A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
After rescuing an abducted wife from a distant sultan’s guarded city, the travelers take the fastest ship she identifies. Their leader has stones that shatter a vessel from bow to stern when thrown against it, destroying everything inside; this power belongs to his equipment rather than the creature they later meet. While they are at sea, an unnamed marine monster swallows the ship containing them. Their chief takes pitch and boils it in a pot. The monster then rejects the vessel onto the seashore, allowing the company to continue on foot.
The narrative does not name the monster or explain its anatomy. Its demonstrated capacity is to engulf and expel an occupied ship; boiling pitch precedes the expulsion, without a stated wound or death. Afterward the travelers reach a deserted city, encounter an armed human image and ultimately take its wealth. At the parting, Keij’s son asks only for the ship, while the husband takes the wealth and returns with his wife. This entire ending is distinct from the earlier bird and lion guard encounter; the sea monster is neither one of those guards nor described as pursuing the party after expulsion.
Origins & earliest records
René Basset, Nouveaux contes berbères (1897), no. 106, La femme enlevée, complete pp. 111–114, headed Zénaga. Preface iv identifies Ahmed Saloum as a Trarza contributor who dictated the tale at Saint-Louis, Senegal, in 1888; note 195, p. 326, confirms the named contributor and says the underlying text was unpublished.
Records & interpretation
Complete French narrative inspected in original DjVu pages 150–153, printed pp. 111–114, including the escape voyage and final return. Preface iv and source note 195, p. 326, independently checked in original pixels. Creature morphology is restricted to the tale’s actual birds, lions and unnamed marine monster.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Nouveaux contes berbères
No. 106, complete pp. 111–114; preface iv; note 195, p. 326.
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.
- Primary dictated narrative in collected translation; original facsimiles inspectedOriginal edition, complete Zenaga rescue voyage and source noteResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.