Southern African Folktales

From the Zambezi river to the Cape of Good Hope come stories of the heavens, tricksters, revenge and transformation from the many peoples of Southern Africa. Southern Africa is a region of impressive diversity of landscape, climate and peoples: from forests to deserts, from coasts to mountains, from subtropical to temperate, from the Zulu, Pedi and Venda peoples to the ancient San peoples whose territories span much of the entire region, with countless tribes in between. This region includes the modern countries of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The peoples' folktales share common themes and roots through their migrations across the mineral-rich lands and have been passed down orally to explain the world, guide society and entertain. This lively collection has a new introduction and contains tales from across the region, of creation and origins, of trickster animals and their lessons, and of hardship, greed and love. AUTHOR: Jake Jackson has written, edited and contributed to over 20 books on mythology and folklore. Related works include studies of Babylonian creation myths, the philosophy of time and William Blake's use of mythology in his visionary literature. 10 b/w line drawings