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

Overview

Imboroka is called the lord of boars and introduces himself with a title referring to eating stones. The selected tale does not actually narrate him consuming a stone or transforming into a boar. He seeks Ivolamaitso, a daughter of Randiambe. Her father requires him to cultivate a huge cassava field north of the village before the day ends. Imboroka summons all the region’s boars, large and small, and orders them to work. They turn the earth with their snouts and quickly finish the impossible task. Randiambe promises the marriage.

The bride travels with Ikaloandevo, an enslaved young woman whose face, hair and complexion resemble hers; the companion is distinguished by a dirty lamba and a neck mark. At water crossing the road, Ikaloandevo demands the bride’s clothing and ornaments in return for carrying her. The exchange becomes a reversal of social identity. Imboroka marries the impostor and sends the true bride to keep fody birds from the rice. Her account of what happened brings replies from the birds, which deny that she is an enslaved woman. Imboroka hears and summons her.

Ivolamaitso proposes a public test with a uniformly reddish bull. She calls on it to lift her from the tip of its tail onto its back if her stated parentage and identity are true, and performs the feat three times. She then challenges the impostor to do the same. The gathered village recognizes the substitution, and the enslaved companion is killed. The animal-assisted field work, answering birds and bull test are distinct parts of this single tale; only the command over boars is expressly Imboroka’s own action.

Command over boarsRapid communal ploughingRoyal marriage trialBird-revealed substitutionBull-assisted identity test
01

Origins & earliest records

Renel 1910, tale 26, pp. 144–147, with the selected regional/local heading. Introduction V–VIII explains the teacher-mediated collection and French translation; no individual teller is named for this tale.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete tale 26, pp. 144–147, and heading read in retained primary text, with source-chain introduction I–XI. Described events remain attributed to this historical narrative.

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 26, pp. 144–147, complete; 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 26Research 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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