A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
This A-Man-among-Men is the huge master of a forest household, distinct from the ordinary wood-carrier who boasts with the same title. His young son lifts a well bucket that needs ten men and rescues the visitor when he nearly falls into the well. The master’s wife hides the visiting boaster in a meat store and deflects her husband’s repeated claim to smell a human. The returning master speaks with a voice compared to a tornado, eats ten elephants and takes one at his morning meal.
His wife tells the hidden visitor to remain still while the house is dark and escape when its becoming light signals sleep. The man flees through the night. When the master wakes, he follows the human scent and pursues him. His running produces wind strong enough to throw farm workers about before his arrival. Each attempted refuge fails until the fugitive reaches Dungun-Daji beneath a baobab.
The master demands his quarry from Dungun-Daji, who shelters him under a thigh and refuses to surrender him. Their mutual leg-lock and leap carry both into the heavens. The narrative explains thunder as their renewed wrestling, with periods of rest when they tire. The fugitive meanwhile returns to his wife. The forest master is not merged with that similarly named human, and the text does not resolve the sky contest by killing either giant.
Origins & earliest records
Malam Shaihu supplied written Hausa material, sometimes translated from Arabic manuscripts; Rattray transliterated and translated it into English. The author note dates the manuscript collection to 1907–1911.
Records & interpretation
Complete tale 12 pp. 210–230 reread: two similarly titled men distinguished; three failed farm-worker refuges pp. 222–224, Dungun-Daji pp. 226–230.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Hausa Folk-Lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc., Volume I
Complete tale 12 pp. 210–230 reread: two similarly titled men distinguished; three failed farm-worker refuges pp. 222–224, Dungun-Daji pp. 226–230.
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.
- Bilingual manuscript tale; digitized primary OCRShaihu/Rattray — forest master and sky wrestlingResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Compiler methodologyAuthor’s NoteResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
