The Tale of the Lion's Whisker ~ Bedtime Stories from Cultures of Color

This is the folktale story of the Lion's Whisker from Ethiopia in Africa. It is part of our Stories from Cultures of Color collection

Long ago in Ethiopia a woman named Leeya married a man who had a son.  His wife had died several years before.  Try as Leeya might, she could not seem to spark a connection with the child. 

She offered the boy food, and he refused to eat.  She spoke softly to him, and he turned away.  She sat next to him, and he would get up and walk away.  After several months of this, Leeya didn’t know what to do.

Now in Leeya’s village there was a medicine man, a healer, who lived off in the mountains. When anyone in the village was sick or hurting, a visit to him would do the trick. Most of the time, Leeya felt she could fix her own problems.  But not this time. She needed help!

As Leeya came up to the healer’s hut, she saw the door was open. The old doctor said without turning around, "I hear you coming. What’s the problem?"

She introduced herself and explained. 

“Ah, yes,” he said.  “I understand. But what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Make me a potion, an amulet" cried Leeya. "Anything! Whatever it takes to get this child to respond to me."

The medicine man looked her in the eye. "Young woman,” he said.  “This is not the same as fixing a broken bone or curing an ear infection. I’m going to need some time to think about.  Come back in three days."

Three days later, Leeya returned to the hut.

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