The Owner of the Water, Venezuelan Folklore XII
The owner of the Water
Near where the Orinoco was born, the King of alligators called Baba lived. His wife was a big frog and together, they had a big secret ignored by other animals and men. It was stored in the throat of the Baba caiman. The couple went into a cave and threatened to lose their lives to anyone who dared to enter, because they said that inside there was a god who devoured everything and only they, kings of water, could pass. One day the partridge, hurried to make its nest, entered distracted in the cave.
Looking for straws he found singed leaves and caterpillars, as if the fire of the sky had been around. He tasted the toasted caterpillars and they tasted better than when he ate them raw. He went flapping at ground level to tell everything to Tucusito, the hummingbird with red feathers.
After a while, the Bobo Bird arrived and among the three of them, they devised a plan to find out how they made the frog and the alligator to cook such rich caterpillars. Bobo hid inside the cavern, taking advantage of its dark plumage. The frog released the caterpillars that it had in its mouth while Baba opened his, which was tremendous, letting out red and bright tongues. The couple ate the caterpillars without noticing Bobo, after which, they fell asleep satisfied. Then, Bobo ran out to tell his friends what he had seen.
The next day they set about machining how to snatch the fire from the alligator without being burned or being the food of the kings of the water. It would have to be when he opened the tarasca to laugh. In the afternoon, when all the animals were drinking and chatting by the river, Bobo and the red partridge made pirouettes making everyone laugh, except for Baba. Bobo took a clay ball and threw it inside the mouth of the frog, which from laughter passed to the stake. At the moment that the alligator saw the frog's troubles, he laughed. Tucusito, who watched from the air, plunged, stealing the fire with the tips of his wings. Rising, he brushed against the dry branches of a huge tree that burned immediately.
The King alligator exclaimed that although the fire had been stolen, others would take advantage of it and the other animals would burn, but Baba and the frog would live like immortals where the great river is born. That said, they submerged in the water and disappeared forever. The three birds celebrated the theft of the fire, but no animal knew how to take advantage of it.
The men who lived next to the Orinoco seized the embers that burned for many days in the dry forest, learned to cook food and to talk at night around the fires. Tucusito, the Bobo bird and the red partridge became their protective animals for having given them the gift of fire.
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Venezuelan Folklore.
Near where the Orinoco was born, the King of alligators called Baba lived. His wife was a big frog and together, they had a big secret ignored by other animals and men. It was stored in the throat of the Baba caiman. The couple went into a cave and threatened to lose their lives to anyone who dared to enter, because they said that inside there was a god who devoured everything and only they, kings of water, could pass. One day the partridge, hurried to make its nest, entered distracted in the cave.
Looking for straws he found singed leaves and caterpillars, as if the fire of the sky had been around. He tasted the toasted caterpillars and they tasted better than when he ate them raw. He went flapping at ground level to tell everything to Tucusito, the hummingbird with red feathers.
After a while, the Bobo Bird arrived and among the three of them, they devised a plan to find out how they made the frog and the alligator to cook such rich caterpillars. Bobo hid inside the cavern, taking advantage of its dark plumage. The frog released the caterpillars that it had in its mouth while Baba opened his, which was tremendous, letting out red and bright tongues. The couple ate the caterpillars without noticing Bobo, after which, they fell asleep satisfied. Then, Bobo ran out to tell his friends what he had seen.
The next day they set about machining how to snatch the fire from the alligator without being burned or being the food of the kings of the water. It would have to be when he opened the tarasca to laugh. In the afternoon, when all the animals were drinking and chatting by the river, Bobo and the red partridge made pirouettes making everyone laugh, except for Baba. Bobo took a clay ball and threw it inside the mouth of the frog, which from laughter passed to the stake. At the moment that the alligator saw the frog's troubles, he laughed. Tucusito, who watched from the air, plunged, stealing the fire with the tips of his wings. Rising, he brushed against the dry branches of a huge tree that burned immediately.
The King alligator exclaimed that although the fire had been stolen, others would take advantage of it and the other animals would burn, but Baba and the frog would live like immortals where the great river is born. That said, they submerged in the water and disappeared forever. The three birds celebrated the theft of the fire, but no animal knew how to take advantage of it.
The men who lived next to the Orinoco seized the embers that burned for many days in the dry forest, learned to cook food and to talk at night around the fires. Tucusito, the Bobo bird and the red partridge became their protective animals for having given them the gift of fire.
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Venezuelan Folklore.
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