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

Overview

In the appended Ba-Komi variant of tale 44, Lahidi waits beneath an enormous Kainya tree while seeking help for a wounded visitor. Jipillima arrive one after another, the largest complaining of having eaten ninety-nine people that day and others reporting smaller totals. The smallest, calling itself Auta, says a king's son is gravely ill and that the birds' droppings can restore him. Lahidi overhears this, gathers what she needs and takes it to the sick prince. The ensuing narrative describes the thorns leaving him and recovery, making the conversation decisive to the rescue. It is a magical-remedy episode, not practical treatment advice.

Tremearne's earlier fabulous-bird discussion describes one reported Jipillima form with a white head and wings and a body mixed black and white. When he asks whether it is the same as fufunda, the narrator agrees, but another consulted person dismisses both as stories. The collector also expresses uncertainty about Arabic transmission. These comments support a disputed comparison, not a settled phoenix identification. In the separate account he recounts, Ataru travels toward sunrise and sees an enormous fufunda beside a tamarind tree. A cock calls before the sun appears, and a door-opener releases the dawn; these are separate actors, not attributed bird powers.

The fufunda account ends with its identification as king of birds. It laid one egg after creation and has been sitting on it without hatching; the hatch is reserved for the last day. Good people will enter the bird's protective shadow, while the evil remain exposed to the sun despite seeing the shade. This eschatological role belongs to that comparison account. It is preserved alongside the Jipillima tree gathering rather than importing its single egg or final-day shelter into every man-eating bird in Lahidi's episode.

Human-eating gatheringHealing secret overheardReported white head and wingsContested Fufunda equivalenceSingle unhatched egg in comparisonFinal-day shelter in comparison
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Origins & earliest records

Tale 44 credits M., Mohamma, in the contents; its appended variant is not separately assigned a narrator. The fabulous-bird commentary records one narrator's agreement and another person's rejection, while the collector remains uncertain about wider transmission. These voices are kept distinct.

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Records & interpretation

Complete selected source episode and ending read. Tale 44 appended Ba-Komi variant pp. 280-282; complete A Fabulous Bird discussion and Ataru/Fufunda ending pp. 128-130.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Hausa Superstitions and Customs

    A. J. N. Tremearne, collector and translator · 1913

    Tale 44 appended Ba-Komi variant pp. 280-282; complete A Fabulous Bird discussion and Ataru/Fufunda ending pp. 128-130.

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. Digitized collected primary narrative with collector commentaryTremearne 1913 - selected narrative and commentaryResearch 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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