THE ORATORY, SONGS, LEGENDS, AND FOLK-TALES OF THE MALAGASY.
By the Rev. James Sibree, Junior.
(Continued from page 106.)
CHAPTER V.
Marvellous Creatures, or Bogy Stories.
In the paper on "Malagasy Folk-Lore and Popular Superstitions" (Folk-Lore Record vol. ii. pp. 19-48), very brief reference was made to the belief in several fabulous animals, three of which were merely mentioned, while of one, the Fanany, a little more detailed account was given. A few additional particulars about this creature were supplied in the short supplementary paper (Folk-Lore Record vol. iv. pp. 46-51). Eight of these marvellous creatures are described in Mr. Dahle's book, and we shall therefore give a translation of what is said about each of them, only omitting a few sentences which are merely wordy repetitions. In a note to the heading of Sampon-jàvatra sàsany Màhagàga, or "Sundry Marvellous Stories," it is said that these stories come from the Betsileo district, the southern-central province of Madagascar. It will be seen that some of the strange creatures here described are not animals, but have some connection with humanity: the kinòly being a grisly re-appearance of men after death; the angalàpona being a kind of water-sprite; while the siòna is a diminutive elf, of pilfering propensities.
1.—The Songòmby.[1] The songòmby, they say, is an animal as big as an ox and fleet of foot, and is said to eat men. In former times (not very long ago) the people in the south thought the horse[2] was a songòmby come from abroad. The way it is caught, they say, is thus: A child is fastened at the entrance of the songòmby's den, so that it cries, and a net is spread at the entrance, whereupon the crea-
- ↑ The two words apparently composing this name mean respectively as follows: sònga, "having the upper lip turned upward, uncovered," and òmby, an ox. Songòmby means, figuratively, "lion-hearted."
- ↑ The horse is of quite modern introduction into Madagascar; it is called, by a corruption of the French word, sòavaly = cheval.
