{"id":6212,"date":"2020-12-03T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T12:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimission.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=6212"},"modified":"2020-11-26T17:14:53","modified_gmt":"2020-11-26T17:14:53","slug":"oral-literature-the-ungrateful-cobra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/2020\/12\/03\/oral-literature-the-ungrateful-cobra\/","title":{"rendered":"Oral Literature: The Ungrateful Cobra"},"content":{"rendered":"

One day a cobra fell down a deep crack in the ground and couldn’t get out. A man passed by, and heard a strangled voice calling: \u201cHelp! Save me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The man peered down the crack, and immediately jumped back in alarm. The cobra is man’s great enemy. The cobra said: \u201cPlease, pull me out!\u201d Still quaking, the man answered: \u201cI won’t. You’d bite me.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d the cobra pleaded. \u201cCould I bite the hand that saves me?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man thought a while. Then, slowly, he lowered himself into the crack. Close to the cobra, he drew back again; but the snake wrapped itself gently around his waist. When they were both out, the man said: \u201cNow you can get down; you’re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a scowl the cobra replied: \u201cShould I give up a meal that luck has thrown my way? Never!\u201d The man couldn’t do a thing; the cobra was still wrapped round his waist.<\/p>\n

He considered a moment. All he could think of was to say to the cobra: \u201cAll right. So, you’ll eat me. But first I’d like to ask some animals what I have done wrong to deserve it. If I have done wrong, then you will eat me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cobra agreed. First, they went to the camel’s house. Standing at the door, the man said: \u201cListen. While I was walking along the road, I saw this cobra down a crack in the ground, and saved him. Now he wants to bite me; have I done wrong, perhaps?\u201d \u201cOf course,\u201d replied the camel, keeping well out of the way, \u201cof course you’ve done wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer saddened the man, but the cobra grinned. Then the man went slowly along to the baobab to ask the same question: \u201cListen,\u201d he said to the tree. \u201cWhile going along the road I saw this cobra in a deep crack; I saved him, and now he wants to bite me. Have I done wrong, by any chance?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d came the reply. \u201cSomething very wrong indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadder than ever, the man went off with the cobra (who wasn’t sad at all) to the squirrel’s house. \u201cListen, friend. While on a journey. I saved this cobra from a deep crack in the ground. Now he wants to bite me and kill me. Have I done something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

The squirrel reflected for quite a while, then said: \u201cIt doesn’t seem possible that you could have done such a thing.\u201d Then he turned to the cobra: \u201cFriend cobra, why don’t you get down and tell me the truth of the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

The cobra slipped down at once. But while he was getting into a position to speak, the squirrel yelled: \u201cQuick, hit him on the head with your stick!\u201d The man didn’t wait to be told twice; thus, the squirrel saved his life.<\/p>\n

Ever since that day we have had a saying: Keep your enemy at a distance, because he has two words.<\/p>\n

(Folktale from Borana People. Kenya)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One day a cobra fell down a deep crack in the ground and couldn’t get out. A man passed by, and heard a strangled voice calling: \u201cHelp! Save me!\u201d The man peered down the crack, and immediately jumped back in alarm. The cobra is man’s great enemy. The cobra said: \u201cPlease, pull me out!\u201d Still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}