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Overview

A poor fisherman sets baskets on stakes across a river but finds few fish. When he discovers a stranger sleeping on the bank, he offers a share of his evening meal. The guest eats and drinks without speaking, so the host assumes they speak different languages. The stranger suddenly vanishes, leaving the meal’s remains as evidence of the visit.

The fisherman’s baskets overflow on each of the next three evenings. On the third, the last basket holds a single enormous fish, which asks whether he recognizes it. The fish identifies itself as the guest and king of fishes, explaining that it is rewarding his kindness. It jumps back into the water, while the baskets continue to fill and the fisherman prospers. This witness explicitly connects the stranger and fish as one being; it supplies no particular species or royal underwater household.

Human disguiseSudden disappearanceLarge speaking fishGrateful provision of fish
01

Origins & earliest records

Ogumefu’s preface attributes the collection to Yoruba country in southern Nigeria and notes that songs are abbreviated. No individual storyteller or field date is supplied for this episode; the preface’s Christian judgments are editorial framing.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected chapter read: XXVII, The Secret of the Fishing-Baskets, pp. 49–51

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Yoruba Legends

    M. I. Ogumefu · 1929

    XXVII, The Secret of the Fishing-Baskets, pp. 49–51

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 narrative; digitized historical editionOgumefu — XXVII, The Secret of the Fishing-Baskets, pp. 49–51Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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