Notebooks

Story: The children are sent to throw the sleeping Sun into the sky

Title

The children are sent to throw the sleeping Sun into the sky

Collection

Summary

The Sun, a man from whose armpit brightness proceeded, lived formerly on earth; but only gave light for a space around his house. Some children belonging to the First Bushmen (who preceded the Flat Bushmen in their country) were therefore sent to throw up the sleeping Sun into the sky; since then, he shines all over the earth. We have two complete versions of this myth, a short one (L II.-4. 487 and 488, 488a-k, 494-499), and a longer one (LII.-35. 3150-3159, 3165-3236 rev.). Besides these, we have the beginning of a version in the dialect of Stuurman’s Fontein, the Karreebergen (B XXIV. 2262 and 2263); and a fragment in the same dialect (L II.-35. 3164, translated). Regarding a similar myth met with among some of the Australian Aborigines, vide Cape Monthly Magazine, February 1874, pp.98–102.

Comments

1) pp.448v-494v and 494-499 are largely untranslated but were read over with ||kabbo at a later date (according to a note on p.486v) and some parts were translated, 2) Date on p.495: 21 September, 3) 486v: the names of |kaggen's wife and children; a note on the translation done on 5 September 1873: pp.487, 487v, and 488, then the rest, were read over later with ||kabbo (but not translated), 4) See also The children of the First Bushmen (who preceded the Flat Bushmen in their country) throw up the sleeping Sun into the sky or The children of the !khwe |na ssho !ke, ordered by their mothers, throw the sleeping Sun into the sky (a second version of the story), 5) This story is found in Book II-4