Safudu Kwaku beside a silk-cotton tree at dawn; appearance, clothing and the peaceful scene are interpretive.
Original narrative illustration; appearance, colours, proportions and setting interpreted, not authenticated Ewe iconography or modern national origin.
Overview
Safudu Kwaku is the king’s son in the first fable printed in the literature section of Jakob Spieth’s Ho collection. His father makes a false accusation involving the king’s wife, and the prince offers to undergo an ordeal. The king orders sharp weapons and needles prepared for seventeen days and planted beneath a tall silk-cotton tree. The royal family is carried to the assembled spectators in hammocks. Safudu’s mother weeps, but he knows himself innocent. He climbs the tree, sings and drops unharmed. His father refuses to acknowledge the result, saying that he was bathing and had not seen it.
The king repeatedly demands another ascent while offering excuses about bathing, rubbing himself with fat, putting on sandals and taking snuff. By the seventh ascent the spectators have taken the prince’s side. This time the sky takes him away and places him in sunrise. The ending connects the rising sun’s concealed face with its complaint that it has suffered seven wrongs. The account does not describe a detailed bodily transformation into a solar creature. Spieth prints an Ewe text alongside his German version and refers readers to his separate discussion of the sun. This is one mediated historical narrative, rather than a survey of present-day Ewe beliefs.
Origins & earliest records
Ho section, fourth main section, Die Literatur, A. Fabeln, no. 1, Die Fabel von dem Königssohn Safudu Kwaku. No individual teller is named for this fable.
Records & interpretation
Complete bilingual fable, printed pp. 572–573, including ending; original PDF text pages checked. Complete preface and relevant cross-reference retained.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Die Ewe-Stämme: Material zur Kunde des Ewe-Volkes in Deutsch-Togo
Ho section, Die Literatur, A. Fabeln, pp. 572–573.
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 bilingual Ewe/German collected narrativeSpieth 1906: complete fable, pp. 572–573Research access: 2026-10-18
Image credits
AI-generatedSafudu Kwaku beside a silk-cotton tree at dawn; appearance, clothing and the peaceful scene are interpretive.
Original narrative illustration; appearance, colours, proportions and setting interpreted, not authenticated Ewe iconography or modern national origin.
