukela. A king's long-awaited son was born, but the boy did not speak a single word as he grew, and this silence troubled the whole nation. The boy, Sikhuluma, at last announced that he would speak only when he was permitted to lead an expedition. When he came of age he gathered the young men and set out on a great journey across dangerous country. On the road they came to homesteads of the cannibal-ogres, and through Sikhuluma's wisdom and the warnings of a helpful old woman, the company knew what food they could safely eat and what they must refuse, for to eat the ogres' food was to be doomed. Many of his companions, ignoring the warnings, ate forbidden things and perished or were caught. Sikhuluma faced the great ogres and, through courage, cunning, and the aid of supernatural helpers, overcame the dangers and won a wife and cattle. But on returning home, Sikhuluma himself was bound by a deep taboo or destiny, and the tale turns on the working-out of fate and the obligations laid upon him. His silence and his careful speech marked him as one set apart, a hero whose every word carried weight. Cosu cosu iyaphela intsomi.
The lesson: Wisdom often dwells in restraint and careful speech; heed the warnings of the wise, for to ignore them is to court ruin.