The Starling Who Kept the Borrowed Eyes

Overview

In Westermann’s Animal Story 77, a heron king assembles the birds because his cow is said to be bewitched. The starling declares that he could name the responsible sorcerer if he had eyes. The other creatures refuse to lend theirs until the centipede Kot agrees, on the condition that they are returned when the matter is settled. With the borrowed eyes, the starling looks around, looks upward and singles out the owl. The owl denies the accusation. Rather than describing an observed act of sorcery, the starling argues that the owl resembles an uncle whom he identifies as the fish-spear, an implement said to see fish in the water.

The other birds attack the owl, who runs away and takes refuge in a tree. When the starling returns, Kot asks for his eyes back, but the borrower refuses. The heron supports the refusal so that the starling may continue exposing supposed sorcerers. Kot departs without eyes, receiving instead the king’s assurance that nobody will eat him. The ending links that blessing to the centipede dying naturally rather than through predation or violence. These are explanations within a particular animal narrative; neither the accusation against the owl nor the ending is presented here as a biological fact or as a general description of Shilluk people.

Origins & earliest records

Animal Story 77 in Diedrich Westermann’s 1912 Shilluk-language collection and accompanying English translation; the individual narrator is not named in the selected text.

Records & interpretation

Complete printed story, pp. 188–189, and its linguistic and explanatory notes, with the original collection preface and collaborator account.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   The Shilluk People, Their Language and Folklore

   Diedrich Westermann · 1912

   Second Part, XI Animal Stories, no. 77: The Starling and the Centipede, pp. 188–189; remarks pp. 198–200.

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.

1. Primary collected Shilluk text and original English translationThe Shilluk People, Their Language and Folklore: The Starling and the CentipedeResearch access: 2026-10-18

Image credits

The starling with borrowed eyes; bird appearance and setting imagined.

Original narrative illustration; animal form and setting interpreted, not a documentary species or ethnographic image.