How Thunder Came for the First Time

A small, small rat, Elírí, gave birth to three sons: an elephant, a buffalo and a ram. They made a farm, in which the elephant planted okro, the buffalo osun, and the ram igba. The three sons told their mother she must go to their farm when she was in need and take her choice of what was there. The first time Elírí came, she took okro and igba. The second time she found that someone had been there before her, and she cursed the man who had stolen, praying that he would not die well. (Chorus.) Then Irogun the bird came from the bush and said: I, Irogun, I came to this farm, I plucked the elephant's okro, the buffalo's osun, and the ram's igba. And the bird Irogun took a whip and flogged the mother. When she reached home she told her son the elephant that she had been to the farm, had seen things stolen, and that while she cursed the thief, Irogun came from the bush, acknowledged the theft, and flogged her into the bargain. The elephant replied that he had seen no one who would so dare to flog his mother, and that he would come to the farm. So Elírí and her son the elephant came, and the mother repeated the cursing. (Chorus.) Then Irogun came out and drove the elephant and the mother away. At home, Elírí repeated the story to her son the buffalo, saying how she had been flogged and how she and the elephant together had been driven away. The buffalo said it was impossible that anyone could so flog the elephant, but that he himself would go and see. So the mother and the buffalo went, and as before the mother cursed. (Chorus.) Irogun again appeared, and, flogging both mother and son, drove them away. Meanwhile the ram had gone to market. His mother met him on the way and related what had happened. Then the ram put down the load he was carrying and said he should like to see the man who could so flog his mother Elírí, the small, small rat. Then the mother and her son the ram went to the farm, and the ram asked his mother to repeat the curse. This she did. (Chorus.) And the bird Irogun again appeared, and repeated to the ram what he had said to the elephant and the buffalo, that he was the man who had stolen from the farm. Then the ram wrestled with Irogun the bird, until his horns were broken and the claws of Irogun were broken also. Then they paused, and the ram sent home for ten new horns, and the bird Irogun for ten new claws. The ram sent his wife the sheep; the bird sent his wife the bitch. Meanwhile Elírí got a fat piece of beef, roasted it, and going to the bird's home hung it just above the level the bitch could reach. The sheep got the ten horns and brought them back to the ram. But the claws for Irogun had not yet come, because as the bitch reached home she saw the fat dropping from the beef above and stopped to lick it up; then the fat dropped again, and looking up she saw the beef. And at the sight of the beef she forgot the message. When the ram had his new horns he said: now we will fight again. But Irogun said: I have no claws, let us wait. And the ram said very well, we will wait for a short time. Then Irogun looked round and saw the bitch far off, still trying to reach the beef, and he called to her: carry out my message. But the bitch, thinking only of the fat dropping down, did not listen. And so when the time allowed by the ram had elapsed, the ram said: it is not my fault if you have no claws. And they fought. Irogun sank to his knee, then his body touched the ground, and at last he was altogether down. From that day, when there is thunder, the ram digs in the ground with its foot and says: > One day we will fight again, the fight is not finished yet, one day we will fight again. And since that time the bird Irogun has dwelt in the ground and not on the trees as before. But the noise of the fight between Irogun and the ram was the noise of the first thunder.