Tigre Legends
THE LEGEND OF GOD AND THE HUMAN RACE.
God said to men: "Multiply on earth and bring forth and become families!" And the human race multiplied very much. But they revolted against God. Then God said to men again: 'Well then, man, bring forth and bury, that thou be ill and grieved !" And by this curse the human race brings forth and buries until this day. [This is what] they say.

THE LEGEND OF THE ROME, THE GIANT PEOPLE.
The people of the Rom were living with their cattle everywhere. And the wells from which the Rom watered their cows were very deep, about of the length of a packing-rope. (1) And every Rom man when watering his cows used to draw [the water] putting his one foot in the well and the other in the trough; and his water-vessel was the entire hide of a bull, When he ate he was never satisfied; and he milked his cattle into (a vessel made of) an elephant's skin and drank it; and he killed one cow for every meal, and without cutting her into pieces, he roasted her on a wood-fire and glutted her down. And when he gathered wood for his fire, he tore the ’aqba tree.(1) out with its roots and shoved it into the fire. And at a certain place there was living a man with his wife, [both] of the now living mankind. Now the wife abused the man and said to him: 'What [power] hast thou? Thou canst not raid the cattle of the Rom!" The man replied: "Now if I do not take some of them and come back [with them], I shall be a weakling according to thy word!" And the man went to the Rom, and came to a Rom man, a cattle-owner. And he sat down near his cattle. When the giant saw him, he went straightway to him and greeted him and asked him: “From where art thou?" The human manikin answered: “I am from such and such a place." Thereupon the giant tore out the ’aqba trees and put them together [like the spokes of a wheel] for a fire. Then taking the elephant's skin he milked all his cows. When the visitor saw his doings he was frightened and said (to himself): “Who can raid this man's cattle?" The giant having milked [his cows] said to the man: 'Take [and] drink!" But the man was not able to receive (and hold) the skin and the milk. Thereupon the giant seized it and gave him to drink. But when the man had drunk a little, he said: I am satisfied now!" The giant said: "Drink! How canst thou be satisfied not having (even) begun?" The man said: 'I am satisfied; this is my limit." And the giant went away with his milk saying: “What sort of a manikin art thou? Thou hast no belly!" and he drank it himself. Thereupon he killed a cow and roasted her; and for his visitor he tore off a hind-quarter and gave [it] to him. And after the man had eaten a little of it, he said to him "I am satisfied." But the other glutted all the meat of the cow. Thereupon belching he said: 'Praise be to God! This little locust has made us belch." And when the man saw all this he said all night: "Thy wonder, o God!" The next morning the giant asked him saying: 'Why art thou come and what doest thou wish?" The man replied: 'I have become poor, and I am come to tend this thy cattle." But the other said: 'What power hast thou to tend my cattle? Thou canst not water them nor carry the skin into which they are milked. But live from these cows!” And he gave him a few cows.

