Leopard (Tale 27)

Role: leopard · First appears: Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram

In Tale 27, Leopard and Ram finished a house they had built together and decided to live in it. Surprised that Ram returned from each hunt with as much meat or venison as he did, Leopard asked his son, little Leopard, to find out how Ram hunted. That evening, his son reported that Ram killed animals by going backward and warned Leopard to be careful when he saw him do so.

Some time afterward, Leopard mistook Ram’s backward slip for an attack and fled over the wall with his son to the woods. From that time, as the tale explains, leopards made their abode in the woods while rams remained at home.

Relationship record

Life events

• Leopard and Ram finished the house they had built together.(Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram)
  • With: Ram
  • “At last the house was finished to the satisfaction of both.”
• Leopard and Ram decided to live together in the new house.(Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram)
  • With: Ram
  • “Each told his tale, and after some friendly discussion, they decided to live together.”
• Leopard learned from his son how Ram hunted and began watching Ram closely.(Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram)
  • With: little Leopard
  • “In the evening the leopard obtained all the information about the hunt from his son. The latter warned him that he must always be careful when he saw the ram go backward.”
• After mistaking Ram's backward slip for an attack, Leopard fled with his son to the woods.(Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram)
  • With: Ram little Leopard
  • “Calling to his son to follow, he sprang with all his might over the wall of the house and fled to the woods.”
• Leopards made their abode in the woods while rams remained at home.(Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram · 📍 the woods)
  • With: Ram
  • “From that time leopards have made their abode in the woods while rams have remained at home.”

Tale 27 · The Leopard and the Ram

• friends with Ram “The leopard was very much surprised to find that every evening his friend Ram brought home just as much meat or venison from the hunt as he himself did.”
• child: little Leopard “One day, before setting out to hunt, Leopard requested his son to find out, if possible, from young Ram, how his father managed to kill the animals.”

Also listed in Other Figures — Minor Figures

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Extracted from the original text of West African Folk-Tales. Made with Rho MD.