In this Southern Nigerian folktale, a powerful hippopotamus challenges his guests to discover a secret that only his seven wives know. He uses the mystery of his name to deny the people a feast, believing that nobody will ever solve his challenge. The tortoise, however, refuses to accept defeat. Rather than guessing blindly, he observes the hippopotamus’s daily habits and devises a clever plan to uncover the hidden name.
What follows is a contest of wit between two determined animals. The hippopotamus relies on his power and confidence, while the tortoise uses patience and careful observation. Their encounter ends with a promise that changes the hippopotamus’s life and explains, within the story, why these great animals came to dwell in the water.
A Powerful Hippopotamus
Long ago, the hippopotamus was regarded as one of the greatest kings on land. He was second in importance only to the elephant, whose size and strength made him the mightiest animal in the country.
The hippopotamus had seven wives, all of whom he loved dearly. He enjoyed his position and often demonstrated his importance by hosting large feasts for the people.
Whenever he organised one of these gatherings, guests arrived expecting to enjoy plenty of food and tombo, a traditional palm wine. The feasts were occasions for people to come together, eat, drink and celebrate.
However, the hippopotamus had a strange rule that turned these generous occasions into tests.
Although everyone knew who he was, nobody outside his household knew his personal name. Only his seven wives possessed that knowledge.
The hippopotamus regarded this secret as a source of power. He believed that because nobody could name him, he could challenge his guests and control whether they were allowed to eat.
He decided to use this advantage at one of his feasts.
The Challenge at the Feast
One day, the hippopotamus invited the people to another large gathering. The guests arrived as usual, looking forward to the meal that had been prepared for them.
The food was ready, and the people were about to sit down when their host stopped them.
He reminded them that although they had come to eat at his table, none of them knew his name.
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He then announced his condition: if they could not tell him his name, they would all have to leave without dinner.
The guests were astonished.
They knew the hippopotamus well. They recognised his importance and were familiar with his feasts. Yet they had never needed to know his personal name, and nobody could provide the answer he demanded.
The challenge left them helpless. The food was waiting, but they could not begin eating until they solved the mystery.
The hippopotamus watched as the guests tried to think of an answer. He knew they had no way of discovering his name simply by looking at him.
One by one, the people realised they had failed.
The hippopotamus kept his word. The guests had to leave the feast without tasting the food or drinking the palm wine.
His trick had worked, and he had once again demonstrated the advantage he believed his secret gave him.
The Tortoise Makes a Promise
Among those present was the tortoise, an animal known in many folktales for his intelligence and cunning.
Unlike the other guests, the tortoise did not simply accept the humiliation. He began thinking about how he might discover the name that had defeated everyone else.
Before leaving, he stood up and addressed the hippopotamus.
He asked what would happen if he could tell the host his name at the next feast.
The hippopotamus was confident that the tortoise would fail just as the other guests had done. He therefore agreed to a bold condition.
If the tortoise succeeded in naming him at the next feast, the hippopotamus promised that he and his entire family would leave the land and live in the water from then onwards.
The promise was extraordinary. The hippopotamus was one of the most powerful animals on land, and he was now staking his family’s way of life on a secret he believed nobody could discover.
The tortoise accepted the challenge.
He did not yet know the name, but he had begun to think about how he could obtain it. Rather than wasting time making random guesses, he planned to observe the hippopotamus and search for an opportunity to hear the truth.
The feast had ended without dinner, but the tortoise left with a purpose. He had been given a chance to defeat the hippopotamus, provided he could uncover the secret.
Watching the Hippopotamus and His Wives
The tortoise knew that the hippopotamus followed a regular routine. Every morning and evening, the hippopotamus and his seven wives went down to the river to wash and drink.
The hippopotamus usually walked at the front, with his wives following behind him.
The tortoise paid attention to this habit. He understood that if he wanted to discover the name, he needed to be near the family without making them suspicious.
He waited for an opportunity.
One day, the hippopotamus and his wives went to the river as usual. The tortoise knew they would return along the same path, so he decided to prepare a small trap.
He dug a hole in the middle of their route and waited nearby.
The plan did not depend on strength or speed. The tortoise could not overpower the hippopotamus, nor could he force one of the wives to reveal the secret. He needed one of them to speak naturally, without realising that she was giving away information.
He therefore made himself part of the path they would use when they returned from the river.
After the hippopotamus and his wives had finished bathing, they began their journey home. The hippopotamus walked in front, as he usually did, while the seven wives followed.
The tortoise remained hidden, watching and waiting.
The Secret Name Isantim
As the family returned along the path, two of the wives fell behind the others.
This was the opportunity the tortoise had been waiting for.
He came out of hiding and partly buried himself in the hole he had dug, leaving most of his shell exposed above the ground.
The first of the two wives approached and struck her foot against the tortoise’s shell.
The sudden impact hurt her foot. She immediately called out to her husband.
“Isantim, my husband, I have hurt my foot!”
