A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
The serapele approaches a woman working in the gardens and offers to look after her baby. On the first day it plays kindly with the child beside the watercourse. When Raseretsana objects to trusting an animal, the creature denies being one and claims the girl as its child. The baby smiles at it, persuading the father to permit another day’s care. Jacottet’s note nevertheless identifies the serapele as a fabulous animal, without supplying a detailed body shape.
This time it kills the child and offers the father meat described as a steenbok. Her mother suspects the deception, but Raseretsana initially rejects the accusation. When the serapele admits that father and creature have eaten the child together, he takes an axe, pursues it and kills it. The subsequent story follows a fly that drinks its blood and a sparrow that eats the fly: Raseretsana’s continuing pursuit leads to a lost axe, a muddy waterhole and an appended egg episode. Nothing in that conclusion restores the child or the serapele.
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; English pp. 276, 278, 280. Fabulous-animal note pp. 276–277; childcare deception p. 276; confession and killing p. 278; complete appended ending 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; English pp. 276, 278, 280. Fabulous-animal note pp. 276–277; childcare deception p. 276; confession and killing p. 278; complete appended ending 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.
- A fabulous animal obtains an infant under a childcare pretense, kills her and deceives her father with her flesh.
XLI, Raseretsana, complete bilingual pp.276–281; English pp.276/278/280 and notes
Serapele’s claim that the girl is its child is deceptive dialogue, not established biological parentage. The editor calls it a fabulous animal without a specific real species. The baby is not restored; the appended egg sequence is not merged into a Serapele resurrection. 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 — Serapele of Raseretsana’s TaleResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.