Week 9 Story: How Kweku Tsin Became the Sun

Having reached the peak of the cavern’s entrance, 

Kweku Tsin turned to face the beast.

Once there was a man named Kweku Tsin, a brave hunter and the provider of his village. He was as strong as he was clever, being the son of the quick-witted Anansi. Everyone admired Kweku Tsin and felt safe in his presence. One day, the people in the village began to go missing. Every day that passed, more of the villagers disappeared. Concerned, Kweku Tsin gathered his hunting gear and left the village to investigate.

Reaching the lush forests, Kweku Tsin walked deftly through the trees, looking for any sign of the missing villagers. In his wake he spotted something weaving through the foliage. Kweku Tsin reached for his bow when suddenly, the large figure arose. A dragon, unlike anything he had ever seen before, reached out to grab him. The beast flew off with Kweku Tsin and dropped him in a dark den on the highest mountain.

Gathering his surroundings, Kweku Tsin saw the missing villagers and a rooster, who was the dragon’s servant. Looking for a way to escape the cavern, he found a space where food and supplies were kept. The rooster prepared to caw in alarm, but Kweku Tsin was faster. Grabbing a bag of rice, he kept the rooster fed and distracted. With that, he instructed one group to tie a rope ladder, and another to gather the bone remains lying about. While working, Kweku Tsin discovered the dragon’s fiddle, deciding it was best to take it with him.

When the materials were gathered, Kweku Tsin threw the rope to the highest point of the cavern, and it caught. The villagers began to climb, with Kweku Tsin following close behind. However, the dragon was suspicious of how quiet the mountain was, and went over to the cavern to investigate. Seeing the captives fleeing, he gave chase. Luckily, Kweku Tsin used the bones to distract the dragon, slowing him down.

The villagers reached the top of the mountain and were ready to make their descent, but the dragon still followed close behind. Having reached the peak of the cavern’s entrance, Kweku Tsin turned to face the beast. Pulling out the fiddle, he raised his bow and began to play a soothing melody. The dragon stopped to listen to the music, entranced by Kweku Tsin’s playing. Calm, the dragon gave up his pursuit and retreated back into the mountain.

When they returned to the village, the people cheered and praised Kweku Tsin for his cleverness and bravery. The villagers believed that he was a light to the people, even during the darkest of times. It was from that point that the people referred to Kweku Tsin as the Sun, a constant shining light for the village. He continued to live up to that title for the rest of his days, watching over the people in peace and harmony.

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Author’s Note

I enjoyed reading the original story of Kweku Tsin, so I didn’t change it too much. I only tweaked the escape plan a bit in a way that sounded logical to me. Also, it was easier to focus on how Kweku Tsin received the sun title instead of trying to include other titles. The moon and the star titles didn’t have much significance in the original story until the very end, so I wanted to write about Kweku Tsin’s achievements alone. All in all, this was fun to write!

Bibliography: “The Moon and the Stars” from West African Folk-Tales, by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair. Web source.

Image Source: Mount Afadjato in Ghana