A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Theal’s Story of the Hare calls the inkalimeva a fabulous animal. The other animals keep fat in a kraal and appoint guards, but it repeatedly gains entry. A sleeping coney fails first. The inkalimeva then distracts a second guard with honey, a duiker with hide-and-seek, a bluebuck with mutual head-scratching and a porcupine with races deliberately lost until its opponent is exhausted. After each theft it throws a stone to wake the guard, whose alarm brings the community back. The animals execute their unsuccessful guards rather than catching the thief.
The hare accepts the sixth watch only after obtaining a promise that they will spare him. He feigns sleep, catches the inkalimeva approaching the fat and mocks its request for a small piece. They become companions and agree to fasten each other’s tails. The inkalimeva loosely ties the hare, but the hare secures its tail and kills it with his club. The hare eats almost all the tail, concealing a fragment and claiming the animal had none. Its discovery reveals his lie and sends him fleeing. The episode establishes a tail and elaborate deception, while leaving the fabulous animal’s overall appearance undescribed. Theal’s concluding note calls the larger hare narrative a fragment and compares a separate water-guarding story.
Origins & earliest records
Theal’s introduction attributes the main collection to Xhosa contributors. His preface distinguishes their narration, writing and collective revision from his direction and notes; no individual narrator is named for this tale.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected tale read: Story of the Hare, pp. 179–185; repeated thefts pp. 179–182, hare and tail trap pp. 183–184, editorial fragment note p. 185.
In the literature
“the hare took his club and killed it.”
STORY OF THE HARE. Complete selected published episode, printed pp.179–185 · Episode’s individual English translator not identified
The fabulous Inkalimeva repeatedly steals communal fat after distracting successive guards, each of whom the community kills. Hare feigns sleep, befriends the thief and binds its tail before killing it. Hare consumes the tail intended for the chief, lies, is pursued, later escapes a snare and performs further violent adventures. Inkalimeva is dead at this point; the continued hare career is not a revived creature episode. The editor explicitly regards the abruptly ending published story as a fragment.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Kaffir Folk-Lore, second edition
Story of the Hare, pp. 179–185; repeated thefts pp. 179–182, hare and tail trap pp. 183–184, editorial fragment note p. 185.; preface and introductory chapter distinguish contributor roles.
- 02
Kaffir Folk-Lore — Inkalimeva complete selected episode
Actual1886 second edition, London Swan Sonnenschein, Le Bas & Lowrey, independently read title; preface datedJan1882. Theal directs native telling/copying/revision and claims only explanatory notes as his own. Individual episode tellers and English translators not identified in inspected text.
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.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Kaffir Folk-Lore — Inkalimeva complete selected episode
Actual1886 second edition, London Swan Sonnenschein, Le Bas & Lowrey, independently read title; preface datedJan1882. Theal directs native telling/copying/revision and claims only explanatory notes as his own. Individual episode tellers and English translators not identified in inspected text.
- The fabulous Inkalimeva repeatedly steals communal fat after distracting successive guards, each of whom the community kills. Hare feigns sleep, befriends the thief and binds its tail before killing it. Hare consumes the tail intended for the chief, lies, is pursued, later escapes a snare and performs further violent adventures. Inkalimeva is dead at this point; the continued hare career is not a revived creature episode. The editor explicitly regards the abruptly ending published story as a fragment.
STORY OF THE HARE. Complete selected published episode, printed pp.179–185
No whole collection/introduction or original oral recording reviewed. Publication-fragment status retained where editor states it; colonial racial hierarchies and descriptions not endorsed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Collected primary narrative; digitized second editionTheal 1886 — InkalimevaResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.