The man returned with the cows to his wife and said to her: "I have taken away the giant's cows." And when they were living together, the wife said to her husband: "Now since thou art courageous, take [again] the giant's cattle away!" And the man went to the giant. Said the giant to him: 'Why art thou come? Have I 'not given thee cows to live from?" The man answered: 'Those cows have perished. Now make me thy herdsman; I can tend thy cattle." The giant said: “Very well then! We shall see whether thou canst." Then he said: "Drive the cattle!" and giving him the bull-skin he added: "Take it down and water them from my well! But this my daughter shall go down with thee to hold back the cattle [while they are not drinking]. Do not let her draw the water of the well: descend thyself into the well and water [them]!" The man with the giant's daughter driving the cattle went down to the river-bed. Thereupon when he saw the depth of the well, he did not know what to do: if he went down he would find nobody to take [the water] from him; and if he went up, he could not reach the water, Then he let down the bucket of the bull-skin into the water, but when it was Wetted and he wanted to lift it, he could not [do so]. And the cattle grew very thirsty. Thereupon the girl said to him: “I shall water the cattle the way my father waters them. Then wipe the sand of the well thoroughly off from me, lest my father see it and kill thee!" The man said to her: 'I shall thoroughly wipe it off from thee." Now the girl descended into the well, and she put her one foot into the water and the other into the trough, and drawing [the bucket) she watered the cattle. After she had come up from the well, the man wiped the sand off from her. When they came home toward evening the giant asked: "Have the cattle drunk?" The man replied: 'Yes, I have watered them myself." But the giant said to him: 'How couldst thou thyself? Probably thou hast made my daughter draw [the water)." The man: "I have watered them myself; she has only kept back the cattle for me”. Now the giant looked for san d on the body of his daughter, and searching her, he found some grains of sand in her ear. And he said to the man: "Thou hast made my daughter draw; is this not sand?", and he sprang upon him to kill him. The man fled and came to another giant and asked for his protection; that giant was ploughing. The other giant running after him came to kill him. But the giant who was ploughing said: 'He is my client, I shall not give him to thee!" And when he refused him to the other, the giant tore up a baobab tree to kill his brother, and came toward him. But the other put his client into the fold of his cloak at his waist and went straightway against the other with his ploughing instruments. And they struck each other and wounded each other. Thereupon their friends came and reconciled them. The other returned home, and the ploughman stayed with his client. Then, in his anger he prepared his pipe and smoked; he opened his belt and took the man out of the fold. But he had been crushed and was dead now. Then [the giant) was frightened," but afterwards he said: 'Be like fencic, (2) thou manikin! For thy sake I have been fighting in vain, since thy soul is as weak as this!" - The tribe of the Röm used to migrate everywhere and to pasture their flocks. One giant once when migrating from his camping place sang thus:

'But treasure was left at Af-Meseb (3)
At thy right hand under the protruding rock:

Gable-beam and cross-bars and eight poles!"
For he had hidden his belongings at a certain place. The Rom people are said to have been great singers.

The giant-poet speaks of his square house which he had been obliged to take down when leaving Af-Meseb; such a house is a great treasure. Its wood he hid at a secret place; this wood consists of the beam in the gable the crossbars in the upper part of the wall and the carrying poles in the lower part.

1) 1. e. Acacia spirocarpa.

A small bitter herb.
A locality in Bet-Shahqen.

x) The rope used for mule-loads is 10-12 m. long, the one for donkey-loads 7-8 m

OF HOW THE ROME CAME TO AN END.
While the giants were living on and on, their end was ripe. And God gave the tribe of the giants the choice of one of these two ways: . 'Shall I now make you perish by a blessing or by a curse?. Which do ye wish?" And the tribe of the giants said to God: 'Now then, since thou art to destroy us, let us perish by a blessing!" And God said to them: “Perish by a blessing then. Your wives shall bring forth male children unto you; your cows, how-ever, shall all bring forth female calves unto you!" And all came to pass as God had spoken. Their wives brought forth only male children; and when they grew up they found no wives to marry, for their whole tribe had begotten male children only. And all their cows brought forth female calves; and when they grew up they found no bull to cover them, and they died, weak from old age. Then the tribe of the giants assembled to hold a council: 'What shall we do now.? Our sons have found no wives to marry, and they shrivel up in old age, and our offspring has diminished. Our cows have found no bull to cover them; they have had no milk nor covering." Thereupon they decided: this. "Let every one dig his grave and put the stones of his tomb together like a hut (1) over it, but let him leave a door in it. Then let him enter through the door with his property and close the door!". And every one went to his place to do thus. And they did thus. Every one of them dug his grave and built up the stones of his tomb like a hut over it, and left a door to enter by it; and taking whatever he owned and his cows he entered his grave and closed it. And in this way they all perished at the same time. And their tombs are to be found until this day everywhere those that have heavy and large stones (Fig, 11). But they have left no known village or settlement, because they were uncivilized and roaming herdsmen only. And now they say as a proverb when the rains grows plentiful beyond measure '0. Lord, do not let us perish by blessing like the giants!," And again as a proverb they say "Does a man dig his tomb like the giants? On the contrary, his people bury him."

