The Squirrel as King (Africa)

As I'm recording Stafford's Animal Fables book for LibriVox, I want to write up some posts about stories in that book, and the type of African story I will be talking about today is "The Squirrel as King." The key feature of this story is that the squirrel is so impatient to become king that the other animals decide that he shouldn't be king after all.

At the bottom of this blog post you will find Stafford's version of this story: The Squirrel and the Kingship, published in Animal Fables from the Dark Continent  by A. O. Stafford, with illustrations by Sarah Noble Ives. You can read this book online at the Internet Archive.

Stafford's source was: Squirrel and the Kingship, in Folktales of Angola by Heli Chatelain (1894). Online at the Internet Archive.

I have also created a readers theater script-frame based on this story: Who Will Be King?

I haven't found other versions of this story, but I will post them here if I do.

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The Squirrel and the Kingship

Now after Man had killed and caught many of the beasts there was much sorrow in the land of the great jungle king. Then the rules of the jungle were not obeyed, and as a result both the big and httle animals were imhappy. Some thought that a change of rulers would bring a return of peace and happiness. So a secret meeting was held in a large banana grove. 

When all had gathered, up spoke the lion, "We must have a new king." 

"Yes, a new king, " screamed the eagle. 

"A new king, a new king," all shouted. 

"But who shall he be?" asked the leopard. 

"Lion, noble lion," answered the wolf. 

"No, no," said the leopard. "Why the lion instead of me?" 

"Then the swift deer," said the fox. 

"Nonsense," laughed the hyena, "let us have the great eagle." 

"No, we must have a king who hves in the jungle," said the nimble squirrel. 

"Why not make the quick little squirrel our king? " the tall giraffe asked. 

This idea seemed so funny that many animals laughed out, "Yes, make quick little squirrel our king."

In a short while, strange though it may seem, it was agreed that the squirrel should be the king in place of the elephant. Then the lion was asked to speak for the meeting. Calling the squirrel to the front, he said in a slow, deep voice, "Little squirrel, tomorrow we will make you king in place of the elephant.'' 

Then, to the surprise of all, that little animal said, "Not tomorrow, brother lion, it shall be today." 

''But," said the lion, ''we must get the feast ready, find the throne and the footstool for our new king." 

"No, no," replied the squirrel, "it must be today and at once." 

The animals could not believe their ears and became very angry. "Speak, lion," many cried. 

"Impatient squirrel, you cannot be our king — you would not rule us wisely." 

With these words the meeting came to an end. As the animals passed on their way home the voice of the owl was heard hooting from the trees:

To-day, Waugh, O! 

At once, Waugh, O! 

Lost the squirrel the kingship, 

Waugh, O! Waugh, O!