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

Overview

Masilonyane survives the pot-woman he inadvertently releases, obtains cattle from her huge toe and refuses a share to the brother who declined to help him. Masilo directs him to a fountain covered by a flat stone. After an exchange of turns holding it up, Masilo lets it fall on Masilonyane while the younger man stoops to drink, killing him and taking the cattle.

The victim’s heart leaves his body and becomes a bird. It flies ahead to their village and identifies both murderer and motive: Masilo wanted the fine many-coloured cow. The people wait for Masilo, who arrives with the herd and claims he does not know where his brother went. When they question the bird, it has become Masilonyane again.

The restored man directs them to the fountain for his clothes. They find and bring them back, supporting his account. Masilo still asserts ownership of the cattle, but Masilonyane challenges why he killed him, and the people confirm that his heart spoke first. The tale ends with this recognition; it does not state a punishment for Masilo or a final division of the herd. The heart-bird is one phase of Masilonyane, not an additional separately counted bird.

Heart leaves murdered bodyBird-form revelationReturns before killerRestored human testimonyClothes corroborate account
01

Origins & earliest records

Jacottet’s complete bilingual IX and notes compare Casalis, a Bechuana variant and Callaway. These comparisons are not silently combined with this specific giant-toe and heart-bird sequence. No individual teller is named in the inspected tale.

02

Records & interpretation

IX, Masilo and Masilonyane, complete bilingual pp. 56–63; English pp. 56, 58, 60, 62. Pot-woman, clinging pursuit and cattle toe pp. 56–58; heart-bird and restored testimony pp. 60–62. Comparative notes distinguish other pot-woman and revealing-bird stories.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I

    Édouard Jacottet, collector and translator; J. C. Smith, English text assistance · 1908

    IX, Masilo and Masilonyane, complete bilingual pp. 56–63; English pp. 56, 58, 60, 62. Pot-woman, clinging pursuit and cattle toe pp. 56–58; heart-bird and restored testimony pp. 60–62. Comparative notes distinguish other pot-woman and revealing-bird stories.

  2. 02

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I

    Unnamed Sesotho narrative contributor; Édouard Jacottet, editor and translator; J. C. Smith, English text correction · 1908

    The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I, Morija: Sesuto Book Depot; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1908, actual title-page OCR. Preface and introduction xxii previously independently read. Complete selected IX, Masilo and Masilonyane, complete bilingual pp.56–63; revealing heart/bird/restored testimony pp.60–62 and notes independently read; facing Sesotho placement inspected, not independently translated.

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.

The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I

The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I, Morija: Sesuto Book Depot; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1908, actual title-page OCR. Preface and introduction xxii previously independently read. Complete selected IX, Masilo and Masilonyane, complete bilingual pp.56–63; revealing heart/bird/restored testimony pp.60–62 and notes independently read; facing Sesotho placement inspected, not independently translated.

  1. The murdered younger brother’s heart becomes a bird that reveals the killing, then returns to human identity.

    IX, Masilo and Masilonyane, complete bilingual pp.56–63; revealing heart/bird/restored testimony pp.60–62 and notes

The selected ending does not execute Masilo. Killing the revealing bird and its renewed life occur in other cited versions, not this body. Some editor-recorded variants have the brother surviving under the stone; those are not silently substituted for this witness’s death and restoration. No song copied or biological bird lineage invented. Specific narrator not inferred from volume-level contributor list; English correction credited to J. C. Smith.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Collected Se-Suto text with English translation and notesJacottet — complete Masilo/Masilonyane IXResearch 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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