From the folklore of the Ambundu
Kimanaweze’s son, when the time came for him to choose a wife, declared that he would not “marry a woman of the earth,” but must have the daughter of the Sun and Moon. He wrote a letter of marriage and cast about for a messenger to take it up to the sky. The little duiker refused, so did the larger antelope, known as soko, the hawk, and the vulture. At last a frog came and offered to carry the letter. The son of Kimanaweze, doubtful of his ability to do this, said, “Begone! Where people of life, who have wings, give it up dost thou say, ‘I will go there?’ ” But the frog persisted, and was at last sent off, with the threat of a thrashing it he should be unsuccessful.
It appears that the Sun and Moon were in the habit of sending their handmaidens down to the earth to draw water, descending and ascending by means of a spider’s web. The frog went and hid himself in the well to which they came, and when the first one filled her jar he got into it without being seen, having first placed the letter in his mouth. The girls went up to heaven, carried their water-jars into the room, and set them down. When they had gone away he came out, produced the letter, laid it on a table, and hid.
After a while Lord Sun (Kumbi Mwene) came in, found the letter, and read it. Not knowing what to make of it, he put it away, and said nothing about it. The frog got into an empty water-jar, and was carried down again when the girls went for a fresh supply. The son of Kimanaweze, getting no answer, refused at first to believe that the frog had executed his commission; but after waiting for some days, he wrote another letter and sent him again. The frog carried it in the same way as before, and the Sun, after reading it, wrote that he would consent, if the suitor came himself, bringing his ‘first-present’ – the usual gift for opening marriage negotiations. On receiving this the young man wrote another letter, saying that he must wait till told the amount of the ‘wooing-present,’ or bride-price.
He gave this to the frog, along with a sum of money, and it was conveyed as before. This time the Sun consulted his wife, who was quite ready to welcome the mysterious son-in-law. She solved the question of providing refreshments for the invisible messenger by saying, “We will cook a meal anyhow, and put it on the table where he leaves the letters.” This was done, and the frog, when left alone, came out and ate. The letter, which was left along with the good, stated the amount of the bride-price to be “a sack of money.” He carried the letter back to the son of Kimanaweze, who spent six days in collecting the necessary amount, and then sent it by the frog with this message: “Soon I shall find a day to bring home my wife.” This, however, was more easily said than done, for when his messenger had once more returned he waited twelve days, and then told the frog that he could not find people to fetch the bride. But the frog was equal to the occasion. Again he had himself carried up to the Sun’s palace, and, getting out of the water-jar, hid in a corner of the room till after dark, when he came out and went through he house till he found the princess’s bed-chamber. Seeing that she was fast asleep, he took out one of her eyes without waking her, and then the other. He tied up the eyes in a handkerchief, and went back to his corner in the room where the water-jars were kept.
In the morning, when the girl did not appear, her parents came to inquire the reason, and found that she was blind. In their distress they sent two men to consult the diviner, who after casting lots, said, “Disease has brought you; the one who is sick is a woman; the sickness that ails her the eyes. You have come, being sent; you have not come of your own will. I have spoken.” The Sun’s messengers replied, “Truth. Look now what caused the ailment.” He told them that a certain suitor had cast a spell over her, and she would die unless she were sent to him. Therefore they had best hasten on the marriage. The men brought back word to the Sun, who said, “All right. Let us sleep. Tomorrow they shall take her down to the earth.” Next day, accordingly, he gave orders for the spider to weave a large cobweb for sending his daughter down. Meanwhile, the frog had gone down as usual in the water-jar and hidden himself in the bottom of the well. When the water-carriers had gone up again he came out and went to the village of the bridegroom and told him that his bride would arrive that day. The young man would not believe him, but he solemnly promised to bring her in the evening, and returned to the well.
After sunset the attendants brought the princess down by way of the stronger cobweb and left her by the well. The frog came out, and told her that he would take her to her husband’s house; at the same time he handed back her eyes. They started, and came to the son of Kimanaweze, and the marriage took place. And they lived happily ever after – on earth, for, as the narrator said, “They had all given up going to heaven; who could do it was Mainu the frog.
Sources:
Myths of the Bantu, Alice Werner, 1933
Kotharian Lightning 