OF HOW GOD TAKES CARE OF THE CHILDREN.
When God created the little children he gave them the choice (of one) of two gifts: "shall I sew every morning a [new] cloth and give it to you, or [make you] to rule over your father[s) and mother[s]?" And the little children chose to rule over their parents. And for this reason the children when they are little rule their parents and cry to them and try to get their will whatever it be. And the parents are under their rule; and they obey them and whenever anything happens to them, they are grieved about them. And they say as a proverb: 'He who begets loses.”

1) The "huts" have the form of a cone or a round pyramid.

THE TALE OF A MAN WHO KNEW THE LANGUAGE OF ALL THE ANIMALS
God gave a man knowledge of the language of [all] the wild and domestic animals. But he said to him:" Whatever thou mayest hear of the language of all the animals, do not tell it to men; when thou hast heard it thyself keep silent; if thou tellest it, then thou shalt die." And the man said: "Very well." And the man knew the language of all the animals, domestic and wild; and whenever he heard it, although he knew the meaning, he kept silent. Then, one day, the man said to his wife 'Let us lie down that we may rest a little!" And when they had lain down two kids that where in the house said to each other: 'Let us lie down too; our masters are also lying down.". When the man heard their talk he smiled. And his wife said to him: 'Why doest thou smile? What hast thou perhaps done unto me that thou hast smiled?" He answered: "I have smiled at myself, not at thee." His wife said: "Tell me then why thou hast smiled." Now the man feared death if he should tell her; so he said to her: "I have smiled for nothing." His wife continued: "Either tell me about what thou hast laughed, or leave me!" The man, however, did not know, divorce, and he wanted, to tell her. But he said to her "Wait that I tell it to thee!" Then he prepared himself for his death: he shaved and bathed; and he brought the cows for his funeral sacrifice and tied them. But one cow of them he killed, that he might himself taste the meat of the cows of his funeral. And when the cow was skinned, the dog of the man took a piece of the vertebrae and ran with it into the side-room to gnaw it. Thereupon another dog came to that dog to gnaw the vertebrae with him. But the dog drove him off from the bone and snarled at him to scare him away. And the other dog said to him: "Of [all] the masters thy master is most despicable who ties the cows of his funeral, sacrifice instead of divorcing his wife. And of [all] the dogs thou art most despicable, who keepest away thy brother from the bone!" And after he had spoken thus, he went off. The man heard the words which the dog said, and he knew that it was easier to divorce his wife than to die; before that, he had not known much of divorce and chosen death instead. So the man divorced his wife and was saved from death. And from this time onward divorce became customary. [This is what] they say.

Publications of the Princeton Expedition to Abyssinia.
Enno littmann Leyden 1910

THE MAKING OF BEVERAGES IN THE TIGRE COUNTRY.

1. The 'burying" or 'mixing" of mead.'
The mead is made of honey, in this way. They put water into a large jar until it is nearly full. Then they stir
honey with it until the water becomes thoroughly sweet and a little thick. They also dig out the roots of the caddo tree, (1) bark them and dry the bark, and [the latter) is kept in a pile in the house. Of the bark they grind a large handful or two handfuls; and this is mixed with the honey-water in the jar. And a quantity of sprouting dura grains, 1) corresponding to a third of the caddo, are pounded into two pieces each and [then] also mixed with the honey-water in the jar. Thereupon they cover the jar with its honey-water and wrap it up well; and they paste mud around it or clay, viz. clay that is made soft with water. And they bury it near the fire-place; or else they put it in some [other] place and cover it well with pieces of cloth in order that it may become warm. After this, some open the jar of the mead after four days. And they strain the mead into another jar, and then it is drunk. Now this Imead] does not intoxicate: it 'is for daily use.' But if they make the mead for some occasion for which they invite many people, [then,] in order that the mead be strong, and that the people do not drink too much at their expense, 3) that it suffice for all, and that it may intoxicate, they leave the mead seven days without uncovering it. And on
the seventh day they uncover it, and it is strained. And this mead is strong.
If they do not find the caddo for the mead, they dry instead of it leaves of the giso (4) tree and take a quantity somewhat larger than that of the caddo. But they pulverize the giso (gisho) leaves to a certain degree and put them [in the honey-water]. Now the making of the mead, with the exception of, the sprouting grains, is all done by men. But Sometimes also women that are clever make it. Most of it is drunk by men.
1)Rhanznus Dejlersii or Rhamnus Staddo.
2)These grains are made to sprout by being laid in water.
3)Literally: away from them.
4) Rhiiiinus Prinoide I'her.

