Reading Notes: Stories from Congo, Part A

(A fetish, or charm, from Congo; source: Flickr)

Plot:

• A mother gave birth to two twin sons, Mavungu and Luemba. Once they came of age, Mavungu decided to start traveling.
• Meanwhile, Nzambi's daughter was ready for marriage and the father gave her choice to pick her groom. Many animals came to court her but she refused all of them.
• Mavungu, having heard of this girl, was determined to marry her and with the help of his charm, he gathered weapons for his journey there. On his way, he grew hungry and asked his charm for food which it granted. Mavungu also used his charm to create a place for him to sleep.
• When he reached the town, Nzambi's daughter saw him and fell in love. So when Mavungu asked for her hand in marriage she agreed and they were married with great pomp and celebration.
• Mavungu and Nzambi's daughter slept in a shimbec (hut) and when he awoke, Mavungu saw that the shimbec was full of covered mirrors. He asked his wife to uncover the mirrors which she proceeded to do. Each mirror revealed the likeness of a town. His wife refused to uncover one mirror because it showed a town that no one returned from. Eventually Mavungu convinced her to uncover the mirror and then, despite his wife's protests, decided to visit that town.
• When he reached the town, Mavungu encountered an old woman who asked him to tie up his horse. He did so and shortly thereafter was killed by the woman.
• Luemba wondered why Mavungu had been absent for so long and set out to find him. Like his brother, he used his charm to help him on the journey. When he reached Nzambi's town, he was mistaken for Mavungu by Nzambi, his daughter, and the townspeople.
• At night, Luemba used his charm to move Mavungu's wife out of the shimbec so as to protect her honor. In the morning, he asked her to uncover the mirrors and she uncovered all but one. After insisting, Luemba found out that it showed the town from which no one returned. Knowing that his brother must have gone there, he resolved to go there. The townspeople were devastated but they thought if could return once unscathed, he could do it again.
• When he eventually reached the town, he met the old woman who asked him to tie up his horse. He tied his horse very lightly and then killed the woman. Then, using his charm he brought his brother and all those who were killed in the village back to life. Luemba explained everything that had happened to Mavungu who thanked him.
• With the hundreds of revived people, Luemba and Mavungu left for Nzambi's town. On the way, they started arguing about who the followers belonged to and Mavungu killed Luemba. He returned to Nzambi's town where he was welcomed with celebration.
• Luemba's horse which had been left behind used Luemba's charm to bring him back to life. Luemba then rode to Nzambi's town and killed Mavungu. When the townspeople heard the whole story, they agreed that Luemba had made the correct choice.

Characters:

• Mavungu - brave and over-confident, was sure he could win the heart of Nzambi's daughter, was sure he could return from the village alive, killed his own brother over a petty argument
• Luemba - faithful to Mavungu, traveled to find him, ensured that Mavungu's wife was not dishonored, brave for defeating the old woman and noble for bringing everyone back to life, just for killing his brother
• Nzambi's daughter - devoted to her husband Mavungu, wanted to protect him from harm

Bibliography. Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).