Episode 5 - The Bush Spirits

Hades: Greetings, folklore fanatics and champions of captivating chronicles! You've navigated through the nebulae of divine mysteries and arrived at the gateway of our fifth episode of "Fireside Folklore with Hades". This is the podcast where we spark the ashes of timeless tales and hair-raising legends, echoed and murmured through the annals of history. Maneuvering you through these enthralling narratives, I remain your stalwart host, Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, your guardian of enigmas, and the conductor of the arcane. Accompanying me on this magical journey are my distinguished co-hosts. My resplendent paramour, Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, whose brilliance outshines even the most dazzling star. And naturally, our discerning nephew, Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods and importantly for me, the Psychopomp. No need to be alarmed if that term seems a bit baffling– Hermes is essentially our ethereal guide, shepherding spirits between worlds and assisting us in navigating these enthralling tales. Tonight, we embark on our odyssey, delving into the heart of Nigeria to unearth the haunting story of the Bush Spirits from the Yoruba people. So gather around, let the hypnotic flicker of the flames cast ghostly shadows, and steel yourselves for a thrilling journey into the domain of hushed whispers and unsettling folklore. Friends, let the storytelling begin!

Persephone: Hello everyone. I’m glad to be here with you as we follow the adventures of a young man named Kigbo. 

Hermes: He learns quite the lesson when he discovers that too much of a good thing can lead to disaster. 

Zeus: How can too much of a good thing lead to disaster? 

Hades: Well brother, sometimes your brilliance can be blinding. 

Hermes: Oooh, burn! Father, do you need some aloe vera from Persephone's garden for that?

Zeus: Hermes, save your aloe for the sunburnt mortals. As for you, brother, I see the Underworld hasn't dulled your sense of humor. It's a welcome spark amidst our folklore exploration.

Hades: [Chuckles] How could your jovial spirit not rub off on me after doing this podcast together for five weeks? Now then, Hermes, my good man, what fun facts do you have for us about Nigeria? 

Hermes: I definitely learned some very interesting things. Here are three fun facts about Nigeria you might not know. 

1.    Nigeria is home to so many different languages and cultures! There are over 500 languages spoken there. That's a lot! Some of the major ones are Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. There are also hundreds of smaller regional languages and dialects. 

There are more than 250 different ethnic groups too. An ethnic group is a community that shares a culture, traditions, language and more. Each one has its own unique identity.

People show their ethnic identity in many ways. Through food, music, clothes, values and customs. Even though English is the official language, you can hear people speaking all different native languages if you walk around Nigerian cities and villages.

Nigeria is a country where hundreds of smaller groups create one giant beautiful mosaic.

2.    The Yoruba people possess an extraordinarily high rate of twin births, the highest in the world in fact. Scientists have studied the Yoruba twins a lot to try to figure out why they have so many. It's still a bit of a mystery, but they think it has to do with the yummy yams the Yoruba people eat, and something in their genes. Whatever the reason, twins are super special in Yoruba culture. They believe twins are a gift from the gods! The Yoruba even have a festival called Igbo-Oro where they celebrate twins. How cool is that? So if you're a twin and you visit Nigeria, get ready to feel like a star! You'll fit right in with the Yoruba people. Their twin superpower makes them really unique.

3.    Did you know that Nigeria is the number one oil producer in Africa? Nigeria has big, underground pools of oil called oil reserves. These reserves hold over 30 billion barrels of oil - that's a lot! Every day, Nigeria pumps out millions of barrels of oil from the ground. This oil gets put into trucks and ships and sent around the world. Other countries use Nigeria's oil to power cars, heat homes, and make stuff like plastic. Nigeria started finding oil in their country in 1956. This changed everything! The money from selling oil helped Nigeria build new roads, schools, and hospitals. It also helped businesses grow. Today, oil sales give the government lots of money to run the country. So whenever you see a gas truck filling up tanks at the station, that gas could be from Nigeria! The country's huge oil reserves make it an important supplier of energy across Africa and the globe.

