The Ostrich is born again, page137, historical printed text witness; documentary source-page facsimile
Primary text witness to The Ostrich is born again, page137 in the 1911 edition. Documentary text facsimile, not creature artwork; historical terminology and collector interpretations belong to the original publication.
Overview
A hunter kills the male ostrich at his eggs and carries the carcass home. His wife removes bloodied short feathers that lay inside the carrying net and puts them on bushes while the household eats the meat. A small whirlwind lifts those discarded feathers; one bearing blood rises into the sky and falls into water. There it becomes conscious and changes into ostrich flesh, acquiring feathers, wings and legs. The recovered being emerges as a little male with young black quills. His return is traced through a surviving feather rather than a preserved complete carcass, and the bloody remnant connects the new body with the animal that died.
Restoration continues gradually. The young ostrich basks beside the water to dry, walks to unstiffen and strengthen his feet, lies down while his breast hardens, and eats small tender plants. Growth brings larger knees, strong mature feathers, long wing feathers and a heavier body. He remembers the old nesting place where he was killed and allows himself to become grown before returning. The narrative repeatedly joins recollection with bodily recovery: the bird does not simply reappear as an instantly finished adult. His renewed roaring accompanies the strengthening of ribs and the summoning of the females he left behind.
He returns to scratch a nest at the old site and acquires a third wife in addition to the former two. Recent rain makes the ground damp, so the birds first sleep beside the nest while a female softens and dries its interior. Others arrive in turn, lay eggs and share the nesting place. The male drives them toward it in darkness and alternates his own rest there with their movements to feed. Two females may remain while he and another go away and return early. His final duty is protective: regarding the eggs as his children, he watches for the jackal and intends to drive it off or kick it away. Regeneration therefore leads into resumed kinship, nesting work and defense of future young.
Origins & earliest records
Selected tale in Bleek and Lloyd’s bilingual collection, edited from recorded narratives and explanatory notes. London: George Allen & Co., 1911. Related by |a!kunta, credited in the printed heading p. 136.
Records & interpretation
The selected chapter and explanatory notes attest the narrated form and actions. The individual narrative speaker is not established from this extract; the edition date is not a first oral telling.
In the literature
“he will marry three Ostrich wives.”
IV.34, The Resurrection of the Ostrich, narrative pp. 136–145; Renewed family and nesting life · W. H. I. Bleek and Lucy C. Lloyd
The restored male seeks his former nest and wives, acquires a third female and resumes preparing and guarding the nest against the jackal.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Specimens of Bushman Folklore
Selected witness: The Resurrection of the Ostrich
- 02
Specimens of Bushman Folklore — IV.34, The Resurrection of the Ostrich, narrative pp. 136–145
London: George Allen & Co., 1911. Related by |a!kunta, credited in the printed heading p. 136.
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.
Specimens of Bushman Folklore — IV.34, The Resurrection of the Ostrich, narrative pp. 136–145
George Allen & Co., London, 1911. Related by |a!kunta, credited in the printed heading p. 136.
- After a hunter kills an ostrich, a bloodied feather is lifted by a whirlwind and falls into water, where it becomes conscious and the ostrich gradually regrows.
IV.34, The Resurrection of the Ostrich, narrative pp. 136–145; Bloodied feather and regrowth
- The restored male seeks his former nest and wives, acquires a third female and resumes preparing and guarding the nest against the jackal.
IV.34, The Resurrection of the Ostrich, narrative pp. 136–145; Renewed family and nesting life
The evidence excerpt supports one clause; the complete chapter was read for the full episode. This historical translation is a mediated witness, not an exhaustive account of present community beliefs.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Collected oral narrative in translationThe Resurrection of the OstrichResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Collected primary narrative translationSpecimens of Bushman Folklore — The Resurrection of the OstrichResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical text facsimileThe Ostrich is born again, page137, historical printed text witness; documentary source-page facsimile
Primary text witness to The Ostrich is born again, page137 in the 1911 edition. Documentary text facsimile, not creature artwork; historical terminology and collector interpretations belong to the original publication.
