This book tells stories about many strange characters like witches, witchdoctors, mediums, diviners, mystics, ghosts, ogres, mermen and mermaids, human beings who claim to be able to change into wild animals, wild animlas possessed by strange wisdom or spirits. Here are the myths of the mountains, the rivers, waterfalls and forests; the wonderful dreams of many people whose minds have groped in the dark in search of a tiny light to illuminate the immensity of space and the baffling riddles of the universe.

This is a spellbinding and fascinating collection of tales that will enliven the imagination of young readers.

Africa south of the Sahara is a land of wide-ranging traditions and varying cultures. Despite the diversity and the lack of early written records, the continent possesses a rich body of folk tales and legends that have been passed down through the strong custom of storytelling and which often share similar elements, characters and ideas between peoples. So this collection offers a hefty selection of legends and tales – stories of the gods, creation and origins, trickster exploits, animal fables and stories which entertain and edify – from ‘Obatala Creates Mankind’, from the Yoruba people of west Africa, to ‘The Girl Of The Early Race, Who Made Stars’, from the San people of southern Africa, all collected in a gorgeous gold-foiled and embossed hardback to treasure.

One can imagine a family or families sitting around a warm fire at night, chatting about the day. Curious children will always ask questions. Some adults have wonderful powers of imagination, or can remember stories told to them as children. Thus continues the wonderful tradition of passing down stories. Where they started, no-one knows! But we can all enjoy and appreciate them even to this very day.

A combination of two earlier Struik publications (Daughter of the Moonlight and Other African Tales and South African Myths and Legends), this is a spellbinding, fascinating collection of tales to enliven the imagination of young readers.

Drawn from all parts of Africa, these stories for children aged ten and over illustrate the fierce sense of justice inherent in African peoples, their powers of patience and endurance, and their supreme ability as story-tellers.

Introduces African mythology and its origins through facts and dramatic retellings, looking at the structure of the mythological and spiritual worlds and the gods, goddesses, and heroes featured in legend.