The Iguana Who Envied the Dog

Overview

The Iguana lives in the bush near a town, while the Dog lives among people. Hearing people repeatedly call the Dog by name, he concludes that his friend enjoys a fortunate life. The Dog invites him into town and carries him on his back because he does not know how to manage there. In a kitchen the Dog steals meat, and a young woman strikes at them with a burning stick. The Iguana receives the blow. A little cooked rice does not satisfy both visitors, and the bones later thrown out are food that the Iguana says he cannot eat. His statement about lacking teeth belongs to this speaking character’s complaint, rather than to a biological description of lizards.

The Dog takes his passenger from yard to yard, lapping or upsetting soup and drawing punishment. Because the Iguana rides on his back, he bears the lashes while the Dog keeps promising a present further ahead. After they escape back to the bush, the Iguana refuses every invitation to return and hides. The ending explains his avoidance of people, town and dogs through this bitter lesson. It also says that a dog who catches him takes him to town to be eaten, calling this a demonstration of the good fortune he had envied. Schlenker prints a shorter alternative telling in a footnote: there the burning-stick incident alone leads the Iguana to jump down and return to the bush.

Origins & earliest records

Part I, Fable I, collected orally from an unnamed elderly Temne man living at Port-Loko; English translation by C. F. Schlenker, 1861.

Records & interpretation

Complete English tale and its alternative telling, printed pp. 41–45; collector’s attribution and translation notice in the preface.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   A Collection of Temne Traditions, Fables and Proverbs

   C. F. Schlenker · 1861

   Part I, Chapter IV, Fable I: The Iguana and the Dog, pp. 41–45.

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. Primary collected narrative; original English translationA Collection of Temne Traditions, Fables and Proverbs: The Iguana and the DogResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

The Iguana back in the bush; animal appearance and setting imagined.

Original narrative illustration; animal form and setting interpreted, not a documentary species or ethnographic image.