Hades: 500 different languages? That’s impressive! Thank you for sharing those facts with us, Hermes. Now, for tonight’s tale, we will be joined by Apollo playing the role of Kigbo, Athena playing the role of Dolapo, Dionysus playing the role of Kigbo’s father, and Artemis playing the role of the bush spirits. Many years ago, there lived a young man named Kigbo. Now in Yoruba, Kigbo means willful and stubborn, and the young man lived up to his name. He did not listen to anyone, least of all his own father. When he married and had a son, his father said, 

Dionysus: Kigbo, it is time for you and your family to move out of my home and find some farmland nearby to clear. Build a home and remain near the other villagers. 

Apollo: What? Build a home there? Bah! I’m going to travel to the bush where there is land aplenty! If I stay here, I will have just enough land to live on. If I go there, I’ll have large tracts on which I can farm, and then I will be rich!

Dionysus: The bush? My son! It is dangerous to inhabit the bush. The bush spirits live there, and they are not to be trifled with! There’s a reason no one has tried to farm the bush.

Apollo: That doesn’t matter, Father. I’m not afraid of any bush spirits! In fact, I’ll banish any that come my way. 

 Hades: Kigbo’s father shook his head then sighed. 

Dionysus: Aaah, someday, my son, you will learn, but I hope the lesson doesn’t cost you your life. 

Hades: When Kigbo told his wife Dolapo that he intended to clear a patch of land in the bush, she was mortified. 

Athena: Kigbo! Are you out of your mind? The bush spirits live there! You can’t clear land in the bush. 

Apollo: I can and I will, wife. You may come with me or stay. I shall clear the land all the same. 

Athena: I will not be foolish and gamble with my life. Our son and I shall stay right here. 

Hades: And so, Kigbo headed out into the bush to clear some land. When he began doing so, he heard the bush spirits say, 

Artemis: Who are you and what are you doing on our land? 

Apollo: I am Kigbo and I’m clearing this land to plant corn so I may provide for my family. 

Hades: The spirits said, 

Artemis: We are the bush spirits and this is our land. We do what you do. 

Hades: To his amazement, the spirits all began clearing the land alongside him. 

Apollo: Ha, everyone doubted me but I have gotten the spirits to do most of the work! This is excellent! 

Hades: That night, when Kigbo returned to his wife, she asked, 

Athena: Well, what happened when you went to the bush, husband? 

Apollo: [Laughs.] Those foolish spirits helped me clear the land! 

Hades: His father, who had overheard their conversation, said, 

Dionysus: I wouldn’t be so hasty in calling those spirits foolish, my son. You have trespassed on their land and they will not let such a transgression slip by, unanswered. 

Apollo: Bah! Because of the bush spirits, I’m further along on my farming than anyone else here. 

Hades: The next day, Kigbo prepared to set off for the field of land he had cleared, eager to plant his corn. Once more, he asked his wife, 

Apollo: Would you like to come with me, wife? 

Athena: Absolutely not! Our son and I will stay here. There is no way I’m going to gamble with my life. Go if you must, but don’t drag me into your ill-fated scheme. 

Apollo: Very well, suit yourself, but when I return with corn enough to sell and become wealthier than any other in this village, you will realize that neglecting to farm the bush was the result of silly old wive’s tales. 

Hades: And so, our good friend Kigbo headed back into the bush once more to plant his corn. As soon as the young man began sowing his fields with corn, the spirits asked him, 

Artemis: Who are you and what are you doing on our land? 

Apollo: I am Kigbo and I’m planting corn in this field so I can provide for myself and my family. 

Artemis: We are the bush spirits and this is our land. We do what you do. 

Hades: Then, much to his delight, the spirits began planting the corn alongside him and sooner than he could say, “I am Kigbo the stubborn lad”, his entire field had been planted with corn and his work was done for the day. 

Apollo: My father was a superstitious fool. These spirits have done my work for me. Why didn’t anyone think to do something as clever as this? Well, it is their loss. Now I shall return home and relax. 