2.The making or the brewing of beer.
They make the beer of dura and of barley; mostly, however, of, dura. In the Tigrina country, on the other hand, they make it mostly of dagus. (1) When the women intend to make beer, they put dura or barley, according to what 'they think [of making], unground in the water in some vessel'. And when, it has softened, they take the grains from the Water land put them] into another vessel. And they spread the leaves of the' gele' (2) over the 'grains; then put stones over them.- And these [grains] begin to sprout after three days. And they dry the grains in the sun.
And they grind coarsely as much dura as they intend to make beer; then they soak it in water in a jar. And when it has become salty, they grind it a second time. Thereupon it is baked, being stirred. Now they take a quantity of sprouting grains corresponding to a quarter or a fifth of the baked dough and pulverize them. And they sprinkle Water on this and on the dough and knead them together. And they put it by lumps into the jar in which the brew it. They cover the jar well up and after a week they uncover it and strain it into another jar in water. It is covered again for half a day until it is ready, and after this it is drunk. But if they want it to become mäsä, they put honey into the sifted beer until it becomes sweet. Then it stays covered up for half a day, and after that it is drunk. All the making of the beer is done by women; but most of it is drunk by men. is' done by women; but' most of it is drunk by. men.

1) Eteusine in different species.
2) Rieinus communt

I02.
THE MAKING OF UNLEAVENED BREAD'IN THE TIGRE COUNTRY.
Every man when he goes on a journey or when he wishes to go to a place of ploughing where there is no village, or the people who stay out with the pasturing cattle that are without milk, when they set out together from their village, take flour of wheat or of barley or of dura as their provisions; and also a water-skin that they may drink from it. Then when they come to the place where there is no village, they place branches together in a circle [like the spokes of a wheel] and kindle a fire, and pile much wood upon it, in order that it may char. And they put a stone about as large as ones fist into the fire. But if there are many people they take more stones: every stone is for one [loaf of] bread. One [loaf of] bread is enough for one man as his midday-meal, or his evening-meal. And the baker goes to a rock with a smooth hollow surface taking water and flour with him. But the place is near the fire.
He washes the hollow place on the rock well with water, and he washes also his hands. And of the flour he kneads as much as he thinks [of using], with water; and if there is no salt mixed with the flour, he pulverizes salt, and strews it on it: but somebody else drips the water for him. But,if there is no good rock for the kneading, he kneads it on clean leather-apron, or on a clean sheep-skin or again on new canvass-bag. Often, however, the people who stay on the sleeping place of the field or with the cattle that are without milk cut a kneading plate of wood, and, this is called gabbära; or they even knead in a wooden bowl. And after he has kneaded, a friend of his measures [the dough] for the loaves, or the kneader himself measures it. The measuring is done in this way: he divides the kneaded dough into round lumps; then he places the lower ends of his two palms together and takes the lump of dough between his two palms, and over the dough he makes his two middle fingers touch each other, without
pressing the dough. Doing the same to all loaves he measures them. And the man who bakes the bread takes each oaf that has been measured off and makes a hole. in the middle of it, fetches a stone of those put in the fire and places it in the hole; then he closes up the opening of the hole (Fig. I3). And he takes some charcoal out of the fire next to the flame and puts the loaf that is in his hand into it. Then he turns it around on all sides. Doing the same to every loaf he bakes them (Fig. 14) and he takes some charcoal out of the fire next to the flame and put the loaf that is in his hand into it. Then he turns it around on all sides. Doing the same to every loaf he bakes them.
(fig 14).
