A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

The serpent is the final and most terrible opponent in Renel’s Antanambao account of Imbahatrila. It has seven tongues and lives three days’ journey east of the boy’s village. The narrator does not describe seven heads. Imbahatrila has become as strong as an adult at only two months old and demands dangerous opponents, even threatening his parents when they try to restrain him. Before seeking the serpent he kills a fierce bull with a spear and knife, then fights the crocodiles of the Bemamba River from a canoe; some escape into the river’s depths.

Before departing on the longer journey, the boy plants a banana tree as a sign of his condition. Vigorous leaves mean that he is well; complete drying would mean his death. He tells his parents that the decisive fight will occur in a week, and they sprinkle him with water before he leaves. On reaching the serpent he shows no fear. The fight nevertheless almost ends with the monster devouring him. At home, the banana leaves begin drying, and his parents become anxious.

Imbahatrila regains the advantage and kills the serpent. He cuts out its seven tongues to show his parents and the village, whose people marvel at his strength. This ending makes the tongues trophies of the actual battle, rather than evidence in a later false-claimant trial. The banana plant’s warning belongs to the hero’s preparations; the text does not attribute that signal to the serpent. The separately collected seven-headed Fananimpitoloha episode precedes this tale in the volume and has a different family, pursuit and rescue sequence.

Seven tonguesNear-devouring combatHero’s banana-tree life tokenSeven tongues as trophies
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Origins & earliest records

Renel 1910, Contes de Madagascar, première partie, tale 13, pp. 90–93. The local heading identifies the regional collection. Introduction V–VIII describes Malagasy teacher intermediaries and French translation; no individual narrator is named for this episode.

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Records & interpretation

Complete tale 13, pp. 90–93, and local heading read in the retained primary text. Source-method introduction I–XI and original selected page images checked. Henri Rajaofèra’s general translation assistance is not converted into individual tale authorship. The original chapter heading prints Inbahatrila, while the body prints Imbahatrila; both spellings refer to the hero in this single episode.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Contes de Madagascar, première partie: Contes merveilleux

    Charles Renel, editor and translator; Malagasy collection intermediaries · 1910

    Tale 13, pp. 90–93, complete, with collection heading; introduction V–VIII source chain.

Family & connections

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References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical collected French narrativeRenel 1910, tale 13Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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