MOSHANYANA

[African] Moshanyana is a mythic hero from the Sotho people of South Africa. They tell a tale of how all of the people and animals of the world were swallowed up by a monster called Kholumolumo. One pregnant woman escaped, and as the monster got stuck in a mountain pass because it had grown so large, she gave birth to a child, Moshanyana. He became a man in a very short time and slew the beast. He cut it open and released all of the people and animals that had been eaten. Eventually, some of the villagers grew jealous of him and tried to kill him. He escaped three times by using magic, but allowed himself to be killed the fourth time.