A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

A cruel stepmother sends a girl to wash a skin at the River Bagajun, reputed to be a place where a witch eats visitors. After passing speaking rivers of sour milk and honey and fowls cooking themselves, the girl hides by a tree and sees a woman washing in the river. Numerous mouths over her body call for portions. When the girl emerges, the woman beats her body and restores an ordinary single-mouthed appearance, then asks the visitor to rub her back. The back opens and reveals a small covered basket, which she gives the girl.

The donor instructs her to test where to open the gift. If a voice answers that they should break and divide it, she must continue walking. She eventually opens it in a silent place, and livestock, attendants and other riches appear. The stepmother's daughter repeats the journey aggressively, insults the strange encounters and openly mocks the river woman's mouths. Although given the same warning, she opens her basket where the answering voice is heard. Instead of wealth, a large company of people with illnesses and disabilities appears; her father refuses them entry and she remains outside town. The tale contrasts the reception of the same figure and instructions, without describing the river witch killing either visitor.

Body-wide mouthsSingle-mouth concealmentOpening backCovered basket giftAnswering voice condition
01

Origins & earliest records

Tale 93 is credited Ba Gu(d)du in Tremearne's narrator key. Selected witness: second edition 1913; exact narration date unspecified.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete main tale 93, printed pp. 424-428, directly read; comparative versions distinguished from main action.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Hausa Superstitions and Customs

    Ba Gu(d)du, storyteller; A. J. N. Tremearne, collector and translator · 1913

    Second edition; tale 93, pp. 424-428.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Collected primary narrativeHausa Superstitions and Customs - tale 93Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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