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

Overview

Renel describes Hitikalavasomotra as a small bearded being combining human and animal qualities. Three men have gone to clear and cultivate a tavy, taking turns to prepare the food. When the first has almost finished the beef and rice, the visitor calls for a canoe. The cook says he cannot use a paddle, then rejects a raft because he cannot use a pole. Hitikalavasomotra crosses the river on foot over the water anyway and demands rice. It refuses the proposed serving arrangements, saying a large spoon might strip its skin and particular leaves might make it become a forest or the plant that supplied them. Those feared changes are stated objections, not transformations the tale actually depicts.

The visitor finally demands a fight in full sunlight. It beats the cook, binds him, eats some of the meat and rice and soils what remains. Before leaving it covers both the food and its opponent with grass. The man calls his companions, explains the defeat and describes the spoiled meal. On the next day a second cook stays behind while the others work, and the visitor repeats the successful attack. On the third, Betombokantsoro volunteers to prepare the food but fares no better.

The account closes after the third defeat: Hitikalavasomotra eats half the meal, spoils the rest and leaves peacefully. There is no last-minute victorious cook or death of the visitor in this version. The formula addressing the listening audience follows the episode, but is not assigned as a weather power exercised by the character. Renel’s heading labels the tale Betsimisaraka, collected at Maintinandro; the individual narrator remains unnamed within the collection’s teacher-mediated chain.

Small bearded formWalking on waterWrestling strengthFood theft and spoiling
01

Origins & earliest records

Renel 1910, Contes de Madagascar, première partie, tale 16, pp. 105–107. The heading gives the regional label and locality. Introduction V–VIII describes Malagasy teacher intermediaries, anonymous tellers/transcribers and French translation. Henri Rajaofèra is credited for general Betsimisaraka translation help, not specifically assigned as this narrator.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale 16 and local heading read; relevant source-chain introduction V–VIII read. Original notebooks were not independently inspected. Character powers and the complete ending remain confined to the selected episode.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Contes de Madagascar, première partie: Contes merveilleux

    Charles Renel, editor and translator; Malagasy collection intermediaries · 1910

    Tale 16, pp. 105–107, complete, with regional/local collection heading; introduction V–VIII source chain.

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. Historical collected French narrativeRenel 1910, tale 16Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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