The words revealed exactly what the tortoise needed to know.
The wife had spoken the hippopotamus’s secret name without thinking. She was concerned about her injured foot and had called to her husband in the natural way she would have done at home.
The tortoise heard the name clearly.
He was delighted. His plan had succeeded, and he now possessed the answer that had defeated the guests at the first feast.
He did not confront the hippopotamus immediately. Instead, he returned home, satisfied that he could now fulfil the challenge.
The tortoise had discovered the secret not by force, but by observing a routine and creating a situation in which the truth would be spoken naturally.
The Second Feast
In time, the hippopotamus held another feast.
As before, the people gathered, expecting to enjoy the food and drink. The hippopotamus welcomed them and prepared to repeat his challenge.
He reminded the guests that they would not be allowed to eat unless someone could tell him his name.
The people remembered what had happened at the previous feast. They had been forced to leave hungry, and they were uncertain whether the same humiliation awaited them again.
The tortoise, however, was ready.
He stood up and addressed the hippopotamus. Before revealing the name, he asked the host to promise that he would not kill him if he succeeded.
The question was important. The tortoise knew that revealing such a closely guarded secret might anger the powerful animal, and he wanted to secure his safety before speaking.
The hippopotamus agreed.
He still believed the tortoise had no chance of answering correctly. Confident in his own secrecy, he made the promise without expecting it to matter.
The tortoise then prepared to announce what he had discovered.
The guests watched closely. If the tortoise succeeded, he would not only solve the mystery but also fulfil the condition attached to the hippopotamus’s promise.
The Tortoise Reveals the Name
The tortoise raised his voice so that everyone could hear.
He announced that the hippopotamus’s name was Isantim.
The answer was correct.
The people immediately cheered. The secret that had prevented them from enjoying the first feast had finally been revealed, and they could now sit down to eat.
The hippopotamus was unable to deny the answer. The tortoise had discovered the name, and the host had already promised not to harm him if he succeeded.
The result was a victory for the tortoise’s intelligence. He had watched the hippopotamus’s habits, noticed that the wives accompanied him to the river, and arranged a way to overhear one of them speaking.
The hippopotamus had believed that his secret made him invulnerable. He had used it to control the guests and deny them their meal, confident that nobody could discover the truth.
But the tortoise had understood that even a well-guarded secret could be exposed if someone observed carefully enough.
The challenge was over. The tortoise had won, and the hippopotamus now had to honour the promise he had made at the first feast.
The Hippopotamus Keeps His Promise
After the feast, the hippopotamus had to face the consequence of his own words.
He had promised that if the tortoise discovered his name, he and his whole family would leave the land and live in the water. The tortoise had fulfilled the condition, so the hippopotamus could not simply dismiss the agreement.
Keeping his promise, the hippopotamus went down to the river with his seven wives.
From that time onwards, the hippopotamus and his family lived in the water.
The tale explains that although hippopotamuses still come onto land at night to feed, they are not found living on land during the daytime. Their home is the water, where they remain for much of their lives.
Thus, the tortoise’s intelligence brought the contest to an end. The hippopotamus had tried to use his secret name to control others, but the challenge he created eventually changed his own life.
The story concludes with the explanation of why the hippopotamus lives in the water, preserving the traditional folktale’s connection between a clever trick, a promise, and an animal’s habits.
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Moral Lesson
The Hippopotamus and the Tortoise celebrates careful observation and clever thinking. The tortoise does not attempt to defeat a more powerful animal through strength. Instead, he studies the hippopotamus’s routine and finds a way to uncover the secret name.
The story also warns against making promises carelessly. The hippopotamus believes that nobody will discover his name, so he agrees to a condition without considering what might happen if he loses the challenge. Once the tortoise succeeds, the hippopotamus must keep his word.
The tale’s traditional ending explains the hippopotamus’s life in water through the consequences of this contest. It is a reminder that cleverness can overcome power, especially when a person takes time to observe and think.
Knowledge Check
1. What was the hippopotamus’s secret?
His personal name, Isantim, was known only to his seven wives.
2. Why did the hippopotamus send his guests away without dinner?
He challenged them to tell him his name, and nobody could answer correctly.
3. What did the hippopotamus promise if the tortoise discovered his name?
He promised that he and his whole family would leave the land and live in the water.
4. How did the tortoise discover the secret name?
He partly buried himself in a hole along the family’s path and heard one of the wives call her husband Isantim after she hurt her foot on his shell.
5. What happened when the tortoise revealed the name at the second feast?
The people cheered, the answer was accepted, and they were able to sit down to eat.
6. How does the folktale explain why hippopotamuses live in water?
The hippopotamus and his seven wives kept their promise and went to live in the water after the tortoise discovered his name.
Source
“The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise; or, Why the Hippopotamus lives in the Water” is Chapter XXII of Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, West Africa, collected by Elphinstone Dayrell and published in 1910, with an introduction by Andrew Lang.
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