A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
At the end of Raseretsana’s story, animals question him about an egg. He says Mosoansoanyane gave it to him and places it on the path with a warning about breaking it. Several groups pass by, including animals described as carrying their young on their backs. A large animal returns twice after leaving, then deliberately crushes the egg under its foot.
Mosoansoanyane comes out of the broken egg and enters the animal’s nostrils. The animal exclaims at the intrusion and dies; Mosoansoanyane emerges again and eats it with Raseretsana. Jacottet expressly states that he does not know who Mosoansoanyane is or where the egg came from, suggesting an attached fragment of another tale. The witnessed actions establish an egg-emerging, body-entering figure, while its appearance and the victim’s species remain unspecified.
Origins & earliest records
Jacottet’s collection supplies parallel Se-Suto and English texts with comparative notes. The inspected narrative does not name an individual contributor; the general list of informants is not assigned to this particular episode.
Records & interpretation
XLI, Raseretsana, complete bilingual pp. 276–281. Egg attribution and placement p. 278; editor’s identity/source uncertainty p. 279; emergence, nostril entry, death and shared meal p. 280.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I
XLI, Raseretsana, complete bilingual pp. 276–281. Egg attribution and placement p. 278; editor’s identity/source uncertainty p. 279; emergence, nostril entry, death and shared meal p. 280.
- 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 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.
- An unexplained egg donor emerges from a crushed egg, kills its breaker and shares the animal with Raseretsana.
Jacottet explicitly does not know who Mosoansoanyane is or where the egg came from and conjectures an appended fragment. The large animal is not assigned an unprinted species. No egg-parent relation or biological reproduction inferred; warning formula not reproduced. 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.
- Collected Se-Suto text with English translation and notesJacottet — MosoansoanyaneResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.