A Folktale from Africa

WHY THE SEA IS SALT


By Endang Firdaus


Long, long ago, there lived two brothers. The older brother was rich and successful, but mean and arrogant. The younger brother was very poor, but kind and generous.
One day, the poor brother and his wife had nothing to eat. They also had no money to buy something to eat and had nothing to be sold. To make matters worse, the next day was a day of celebration. “We have nothing to eat. Tomorrow is a day of celebration. How will we celebrate?” said the poor brother’s wife sadly. The poor brother did not know what to do.
“Go to your brother and ask for his help,” suggested the wife. “He killed a cow yesterday. Maybe he will give us a little meat for a day of celebration.” The poor brother did not like to ask his brother for help, for he knew how mean and selfish his brother was. But the next day was a day of celebration, and he really could not think how else to get something to eat. He went to his brother’s house. “What do you want?” asked the older brother when his brother came.
“Go away!” cried the older brother’s wife. She was very angry. “We are busy preparing the feast for a day of celebration tomorrow! We have no time for you! Go away!”
“Brother,” said the poor man, “we have nothing to eat, no food for a day of celebration tomorrow. Please give me a little meat, so that I and my wife may also celebrate.”
“My husband,” shrieked the older brother's wife at her husband, “throw your brother out!”
“Please help us, brother!” said the poor brother sadly, looking at his older brother.
“All right!” cried the older brother. “Take this! Go to Hiysi!” He threw a cow’s hoof at his younger brother.
The poor man thanked his brother and then walked back to his house. As he walked he thought, “My brother did not give me the cow's hoof. He has told me to take it to Hiysi. So this cow’s hoof is not mine to eat, but Hiysi’s. I must take it to Hiysi.” Hiysi, the Wood-Goblin, lived deep in the forest. The poor brother turned around and went to the forest.
The forest was dark and gloomy. The poor brother walked and walked trough the trees. Then, he met some woodcutters. “What are you doing here?” they asked the poor brother.
“I want to take this cow’s hoof to Hiysi,” answered the poor brother. “Do you know his hut?”
'Keep walking straight ahead,' said the woodcutters. 'Turn neither left nor right, and soon you will be at Hiysi's hut. Listen carefully. Hiysi loves meat. He will offer you silver and gold and precious stones in gratitude. Don't accept any of those. Ask instead for his millstone. If he tries to offer you something else, you must refuse it. Ask only for his millstone.”
The poor brother thanked the woodcutters. Then he walked on. Not long he saw a hut. He went inside and found Hiysi sitting there. “Why have you came here?” Hiysi asked.
“I have a gift for you,” said the poor brother. “A cow's hoof.” He held out the cow’s hoof to Hiysi.
Hiysi liked very much to get the cow’s hoof. Happily he grabbed it and ate it. “I will give you a gift in return,” he said. 'Here, take some silver!” He pulled out a handful of silver coins.
“I don’t want any silver,” said the poor brother.
“Do you want gold?”
Hiysi pulled out two handfuls of gold coin.
“I don’t want gold either.”
“How about some precious stones?”
“I don’t want any of those either.”
“What do you want?”
“I want your millstone.”
“My millstone!' exclaimed Hiysi. “You can't have that. But I can give you anything else you like.”
“Thank you. You’re very kind,” said the poor brother. “Bu I only want your millstone.”
Hiysi did not want to let the poor brother go without a gift in return. So he gave his millstone to him. He said, “This is a magic millstone. It will give you whatever you wish for. Just make your wish and say, ‘Grind, my millstone!’ When you have enough and want the millstone to stop, just say, ‘Enough and have done!’ And it will stop.” The poor brother thanked and went home. Arriving his house he told his adventures to his wife.
The poor brother put the millstone on the table and said, “Grind, my millstone! Give me food!” The millstone grinded, and there on the table poured the delicious food. “Enough and have done!” said the poor brother. The millstone stopped grinding. Then, happily the poor brother and his wife ate the food. The poor man and his wife then took a day of celebration happily. They had enough food to eat and new clothes to wear. They became rich.
The older brother heard his younger brother’s fortune. He went to his younger brother’s house and asked him how to be rich. The younger brother told him everything. “I must get that millstone for myself,” thought the older brother. He asked his younger brother to show him the millstone. The younger brother did not suspect the wickedness of his older brother. He took his millstone and put it on the table and said, “Grind, my millstone! Give us some food!” The millstone grinded and poured the delicious food on the table. The older brother could not believe his eyes. “Sell me your millstone!” he begged of his younger brother. The younger brother answered that the millstone was not for sale. The older brother then asked his younger brother to lend it him. The younger brother did.
The older brother took the millstone home. He did not asked how to make it stop. He put the millstone into a boat and rowed out to sea with it. Arriving there he said, “Grind. my millstone! Give me salt, as much as you can!” He asked salt to the millstone because he thought he would have much money by selling the salt. The millstone grinded and poured out the salt. The boat was full. The older brother decided to stop the millstone. But he did not know how. “Stop, my millstone!” he cried. “Stop grinding. I don't want any more salt.”
The millstone kept turning, pouring out salt. The older brother begged and pleaded with the millstone to stop. But he did not know the magic words. So the millstone kept turning and pouring out salt and more salt. The rich brother tried to throw the millstone overboard, but he could not lift it. The boat was now so full of salt. Slowly it began sinking
“Help!” cried the older brother.
The millstone kept pouring out salt, and the boat kept sinking till it sank to the bottom of the sea with the older brother and millstone. The older brother drowned for his greed. At the bottom of the sea, the magic millstone kept pouring out salt, until now. That is why the sea is salt.