The Mountain and the Devil: Fake Lore or Folklore?: A Wonder of the World in South African Children’s Literature

Table Mountain, beneath which nestles South Africa’s “Mother City,” Cape Town, whose history is given briefly, has not featured much in South African children’s literature, although it is mentioned in the epic poem by Portugal’s national poet, Camões, and the adventures of Baron Munchausen. A much-loved exception has been the story of how Table Mountain got its cloud and why its companion, Devil’s Peak, was so named. This article discusses two older versions of this tale alongside more recent books written for children, in which Table Mountain and/or Devil’s Peak play a role.