The King and the Ju Ju Tree

How can you tell if a tree is magic or not just by looking?

Greetings, readers! This week's story comes to us from Nigeria. The King and the Ju Ju Tree is a story about a king who learns what price we're willing to pay when we're in great pain. Click the link above to read the story and continue with me below to analyze it.

Let's start with the king. I understand that he would be mad about not being able to use that spring to wash. And it even makes sense to have some of his people cut the tree down. However, when they weren't able to do anything to the tree, the king should have stopped to think before acting. He lives in a world where magical things happen. It's not unreasonable to think something magical was happening with that ju ju tree.

He absolutely should not have tried to cut it down himself. I'm not sure if it would have been better to offer sacrifices or talk to some spirits or just give up on the spring, but attacking a magical tree never goes well. So, the king ends up with a magical splinter in his eye. Ouch.

Honestly, I don't blame the king for trading his daughter to the spirit in return for relief. The king had been out of his mind with pain for several days and everyone around him was telling him to do it. It was not a great decision, but I understand why he made it. Also, once the king was cured, he realized what he had done and required mass mourning for his daughter. To me, that reads as regret.

Moving on, we see how strong this daughter is. She's put in a fatting house for two years. I don't really know what a fatting house is, but it doesn't sound like a cheerful place. What's more impactful is that she knew the whole time why they were feeding her so well because a friendly skull told her. We'll come back to this skull later.

So, this woman has two years of barely eating and knowing that any day, she could be eaten. Not a comfortable way to spend one's time. But we don't hear about any panic or problems from her. Times were tough and she survived. I'm sure she had days of panic and worry, but apparently none of them made it into the story.

After almost three years like this, the spirit finally decided it was time to eat her. She's spent this whole time trusting in the skull, so when he tells her to run, she does. It's so nice to read a fairy tale where someone actually follows directions. This woman doesn't turn back, she dropped the medicine on the two roads to make them one. Just flawless execution. Good on her for bucking the trend and actually doing it right.

Now, I have to wonder about when this woman came home to her father. Did she want to live with him? After all, he'd traded her away once for something. Was it awkward for him that she came back? Hopefully it was joyful all around, but if nothing else, her time in the spirit world probably changed her.

As for the skull, I have to wonder. The first thing we hear the skull do is wrangle all of the food from the king's daughter by telling her that they're fattening her up. It happened to be true, but it also helped him out. I'm assuming he enjoyed eating her food every day. We see the skull's actual kindness when he helps her escape. That didn't benefit him, at least as far as we know. Assuming that this skull is what I'm thinking of and not a name for something else, skull's are often thought of as being pretty creepy. But this one was helpful. And kind. So here's to this fairy tale for flipping expectations!

The moral of this story is, to fully understand the cost of a something before you agree to it. Alternatively, don't try to cut down a magic tree.

Have a different moral? Wondering how the skull ate anything without a stomach? Have a different story you want me to look at? Comment below! And don't forget to subscribe if you like reading these.