Hades: Several months passed by, and at last, Dolapo decided that perhaps she had better visit her husband in his field.

Athena: As stubborn as he is, I love Kigbo and I feel that I should visit him there. Perhaps he is right and the spirits are benevolent after all. 

Hades: So, with her baby in her arms, Dolapo headed out and made her way towards the bush. She and her husband did not meet up along the way, and she was surprised when she arrived to find him absent. 

Athena: I wonder where he is.

Hades: As she waited for him to arrive, her son began to cry. Being an infant, he couldn’t tell her what he needed. She tried rocking him, but that did nothing to stop the crying. She sang him a lullaby but if anything, the crying grew louder. Finally, she decided he must be hungry. 

Athena: The corn in this field is not yet ripe, my son. Wait for your father to come then we can go eat something together. 

Hades: Being too young to understand his mother and utterly ruled by his stomach, the baby continued to howl and make a fuss. At last, the woman said, 

Athena: This corn isn’t quite ripe, but if you want some, I shall let you have it.

Hades: With that, she snapped off one of the ears of corn and gave it to the baby. It was at that moment the bush spirits arrived and said, 

Artemis: We are the bush spirits and this is our land. We do what you do.

Hades: To Dolapo’s horror, the spirits made short work of snapping off all of the ears of corn and letting them fall to the ground. 

Kigbo chose that moment to arrive, and he looked at the devastation around him with anger. 

Apollo: What happened? 

Athena: Our son was crying out in hunger, and to appease him, I broke off one of the ears of corn. Then the bush spirits came and did the same. 

Apollo: Why couldn’t you wait till you got back home? Now my fields are ruined! 

Hades: Kigbo exclaimed as he shook his fist at his son, who had begun to cry again. 

Artemis: We are the bush spirits and this is our land. We do what you do. 

Hades: They all began shaking their fists at the baby, scaring him even further.

At last, realizing that he had brought this upon himself, Kigbo struck his own head with his fist, saying, 

Apollo: Oh! Why did I not listen to my father? I brought this upon myself! Had I but farmed in the land where everyone else farmed, I would not be in this position now! But I thought I could outsmart the spirits, and I have lost my crop and put my family in danger! Oh, what a fool I have been!

Hades: The spirits, as before, said, 

Artemis: We are the bush spirits and this is our land. We do what you do. 

Hades: Needless to say, as the spirits all converged on Kigbo, striking out at his head, he along with his wife and son, began running for their lives, and they didn’t stop until they reached the safety of the village from whence they came. 

Apollo: Father, you were right. I shall never venture into the bush again. The bush spirits must be respected. 

Dionysus: Well said, my son. Respect and humility are virtues to be cherished, for even the spirits know them. We all learn from our mistakes, some of us just the harder way.

Hades: From then on, Kigbo always respected the bush spirits and lived reverently ever after. 

Persephone: Wow, what a story! That definitely gave me goosebumps! 

Hermes: I’ll say! That might have been the spookiest one for me!

Persephone: All of this shivering has made me crave something warm. This week, we’ll be making some Nigerian Jollof Rice. It started a long, long time ago in a region called Senegambia in West Africa. The Wolof people, who lived there, were the first to make this delicious dish.

Over time, Jollof Rice traveled to many other places including Nigeria, and people began to add their own special touches to it. Just like how you might add your favorite colored sprinkles to a cupcake!

Today, Jollof Rice is loved by people in many different countries, especially in West Africa. In fact, there's a friendly competition between Nigeria and Ghana about who makes the best Jollof Rice. It's like a fun food race!

The best part? Jollof Rice isn't just delicious. It's also a way for people to celebrate and come together. That's why it's often served at parties and special occasions.

So remember, when you're cooking and eating Jollof Rice, you're also sharing in a big, exciting story. And who knows? Maybe you'll add your own chapter to the Jollof Rice story one day. 

Here is what you will need. 