But they leave over a little of every loaf pinching it off while they measure it. Then, when the measuring of the loaves is done, they put together the pieces of dough which they have pinched off and left over of every one, and knead them. Thereupon they make the piece of dough flat like the palm of the hand or like a tongue and bake it on the charcoal. And this is called sellasé (1) or Sek 'Iyob. (Sheik Eyob) And when all is baked, they give the sellasé to the leader of the party and saying: "Triune Trinity, at home a protector, abroad a friend be unto us, Shek 'Iyob!"
he breaks the Sek -.'Iyob into as many equal pieces as there are men in the party. And he gives [them] to
somebody who passes [them] on. And the one who passes [them] on receives them with both hands. From his hands he gives everybody his piece beginning with the breaker of the bread, and saying sellasé. And every one that receives it] says: "May the Trinity give us and give thee!" Finally also the man who passes [them] on eats his piece. When all have eaten this, one man passes to every one of them his loaf. And everybody breaks his own loaf saying: "Bread, bring bliss, (2) be traded in loads (3) and in bag[s]!" And when they begin to eat, the Moslem says ',Mesmella' (4) the Christian 'Besbe'an", (5) and they put their hands on the food. And those who eat together sit near each other in a circle. And he who has milk, chews it with milk; who has meat, with it. He who has butter, breaks [the loaf] in small pieces, softens it in it and eats. He who has nothing to eat with it, eats it dry.
And if they are thirsty while eating, they say to somebody who is the youngest of all: "N. N., give us to drink
being a man!", or: "N. N., may thy enemy be a messenger, (1) give us to drink!" And taking the water-skin, he makes the round to all of them; he gives them to drink holding [the skin] for them. Then every one of them gives a small piece of his loaf to the water-bringer. And this small piece is called the fessotat of the water-bringer; - for it is of the same size as a fessotat, i. e. piece of dried meat. - When they have eaten and have done with it, every one of them says. "Praise be unto God! Make it to be healing and light for us! Let us eat and drink together! And after thou hast given us this, do not keep from us [thy gifts in] the future!" Or they say: 'Praise be unto God! Make (us) find it and do not withhold it [from us]! Let us eat and drink from plenty!" This is the use of unleavened bread all the time.


Footnote.
1) 1. e. "trinity."
2) Play upon the words bread (berketta) and bliss (barakat).
3) Literally "strap" used for tying loads on mules, asses and oxen.
4) 1,'or bismllah, "in the name of Allah"
5) For Besmia 'ab "in the name of the father."
5) This is to prevent him from saying: " I do not wish to be a messenger."

103

THE YEARS AND THE TIME WHICH THE BET-'ABREHE KNOW.
In the country of the Mänsa' But-'Abrehe they know the years and the periods in which some great wonders and signs have happened. Or rather they tell about the times at which those happened, and they reckon the birth of their children according to them. Also they reckon the birth of their children from the death of a well known man or from [the tirnes of their robbing or their being robbed. Now the great years that are very well known and about which they tell much are the following.

1. The "year of stagnations."

In the "year of stagnations" rain disappeared from the earth, and famine came over men and over beasts. And they fed the animals with leaves stripping the trees. And when the leaves were burned, they went with all their animals to the lowlands near the sea; and there they found locusts for them and fed them on them. And the milk of the animals  resembled the colour of the locusts. And those that were born in this year have died as old People long ago, they say.

1) I. e. Degac Ubie who reigned in Northern Abyssinia about the middle of the 19th century and who was vanquished by King  Theodore in the year 1855.

2. The year of the first "Obe [1844].

When Degac 'Obe (1) had begun to reign he made a robbing excursion against the country of the Bet-'Abrehe and the Bogos. At first Dagac 'Obe had said to the' Bet-Abrehe: Give me tribute." But the Bet-"Abrehe had not known of tribute up to that time; thus, they refused [it] to him. And for this reason he made a raid upon them. The flocks fled from him, he found little, but he killed many people. Those that were born in this year have died as old people not long ago.

