SEC-S30W2: Legends of My Country: (The Legend of the Forest Spirit)
Title: The Legend of the Forest Spirit
Every country has supernatural legends that are passed on from one generation to another. In my country Nigeria, one of the most supernatural beliefs is about mysterious forest spirits that are said to live deep inside thick bushes and sacred forests. Many elders believe these spirits protects and punish anyone who disrespects the land. I have heard my father say the spirits appear in strange forms like; animals, shadows, or as humans. These legends are often told to warn people not to wander carelessly into the forests at night.
There is a story often told in my village about a hunter named Chinedu. Chinedu was known for his bravery. Unlike other hunters, he was not afraid of the deep forest that everyone believed was home to supernatural beings. The elders would always warn him saying, “respect the forest because not everything you see there belong to the human world.” But Chinedu being the bravest never believed that story as he went ahead his daily activities in the forest.
One evening just as the story goes, Chinedu decided to hunt farther than he had ever gone before. The sun was setting and the forest was becoming darker and suddenly, he heard the sound of leaves moving even though there was no wind. He stopped and looked around carefully, at first he thought it was an animal, but then he saw a strange figure looking so tall and standing between two trees.
The figure looked like a human being but its body seemed to glow in the dark. Chinedu at this time felt a cold shiver run down his spine and still stood and watched as this figure moved deeper into the forest. At that point, Chinedu remembered the elder's warnings about the spirits that guard the forest.
Fear griped him and without saying a word, he turned around and made way back to the village. He finally arrived and still breathing heavily and shaking, he sat down to rest the villagers surrounded him to find out what has scared him so much. He shared his experience and explained how it all started and ended.
Chinedu learnt his lesson in a hard way and from that day forward, he never mocked the stories of the elders again, instead he became the adviser to the younger hunters telling them to respect the forest and the mysterious forces behind it.
Lesson from the story:
• Sometimes the things we do not understand deserve our respect because there are forces greater than us.
• What an elder see standing, a child cannot see it even while climbing on a tree. We should try to pay rapt attention to stories and not ignore necessary informations.
•.Life is deeper than we know it. Allowing the elders teach us some legendary and traditions would save us a great deal.
I invite @mariami @eliany @pandora2010
Hi, @ninapenda
It's a pleasure to see that you've accepted my challenge, welcome! Here is your evaluation:
It is a good story. It's true what you say, almost all cultures talk about forest spirits and guardians of nature, who are in charge of protecting natural environments from unconscious people.
Remember to place the link to your post in the challenge entry for your participation to be valid.
Curated by: @ahsansharif