A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Three girls visiting a maize field discuss how they would evade cannibals. One chooses a pick handle, another a gourd, and the third lard. When the feared figures actually arrive, each takes her proposed form. The men reject the lard as unpleasant but admire the gourd and handle. The narrative specifically follows the man who carries the handle home and puts it in his outhouse.
The following day, children hear the pick handle speaking about the companions who left her. Their father first rejects the possibility that a stick could talk, then comes to listen. After hearing it himself, he summons the other men, who also hear the repeated complaint and leave the handle where it lies. At dawn it speaks again and rolls out. When the household emerges, the handle has gone, and no one knows where. The text ends at that departure; it supplies neither a reunion nor a separate final fate for the other two girls.
Origins & earliest records
Jacottet prints this complete narrative in parallel Se-Suto and English. His general introduction describes several contributors and collection routes, but the inspected tale does not identify an individual teller.
Records & interpretation
XXXIX, Moriana, complete bilingual pp. 262–265; English pp. 262, 264. Three transformations and capture p. 262; witnessed speech and departure p. 264.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I
XXXIX, Moriana, complete bilingual pp. 262–265; English pp. 262, 264. Three transformations and capture p. 262; witnessed speech and departure p. 264.
- 02
The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume 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 method statement introduction xxii read; complete chapters XXXVII–XXXIX, bilingual printed pp.254–265, English narrative and full explanatory notes independently read. Sesotho placement inspected without an independent-translation claim.
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 method statement introduction xxii read; complete chapters XXXVII–XXXIX, bilingual printed pp.254–265, English narrative and full explanatory notes independently read. Sesotho placement inspected without an independent-translation claim.
- Three girls become objects to avoid cannibals; the captured speaking handle later disappears.
XXXIX, Moriana, complete bilingual pp.262–265; English pp.262/264 and comparison note p.263
No restored human form, reunion or fate of the other two girls is narrated. Sekese’s comparison substitutes three young men and different objects; it is not adopted into this telling. No song reproduced; specific narrator unresolved. English corrector credited; no source-wide rights conclusion inferred from public access.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Collected Se-Suto text with English translation and notesJacottet — Transforming Girls of MorianaResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.