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111 21 The Old Woman, Her Sons, and the Python 76 Kikuyu (Kenya)77 A girl named Kasoni, on her way to get water for her father to drink, saw a large python basking in the sun near the path. The python had two mouths, and its hair was beautifully arranged like that of a warrior. Kasoni stood and admired it for some minutes. The python, seeing the girl looking at it, said, “I am hungry. Will you give me enough food to satisfy my hunger?” She replied, “Certainly I will. Follow me to my village, and I will give you as much as you can eat.” She then took up her water-gourd and proceeded in the direction of her home, followed by the python. Reaching the village, she took the python to a grain house and invited it to eat. The monster put its head inside the grain house and in a few minutes devoured all the contents. She then took it to another store, which it soon finished. Gradually it ate up all the grain in the village, but still it was not satisfied. Kasoni then took it to the goat houses and told it to eat the goats if it wished. One by one, the goats were eaten, until none was left. The python then started eating the men, women, and children of the village, until Kasoni was the only one left. The monster asked her for more food, saying its hunger was not nearly satisfied. She replied that the only people of her village still left in addition to herself were a bad-tempered old woman, the wife of the chief, and her two infant sons who lived in the forest, because the chief would not allow his wife near him. “Well,” said the python, “I will go and look for them but will first eat you,” saying which it opened one of its huge mouths and swallowed her at a gulp. It then went to search for the old woman and her children in the forest. The woman, who was sitting near her house, hearing a noise, looked up and saw the monster approaching. Seizing both her children in her arms, she fled and hid herself. The python searched for her for a long time but, not finding her, went back to its abode. The old woman and her sons lived in the forest for many years, until the sons had grown into men. They one day asked their mother why it was that they were alone in the world and had no relations. She then told them the story of how the python had eaten up everybody in her village, but they laughed at her and said such a thing was impossible. A few years after she told them this story, she said to them one morning , “The time has now come for you to avenge the death of your father.” She told them to bring their swords and, taking them to a path near the house, hid them in the bushes close to the path, placing each about one hundred yards from the other. Having done this, she told them that she was going to call the monster who had destroyed their village and instructed the younger that when he saw the monster come along he was to allow it to pass and not to strike until he saw his brother jump from his hiding place and strike it. She told the elder brother that as soon as the monster’s head came near to him, he was to rise at once and cut it off with his sword. She then went to the river and sang, “Evil one, you who ate up my people and still were not satisfied, Come out of your resting place and I will give you a feast, So plentiful is the food I have prepared that even you will hunger no more.” Hearing her voice, the python raised itself from the water and followed her. In a short time, they passed the hiding place of the younger brother and soon came to that of the elder. The elder brother at once jumped up and cut the monster’s head off with one blow of his sword, and the younger brother at the same time rose and cut off its tail. As soon as they had done this, they heard a babel of voices calling out to them to strike no more and to...

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