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

Overview

Ntotoatsana has spent years in the distant village of one-sided people after a whirlwind abducts her. Her brother finds her through her twin daughters and helps her escape the horns that announce her movements. The family travels through the night, but the alarm eventually becomes audible and the villagers set out after them. Among the travellers is a black sheep. As the pursuers approach, it sings, lifts its tail, scratches the ground and holds their attention while the human company continues onward.

When the fugitives are already far away, the sheep disappears and arrives beside Ntotoatsana. The pursuers race across the open country, only to stop again when it sings and dances. They swear that even if they must follow to her village, they will pass the attractive performance without watching. At the next encounter they again remain spectators. The sheep suddenly disappears once more. They abandon the pursuit, and the chief’s son returns sadly. Ntotoatsana, her daughters and their rescuing relatives reach home for an actual reunion.

The English narrative consistently names this helper a sheep, although Jacottet’s comparative notes twice call it a goat. Its song is left unexplained by the editor, who says he could understand only a small part and could find no speaker able to clarify it. The profile therefore describes the acts—singing, dancing, repeated distraction and disappearance—without translating the obscure words into a new magical command or assigning an unsupported breed.

Black sheepSinging and dancingDistracts pursuing villagersDisappears and rejoins travellersEnables reunion
01

Origins & earliest records

Jacottet publishes the complete episode in Se-Suto with a literal English translation and explanatory notes. The inspected account does not attach an individual contributor name; the general contributor list in introduction xxii is not used to invent one.

02

Records & interpretation

Jacottet (1908), XXIII Ntotoatsana, complete bilingual pp. 160–165; English narrative pp. 160, 162, 164 and final explanatory notes pp. 164–165; one-sided body description p. 160, comparative distinctions pp. 160–161, complete escape and reunion p. 164.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I

    Édouard Jacottet, collector and translator; J. C. Smith, English text assistance · 1908

    Jacottet (1908), XXIII Ntotoatsana, complete bilingual pp. 160–165; English narrative pp. 160, 162, 164 and final explanatory notes pp. 164–165; one-sided body description p. 160, comparative distinctions pp. 160–161, complete escape and reunion p. 164.

  2. 02

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I

    Unnamed Sesotho narrative contributor; Édouard Jacottet, editor and translator; J. C. Smith, English text correction · 1908

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I, Morija: Sesuto Book Depot; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1908, actual title-page OCR. Full preface and collection/translation statement introductionxxii independently read, alongside complete chaptersXXII–XXIII, Englishpp152/154/156/158 and160/162/164 with corresponding facing pages and notes; selected historical witness only.

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.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I

The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I, Morija: Sesuto Book Depot; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1908, actual title-page OCR. Full preface and collection/translation statement introductionxxii independently read, alongside complete chaptersXXII–XXIII, Englishpp152/154/156/158 and160/162/164 with corresponding facing pages and notes; selected historical witness only.

  1. A disappearing and reappearing sheep enables the fugitive family to outrun its pursuers.

    XXIII, Ntotoatsana, complete Englishpp160/162/164 and all corresponding notes; sheep episodepp162–164

No kinship, origin, permanent spirit identity or guaranteed immortality is supplied. The note admits uncertainty about the song’s meaning and inconsistently calls the animal a goat; narrative sheep label retained. No lyrics reproduced. Sesotho page placement inspected without independent translation; specific narrator remains unidentified and English corrector credited. No chants, formulas or performance instructions copied.

References

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

  1. Collected Se-Suto text with literal English translation and notesJacottet — Black Sheep of Ntotoatsana’s EscapeResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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