Experience the Rich Heritage of Yoruba Storytelling!
  • Home
  • About
  • Folktales
  • Bibliography
Home / Yoruba Tales

Showing 1–27 of 36 results

  • picture of a tortoise in a Yoruba folktale stealing groundnuts at a market place as the market people dance away from the market.‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales

    1. How Tortoise (Ijapa) Got His Shell (Ijapa and Iya-Elepa)

    Read more
  • 2. How Ijapa Cracked His Shell (Iya, Iya T‘akun Wale o)‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales

    2. How Ijapa Cracked His Shell (Iya, Iya T‘akun Wale o)

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in distress in a yoruba folktale showing his very large and extended stomach walking outside his town with people looking at him‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales

    3. Why Ijapa (Tortoise)’s Stomach Is Hollow (Ijapa and Babalawo)

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in distress, in a yoruba folktale, with burnt head, holding a deep cap with piping hot porridge yam.‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales

    4. Why Tortoise Is Bald

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise, rat and a squirrel at a market place in a yoruba folktale, fighting with tortoise beating the rat with a stick.‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales

    5. Why Ijapa’s Nose is Very Small (Ijapa, Asin and Okere)

    Read more
  • picture of a huge elephant with a tortoise in front of him going into a town to be king in a yoruba folktale, with people cheering, dancing with music and fanfare.All Tales

    6. Ijapa (Tortoise) and Erin (Elephant)

    Read more
  • picture of a woman market cloth seller with her goods on her head in a yoruba folktale, standing alone in front of an iroko tree (solid oak) and two other women sellers of other things.All Tales

    7. Olurombi

    Read more
  • picture of Ojeje Traders in a yoruba folktale carrying their goods to a market, and a young girl going towards them crying.All Tales

    8. Ojeje Traders

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in a yoruba folktale rescuing a young would be hunter from drowning.All Tales

    9. Ijapa (Tortoise) and Jigborere, Oluwo’s Son

    Read more
  • picture of a woman in a yoruba folktale at a stream where her co-wife's igbako (a utensil) is swept away by the current, frantically searching for it.All Tales

    10. The Two Wives

    Read more
  • picture of a man in a yoruba folktale following behind a woman outside the town and the woman telling him to turn back.All Tales

    11. Olailo and the Mysterious Woman

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in hiding, in a yoruba folktale watching three princesses in their private garden forbidden to others.All Tales

    12. Ijapa (Tortoise) and the Princesses

    Read more
  • picture of a group of people attacking a huge woman in a yoruba folktaleAll Tales

    13. Olomuroro

    Read more
  • picture of a young girl at a river in a yoruba folktale lulled to sleep by its beautiful surroundingsAll Tales

    14. The Disobedient Girl (Alantere)

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in a yoruba folktale observing a beautiful young woman on her way to a river.All Tales

    I5. Ijapa (Tortoise) and Kerebuje

    Read more
  • picture of two brothers in a yoruba folktale, gifted in music singing and dancing at a musical competitionAll Tales

    16. The Jealous Brother

    Read more
  • picture of a bird on a very tall tree in a swampy farm with palm kernels, holding a baby in a yoruba folktale, and a young woman at the bottom of the tree begging the bird to return the baby.All Tales

    17. Agbigbo The Great

    Read more
  • picture of a tortoise in a yoruba folktale carrying yams running after a dog at a farm where they have gone to steal, and the farm owner holding a cutlass looking at them.All Tales

    18. Ijapa (Tortoise) and Aja (Dog)

    Read more
  • picture of a very good-looking yoruba man in a yoruba folktale in a yorubaland who notices a very beautiful yoruba woman following behind him, begs her to go home - to turn back.All Tales

    19. Amola and the Hunter

    Read more
  • picture of a woman at a river in a Yoruba folktale carrying a calabash with locust-beans running agains the current in pursue of a single locust-beanAll Tales

    20. The Locust-Bean Seller

    Read more
  • picture of a yoruba akara-seller (beanb-based food) in a yoruba folktale in a yorualand (iya-alakara) frying ‘akara o l’ ororo’ (akara made with groundnut oil) in her stall, in front of her house and a queue in front of her stall.All Tales

    21. Ijapa (Tortoise) and Iya-Alakara

    Read more
  • picture of hunter in a yoruba folktale in a forest facing an enraged enemy and his three dogs coming to his rescue.All Tales

    22. The Hunter’s Best Friend

    Read more
  • picture of a proud yruba ayaba (king' wiife) in a yoruba folktale in a yorubaland who is put in charge of all the rules and regulations of the palace including assignments of duties and she uses this to her advantage to ill-treat another ayaba - younger than her.All Tales

    23. The Dishonest Wife (Afigbasoyun)

    Read more
  • piture of three yoruba boys in a yoruba folktale in a yorubaland who are bantering, joking about their expertise in their three areas of work: fishing, palm-tree climbing/palm-oil making, and hunting, in the fresh air and a tortoise (ijapa) spying on them.All Tales

    24. Ijapa (Tortoise) and The Three Brothers

    Read more
  • picture of a young woman in a yoruba folktale standing in front of a king (oba) in his palace surrounded by his town's people at a festival.All Tales

    25, Lokode

    Read more
  • picture of a king (oba) in a yoruba folktale surrounded by his people in a field watching a fire burning and rain pouring.All Tales

    26. The Contest Between Fire and Rain

    Read more
  • picture of a woman in a yoruba folktale, running after another woman who has left her fan behind, to stop her from leaving their town waving the fan.All Tales

    27. Leyinibi

    Read more
  • 1
  • 2
  • →

Categories

  • All Tales
  • ‘How’ and ‘Why’ Tortoise Tales
  • Selected Tales With Songs
  • Selected Tortoise Tales Without Songs

Ancient Tales revisited with modern technology

Read stories online or buy the Ebooks

E-mail:[email protected]

Website:https://yorubatales.com

36 Yoruba tales with Audio, in English and Yoruba language and with 250 images © 2024 by Yorubatales.com,O Belo is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
© O.Belo and Yorubatales.com, 2004.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to O Belo and Yorubatales.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.