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Overview
Sun and Moon appear as the parents of a daughter in a household situated in heaven. The son of Kimanaueze, living on earth, chooses their daughter as his intended bride. Letters arrive mysteriously on a table in the room where the household keeps its water jugs. Sun reads them, puzzles over their delivery and asks the water-carriers whether they have been carrying correspondence. They deny it because Mainu the Frog has concealed himself and the letters inside their vessels.
Sun eventually agrees to the marriage on condition that the young man appear personally with his first present. The frog instead conveys successive letters and payments. Sun tells his wife of the message, and she assents. When he wonders how to feed the unknown messenger, she proposes leaving cooked food on the usual table; the hidden frog eats it. These domestic exchanges place Moon within the negotiations rather than turning her into an incidental astronomical label.
When their daughter wakes unable to see, both parents ask what has happened. Sun sends two messengers to consult a diviner. On hearing that the daughter should be sent to her intended husband, he accepts the recommendation and orders Kabube the Spider to weave a large web to earth. The daughter is lowered to the well and eventually married. The episode represents a celestial family acting through letters, servants, consultation and a woven travel route; the narrated parents are scoped to this Mbaka witness rather than combined with unrelated sun or moon traditions.
Origins & earliest records
Tale XIII is attributed to Jelemía dia Sabatelu, identified elsewhere in Chatelain’s contributor notes as Jeremias Alvares da Costa. Both its dialect and origin are labelled Mbaka. Chatelain prints the Ki-mbundu text with a facing literal English translation; the 1894 publication date is not a date for the tale’s first circulation.
Records & interpretation
Complete tale XIII, The Son of Kimanaueze and the Daughter of Sun and Moon, bilingual pp. 130–141, English pp. 131, 133, 135, 137, 139 and conclusion p. 141; contributor note XIII pp. 287–288 and notes 437–445 p. 288.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk-Tales of Angola
Complete tale XIII, The Son of Kimanaueze and the Daughter of Sun and Moon, bilingual pp. 130–141, English pp. 131, 133, 135, 137, 139 and conclusion p. 141; contributor note XIII pp. 287–288 and notes 437–445 p. 288.
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.
- Collected Ki-mbundu text with facing English translation and contributor notesChatelain 1894 — Sun and Moon in the Mbaka Marriage TaleResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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