A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Ramamba is the enormous crocodile in the Vatomandry Rangahibe tale. The man plants saonjo beside a river on ground the animal formerly used for basking. Once the crop becomes thick, the crocodile returns and damages it. Rangahibe sets a trap and captures the intruder. Its formidable open jaws and teeth suggest profit to him: he plans to break out the valuable teeth and perhaps release the animal so they can grow again. He returns with a pestle and begins breaking them one by one. Ramamba struggles free of the ropes, seizes the man and carries him into the river.
Before depositing his still-living captive in a hole beneath the bank, Ramamba needs to relieve himself. Fearing that other crocodiles will take his prey if left in the water, he asks a nearby dog to guard it. The dog agrees, encouraging the concern about rival crocodiles. As soon as Ramamba sets Rangahibe on dry ground, the man and dog escape together. When the crocodile returns, they are already dining in the house. The conclusion explains affection for dogs and crocodile hostility to them through this rescue. Ramamba’s escape from the trap is bodily struggle, not the regeneration of teeth that the human merely anticipated.
The Merina variant collected at Tananarive has an unnamed crocodile damaging an elderly man’s gourds. Caught in a trap, it overcomes the frail farmer when he approaches to kill it. It delays eating him until other animals judge the dispute. A goaika approves the killing because humans call animals parasites; fish likewise condemn the man’s baited hooks and fishing traps. A passing dog appears to agree, but urges the crocodile to laugh at its good fortune. The laughter opens its jaws and drops the old man, who escapes onto the bank.
That second conclusion has separate pronouncements by crocodile, dog and man about their descendants: crocodiles should eat dogs, dogs should alert humans to crocodiles, and humans should feed dogs. Renel explicitly calls it a variant of the earlier fable. The two captors nevertheless remain different narrative actors, with different crops, traps and opportunities for rescue. A dog arranging dry-land custody in the named Ramamba episode is not substituted for the jaw-opening trick in the unnamed variant.
Origins & earliest records
Renel 1910, second volume; collection localities supplied in individual headings, contributors not individually named.
Records & interpretation
Complete listed tales, headings, endings and associated notes read from retained official digitized text; separate variant actors and stated relationships preserved.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Contes de Madagascar, deuxième partie: Fables et fabliaux
Tale 117, pp. 202–204: Complete named Ramamba saonjo-crop, broken-teeth, bodily trap escape and dog-custody rescue.
- 02
Contes de Madagascar, deuxième partie: Fables et fabliaux
Tale 151, pp. 303–305: Complete Merina variant: gourd damage, goaika/fish judgments, dog-induced laughter and descendant pronouncements.
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collected French narrativeRenel 1910, tale 117Research access: 2026-10-05
- Historical collected French narrativeRenel 1910, tale 151Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.