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

Overview

The mother-in-law takes large quantities of the young wife’s prepared bread to her own company at night. She leads the daughter-in-law to a donga where human participants, ghosts, baboons and other animals gather. She demonstrates two differently coloured staves, one causing death and another restoring life, then gives them to the younger woman to repeat the act. The daughter-in-law instead leaves the company dead and returns to the village.

The missing household members draw public attention. When the daughter-in-law restores the company in daylight, the ghosts vanish and the people are exposed without garments. She leaves her marriage and returns to her parents. Her mother-in-law responds by commanding the very large fabulous animal Obu to carry her back. The mistress directs repeated beatings and orders the carrier to return the injured woman before morning.

The reprisal ends when a doctor and armed villagers trap and kill Obu at the parental enclosure. Its mistress asks for the dead creature’s skin and is refused. The villagers notify the chief of her own village, who drives her away. This completed expulsion belongs to the tale; the collector’s broad comparisons with European witch stories are commentary rather than evidence for the unnamed woman’s biography.

Nocturnal mixed companyNarrative death and revivalCommands ObuRepeated reprisalExpelled by chief
01

Origins & earliest records

Jacottet’s bilingual XL preserves Obu in its heading and Obe in the narrative. His p. 269 note says the narrator noticed the discrepancy but could not explain it, and identifies the creature as a very large fabulous animal serving the witch. No individual teller is named in the inspected episode.

02

Records & interpretation

XL, Obu, complete bilingual pp. 266–275; English pp. 266, 268, 270, 272, 274. Name discrepancy and fabulous-animal gloss p. 269; ear transport p. 270; fatal ambush and mistress’s expulsion p. 274.

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

    XL, Obu, complete bilingual pp. 266–275; English pp. 266, 268, 270, 272, 274. Name discrepancy and fabulous-animal gloss p. 269; ear transport p. 270; fatal ambush and mistress’s expulsion p. 274.

  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. Full preface and introduction xxii method statement read; complete XL–XLII, bilingual pp.266–285, English narratives and complete explanatory notes independently read. Facing Sesotho placement inspected without independent translation.

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. Full preface and introduction xxii method statement read; complete XL–XLII, bilingual pp.266–285, English narratives and complete explanatory notes independently read. Facing Sesotho placement inspected without independent translation.

  1. A mother-in-law retaliates against a bride who exposes her supernatural company, but is ultimately expelled.

    XL, Obu, complete bilingual pp.266–275; exposure English pp.266–268, retaliation pp.270–274 and final expulsion p.274

The opening English mother/daughter and daughter-in-law terms shift; the controlling older woman is consistently mother-in-law in the later revenge sequence. Jacottet reports disagreement whether this was a tale or history/legend; neither proves historical witchcraft. No ritual sequence, formula or performance instruction copied. Specific narrator not identified from the 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 Obu taleResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

FT·3313 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