Why the Warthog Goes About on His Knees

Why the Warthog Goes About on His Knees, an African folktale

Jackal's reputation as a trickster is legendary, as noted in many fables and folktales. People aren't the only ones impressed by these clever canids, however...

Long ago, Warthog had made himself a lovely, spacious home in an old termite mound that an aardvark had cleared out. He had built it up on the inside and graced the outside with a wide entrance.

Warthog thought it was the most magnificent home in Africa, and he would often stand at the entrance of his dwelling with his snout in the air as other animals passed by on their way to the waterhole.

"Haha!," he thought to himself, "no one has such a fine home as me!" One day as he looked out from the entrance of his luxurious burrow, he was horrified to see a Lion stealthily stalking toward him.

He began to back away but because he had made the entrance so grand, Lion would have no difficulty in following him in. "Ahhhh," panicked Warthog, "Lion will eat me in my own lounge! What can I do?"

Warthog remembered an old trick he'd heard Jackal bragging about. With Lion bearing down on him, he pretended to support the roof of his burrow with his back, pushing up with his tusks.

"Help!" he cried to Lion, "I am going to be crushed! The roof is caving in! Flee, oh mighty Nkosi, before you are crushed along with me!!"

Now Lion was no fool. He recognized Jackal's old ploy straight away, and he wasn't going to let himself be tricked again. He roared so fiercely that Warthog dropped to his knees, trembling.

Warthog begged for mercy, putting the blame squarely on Jackal. Luckily for him, Lion was not too hungry that morning so he pardoned Warthog and left, saying "Stay on your knees, you foolish beast!"

Lion chuckled to himself and shook his shaggy head as he walked away. Imagine, slow-witted Warthog trying to copy Jackal's trick!

Warthog took Lion's order to heart which is why, to this day, you will see Warthog eating and drinking on his knees looking very undignified, with his bottom up in the air and his snout in the dust.

(via World of Tales)

(images via Vladimir Turkenich and Villiers Steyn)