Miseke, the Thunder God's Bride
Continuing where we left off... a promise is a promise and now the Thunder God comes to take his bride away.
“Come on out, all of you! Which of you is Miseke?“ asked the Thunder God, standing above the clay pit where the young girls were collecting the inkwa. The girls looked up to see this man in the sky surrounded by dark, storm clouds. They were afraid and meekly came out one by one.
“Not me,“ said the first girl shaking her head. “Me neither...,” said the second one, who was a little talkative. “When Miseke laughs beads come out her mouth...,” she said. Now the Thunder God had something to go by. “Then laugh, both of you,” he commanded. Though it was hardly the occasion to, the girls laughed obediently. Nothing happened. “You can go,“ he dismissed them and made every girl who was making her way out of the pit laugh. Last of all came Miseke, and as you can imagine she laughed (very nervously of course) and out tumbled the beads and baubles.
Reaching out, the Thunder god scooped her up in his arms and carried her across the dark sky and disappeared from view. Her friends could only watch in fear and awe. Now, the Thunder god was not a bad sort, and once Miseke realised that she couldn’t do anything about it, she settled to her role as his wife. As time passed she had three children – two boys and a girl. Looking at the smiling face of her infant daughter, she suddenly became nostalgic about her own parents and home below.
“I’ve not seen my parents for years now. I wish to show them my own children. They would be so happy to see us all. Can I go and visit them?“ she asked her husband. The Thunder god was very gracious about it. He let her go, sending with her presents for the family – cattle and barrels of beer. Miseke set out with her children, accompanied by several attendants, who were carrying them all in hammocks. As they left, the Thunder god gave them instructions. “Once you get down there, keep to the path and don’t wander off anywhere else....” The party descended to earth and followed the road the Thunder God had asked them to take.
"They kept going for a while, but the attendants got distracted and took a wrong turn. They did not know that until they reached a spot where the path was blocked by Igikoko, an ogre, who stood before them with arms folded menacingly.
“Halt! No one goes this way without feeding me,” said he. “And I’m hungry now, very hungry.” The frightened attendants gave Igikoko all the cattle, but that was not enough for the ogre. They then emptied all the barrels of beer they had into the mouth of the creature, but even that didn’t quite satisfy him. The ogre grabbed one attendant, then another and ate them all till there was no one left but Miseke and her three children.
The ogre grabbed the younger boy and proceeded to eat him as Miseke watched in horror. Quickly she drew her elder son close and whispered in his ear, “Hurry, run the other way and do not stop till you come to a house. There you will see an old man sitting on an ash heap… that will be your grandfather. And your grandmother will be inside the hut, cooking. Do not bother to go inside now. Your uncles are probably outside, shooting targets with their arrows. Find them first. And then maybe your cousins will be herding cows near the forest. Tell them all what happened and lead them here quickly as fast as you can!”
The boy ran as fast as he could and soon found his mother’s parents and brothers, just as she described them. Without wasting time, all of them along with some more men from the village, rushed to where Miseke was stranded in the ogre’s path.
Meanwhile, Igikoko, with his insatiable appetite, had eaten Miseke ‘s younger son and the baby girl. He was just about to make a meal of Miseke when a rain of arrows came down on him. Miseke’s brothers’ target practise sessions were not in vain! Then everybody pounced on the fallen ogre and drove their spears into his massive body. Igikoko cried out in pain.
“If you cut off my big toe, you’ll get everything and everybody back. Ahhhhhh…,” he screamed and fell back dead!
Miseke’s brothers cut open the ogre’s big toe and surprise, surprise! Everyone who he ate -- the servants, the children came out good as new! Even the cattle walked out as if they had just gone into a wrong enclosure. Only the beer flowed out in a rush! Miseke’s parents, who had also come along, were overjoyed to see their long lost daughter.
Together they returned home and Miseke spent several happy days with her family. Her parents were relieved to know that the Thunder God was a good man and considerate husband. After a couple of months at her parents’ home, Miseke decided to return to her home among the clouds. Her father sent along more cattle and other gifts for her to take to her husband’s home, as was custom. Of course, it helped that she had her attendants with her to carry it all.
When the time came for them to leave they did not return the way they came. All of them stood in an open clearing and suddenly the sky darkened although it was a hot summer’s day. Clouds gathered above their heads and swirled down below. Soon Miseke and children, the attendants, the cattle and all their belongings were enveloped in a dark cloud. The cloud rose up, higher and higher and was lost in the darkening sky.
Miseke had returned home!