African Folktales
Editor’s Featured Picks
Start here — classic tales and modern originals that capture Africa’s timeless voice.
Why the Sea Is Salty
Beloved origin tale with a clever moral about gifts and their limits.
The Man Who Never Lied
A truth-teller confronts power — wit and integrity win the day.
Anansi & the Pot of Beans
West Africa’s trickster spins consequences from greed and pride.
Gothic African Folklore
Modern atmospheric retellings that honor ancestral mystery.
From Seed to Soul — Togolese Creation
Creation, kinship, and land told through seeds, soil, and song.
Browse by Region
Quick region lists to jump into stories; full browsing lives in the themed sections below.
West Africa
East Africa & Horn
Central Africa
North Africa
Southern Africa
Diaspora & Pan-African
Origins & Creation
Where the world, names, and human purpose begin.
Creation of the World
Cosmic beginnings and the order of things.
Why Are People Given Names?
The power of naming and identity.
Yoruba: Creation of the World
Gods, gourd, and ground — a world unfolds.
Elders of Unformed & Born-Again
Philosophical myth of time and return.
From Seed to Soul — Togolese Creation
Soil, seed, and kinship as first laws.
Tricksters & Cleverness
Anansi and friends — wit can feed or wound.
Anansi & the Pot of Beans
Pride meets hot consequences.
The Man Who Knew Everything
Knowledge without humility misleads.
How Rooster Tricked Leopard
Small beak, sharp brain.
Curiosity Killed the Husband
Some doors are better closed.
Selfish Takanda & the Flood
Greed brings waters none can hold.
Animal Wisdom
Beasts with lessons — cunning, care, and consequence.
How Leopard Got His Spots
Camouflage, patience, and change.
Why Froggy Has Bulging Eyes
Curiosity and its price.
Monkey Saved Baby Antelope
Quick thinking saves a life.
Tortoise & Elephant
Shell, strength, and stubbornness.
Why Dogs Hate — Folklore Story
Old grudges with new teeth.
Love, Family & Friendship
Tales of loyalty, marriage, and the heart’s tests.
Love Takes No Less Than Everything
Devotion weighed and measured.
Best Friends, Same Love
When two hearts chase one.
Friends Leave When Needed Most
Faithfulness is the true wealth.
The Three Brothers & Porridge Pot
Sibling rivalry and responsibility.
Too Tall & Too Fat for Love
When vanity meets reality.
Wisdom, Morals & Consequences
Short, sharp lessons for everyday life.
Spirits, Magic & the Unseen
Mugumo trees, lake spirits, and shadows that speak.
Magical Frog of Lake Jipe
Water’s messenger between worlds.
Shadowland — Mugumo Tree Legend
Ancestral vows beneath sacred branches.
Master of the Tormented Fiddle
Music that heals and haunts.
Shetani — Devil’s Bridegroom
Dangerous charm in a handsome face.
Black Man & the White Snake
Debt, deal, and deliverance.
Sky, Earth & Elemental Stories
Thunder, moon, wind — when nature has a voice.
Trials, Tests & Coming-of-Age
Courage and craft — the path to adulthood.
Short Folktales & Minis
Quick reads with lasting echoes.
What Is Folklore? What Is a Folktale?
Definitions shape how we read — and what we keep alive.
New Originals & Modern Retellings
Contemporary voices rooted in ancestral soil.
More to Explore
Discover context in the African Bookshelf, browse the African Cuisine Hub, or dive into the Medicinal Plant Collection.
Explore Related African Knowledge
African Proverbs
Timeless wisdom that shaped the moral lessons behind beloved tales.
Explore African Proverbs →