,Däkäc 'Obe made a second time a raid upon the Bet-'Abréhe, when their village was in Tasasa (2). And he took rnany
animal from them. And those that were born in this year are living yet approaching old age.

1) 1. e. between Gäläb and Läba.

4. The time of Emperor Theodore. (1)
5. The year of the small-pox.

Even before that year they had known the small-pox, but up to that year it had not come in all its strength.
And in that year there died of the Bet-'Abrehe about seven hundred people, old and young. And they
vaccinated the people from the matter of each other. Those that were born in this year, are living in the prime of life.

6. The year of the denial.
In this year there was a great denial. At that time there was the malaria in the country of the Bet-'Abréhe, and many people died of it. And the denial was about death: for the old people buried the youths. (2) Those that were born in it are living as young men.

7. The year of the pulmonary disease.

The Bet-'Abrehe had not known cattle-diseases up to that time. And in that year a pulmonary disease came
over their cattle: every cow began to cough and died after a short sickness. And when they skinned her they found that her lung was swollen and that there was in her abdominal cavity something spun like a spider-web. And they called the disease sambu' (lung). They vaccinated the cattle from the blood of each other. And this year of the pulmonary disease is known in all the Tigre country. And only one or the other cow escaped from the disease. Those that were born in this year are also living as young men.

i) I. e. 1855-1868.
2) The youths denied their duty toward the old people: the opposite of what ought to have happened.

8. The time of Emperor John and. of Ras Alula. (1)

9. The year of the earth-quake.

In this year there was an earth-quake in the whole Tigre country. About noon-time the earth was torn asunder and trembled much; and on the mountains fires were kindled. (2) And many large bowlders that are now in the plain fell down from the mountains at that time, they say. And by the [se] stones that fell down some people were wounded in the country of the Mänsa' Bet-'Abrehe. And in the clefts of the earth also fire was seen, they say. And there are [people] who have seen a cow swallowed by the earth. And the earth-quake stopped after a short while.
And also the fires were soon exstinguished. Even those that were born in that year are living as young men. And this time is very well known.

10. The year of Wad-Qedras.

In this year the Bet-'Abrehe quarrelled among themselves, and they were divided into three factions. Now Wad-Qedräs was a follower of the party of Kantebay Be'emnet. And he insulted a man calling him "sorcerer"' without any reason. And the man that had been insulted had Wad-Qedras killed for this word. (3) But afterwards he payed the weregelt and gave also "house and cattle" (4) to the son of the dead.


i) I. e. about 1870-I890. Emperor John died in t889, Ras Alula in 1898.
2) A proof that there are volcanoes in Abyssinia.
3) Literally "lip."
4) I. e. He married his daughter to him without pay and gave her a dowry.



11. The year of Gerdefan.

Gerdefan was a man of the 'Ad Takles. And the Bet'Abrehe made a raid upon his flocks and killed him there. And they came with his cattle and divided it.

12.The year of 'Azzazi.

The Bet-'Abrehe were once split into parties. And 'Azzazi, the son of Hebtes, sided with the one party. And
when the two parties fought, 'Azzazi killed a prominent man of the other party, and afterwards he died there also. Those that were born in this year are living as youths.

13. The time of Egyptian rule or the time of Mestenger-Basa. (1)

I4. The year of the Turks and the Amhara.

In this year the Turks fought with Emperor John at Gera'. (Gura) and at Kesad-'Eqqa, and Emperor John was victorious. (2)

15. The year of the murrain.
In this year a disease came over the cattle. And it made them sick: it made their hair look singed, their ears
hang down, their eyes water, and their mouths drivel. Finally they died of it. And that was the end of their
abundance of cattle. And because it did not leave over (anything), they called it gelhay, i. e. the shaved (bald) one.

16. The year of 'Enti-écwu. (3)

1) l. e. Munzinger Pasha: the time is about 1870-1880.
2) 1, e. the war between the Egyptians and Emperor John in 1876.
3) I.e. 1896; the battle of Adua is meant.