The Mother Sheep and the Angry Ram

Long ago, according to this Southern Nigerian folktale, Thunder and Lightning lived on the earth among other people. Thunder was an old mother sheep, while Lightning was her son, a ram whose anger brought destruction wherever he went. Although his mother repeatedly called out to him, he refused to listen. His behaviour eventually forced the king and the people to take action, first sending the pair away from the town and later banishing them from the earth altogether. The tale offers a traditional explanation for the relationship between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder.

Thunder and Lightning Live Among the People

In the olden days, Thunder and Lightning lived on the earth alongside everyone else. They were not yet separated from the people or sent to live in the sky.

Thunder took the form of an old mother sheep, while Lightning was her son, a ram. Although they were mother and son, they had very different temperaments. The mother frequently tried to control her child, but the ram had a troublesome temper that caused serious problems for those around him.

Whenever Lightning became angry, he went about setting houses on fire and knocking down trees. His destructive behaviour did not stop at people’s homes. He also damaged farms, destroying the work of those who depended on their land. Sometimes, his anger even resulted in people’s deaths.

His mother did not approve of his conduct. Whenever he began causing damage, she called out loudly, ordering him to stop and warning him against doing more harm.

But Lightning paid little attention to her words. He continued acting as he pleased, and whenever his temper rose, the destruction became worse.

The King Sends Them Away from the Town

The people eventually grew tired of living with the constant danger. They could not continue watching their homes, trees and farms suffer whenever the ram became angry.

They therefore complained to the king and asked him to intervene.

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After hearing their grievances, the king issued a special order. Thunder and her son, Lightning, were no longer allowed to live in the town. He instructed the old sheep and the ram to leave their homes and settle in the distant bush, far away from the other people.

The order was intended to protect the community. By moving the troublesome pair away from the houses and farms, the king hoped that the people would no longer suffer from the ram’s destructive behaviour.

Thunder and Lightning left the town and went to live in the bush.

However, the king’s decision did not solve the problem.

Lightning Continues His Destructive Behaviour

Although Lightning no longer lived among the people, his temper remained unchanged.

Whenever the ram became angry, he continued setting things on fire. This time, the destruction spread through the forest. The flames sometimes reached nearby farms and consumed them, causing further trouble for the people.

The distance between the town and the bush was not enough to protect the community. Even after the king had ordered Thunder and Lightning away, the people continued to experience the consequences of the ram’s anger.

Once again, they complained to the king.

The earlier order had failed. Sending the pair to the far bush had not prevented Lightning from causing damage, and the people needed a stronger solution.

Thunder and Lightning Are Banished to the Sky

After hearing the renewed complaints, the king made another decision.

He banished both Thunder and Lightning from the earth and ordered them to live in the sky. He hoped that placing them far above the land would prevent them from causing so much destruction among the people.

From that time onwards, Lightning continued to become angry and cause damage, just as he had done while living on earth.

But his mother remained close enough to make her voice heard on many occasions.

Whenever Lightning became angry, people could hear Thunder rebuking him and telling him to stop. The sound of the mother sheep’s voice followed the flashes and destructive actions of her son.

Sometimes, however, Thunder had travelled some distance away from Lightning. On those occasions, people could still see that the ram was angry and causing damage, but they could not hear his mother’s voice.

The tale ends by explaining why lightning can sometimes appear without the accompanying sound of thunder: the mother has gone some distance away from her troublesome son.

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Moral Lesson

The tale highlights the consequences of uncontrolled anger and the importance of listening to correction. Lightning repeatedly ignores his mother’s warnings, and his behaviour brings trouble not only to himself but also to the wider community.

It also shows that removing a problem from one place does not necessarily solve it. The king first sends Thunder and Lightning away from the town, but Lightning continues causing destruction in the bush. The final decision to banish them from the earth reflects the need to protect the community when earlier measures fail.

Knowledge Check

1. Where did Thunder and Lightning originally live?
They lived on the earth among the other people.

2. What forms did Thunder and Lightning take?
Thunder was an old mother sheep, while Lightning was her son, a ram.

3. What did Lightning do whenever he became angry?
He burned houses, knocked down trees, damaged farms and sometimes killed people.

4. How did Thunder respond to her son’s behaviour?
She called out loudly, telling him to stop and avoid causing further damage.

5. Why did the king first send Thunder and Lightning to the far bush?
The people complained about the destruction Lightning caused, so the king ordered the pair to live far away from their houses.

6. Why did the king eventually banish them to the sky?
Lightning continued setting the forest on fire, and the flames sometimes spread to farms. The people complained again, so the king banished both mother and son from the earth.

Source

Adapted from “The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder,” Chapter XIX of Elphinstone Dayrell’s Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa (1910), page 70.

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