·         2 cups of rice

·         4 ripe tomatoes

·         1 red bell pepper

·         1 onion

·         1 teaspoon of thyme

·         1 teaspoon of curry powder

·         1 teaspoon of chili powder (optional)

·         1 cup of cooked chicken or beef 

·         Salt to taste

·         2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Steps:

1.    Ask your grown-up helper to chop the tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion. Sharp knives are for adults!

2.    Put the chopped vegetables in a blender. Ask your grown-up to blend them into a smooth mixture. It's like making a veggie smoothie!

3.    Wash the rice under running water. Don't forget to drain it afterwards!

4.    Time to cook! With your grown-up's help, heat the oil in a large pot. Add the vegetable puree, thyme, curry powder, and chili powder (if you're using it). Cook this until it reduces and the oil starts to show at the top.

5.    Add the rice to the pot and stir it around until it's all coated in the yummy sauce. This is a good time to add your salt, too. Remember, you can always add more later, so start with just a little.

6.    The final step is to add your cooked meat and enough water to just cover the rice. Ask your grown-up to adjust the stove to low heat, cover the pot, and let it cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is done.

Voila! You've just made Nigerian Jollof Rice! This dish is great on its own or served with a side of veggies. If you would like to tell me how yours turned out or send me pictures, feel free to do so by E-mailing me at Persephone@firesidefolklorewithhades.com. 

Hades: That sounds like an excellent meal! We should definitely make some after we’re done recording, my dear. 

Persephone: I’ve already got a pot of it simmering on the stovetop with your name on it. 

Hades: Wonderful! Now, brother Zeus, I hope you managed to find a better sponsor for the show this week. 

Zeus: I did, brother! This week, the show is sponsored by Hercules’s Labor-Saving Solutions, makers of Demeter’s Divine Plow! 

Persephone: Wow! They’re definitely a great company. Mom wouldn’t work with them otherwise. 

Zeus: All right listeners, if you haven’t heard of Demeter’s Divine Plow, you’ll be an expert after this. Are you tired of toiling in the fields from dawn to dusk? Have you had one too many run-ins with mischievous spirits? Well, fear no more! Introducing...Demeter's Divine Plow!

Yes, you heard that right, folks! Crafted in the fiery forges of Hephaestus himself and imbued with the blessings of my dear sister, Demeter, this is no ordinary plow. This is a tool fit for a demigod!

With this miraculous contraption, you'll slice through soil like Hermes through the sky, making every chore feel like a delightful dance. With Demeter's Divine Plow, you’ll have those fields cleared faster than Hermes on his winged sandals. Forget the bush spirits, with this plow, you're the spirit of the fields!

So why wait? Say goodbye to your bush spirit woes and hello to bountiful harvests. Get your Demeter's Divine Plow NOW! Because, my friends, with a tool this divine, every day is a good harvest day!

Hades: Well, before I go enjoy some Jollof Rice, Zeus, how about that lightning round? 

Zeus: What? You actually remembered? I was hoping you wouldn’t since I haven’t come up with any questions! 

Hades: In that case, … 

Zeus: You called my bluff, brother. I was only joking! All right, for those of you who are new, here’s how it works. I will ask you three questions about tonight’s episode, and the first one to E-mail me at zeus@firesidefolklorewithhades.com with the correct answers will win a $15 gift card to the Seed Bank Box. Be sure to put “Zeus’s Lightning Round, Episode 5” in the subject line, and include your first name and where you’re calling from if you would like us to acknowledge you on the air. Are you ready for the questions? Here goes! 

1.    What does the name Kigbo mean?

2.    After Kigbo and the bush spirits cleared some land, what did they plant? 

3.    What company made Demeter’s Divine Plow? 

I look forward to receiving your answers. 

Hades: Well, that’s all we have for you tonight, folks. Next time, we’ll have a special treat for you. In celebration of one of my favorite holidays, we’ll be delving into some campfire tales perfect to listen to on Halloween night, learning to make some yummy treats, and enjoying a bit of spooky fun. We hope you join us for a divine Halloween party.

Persephone: Goodnight everyone!

Hermes: Goodnight everyone! Stay curious!