when the world began, stories from ethiopia

This is a small selection of the stories that I collected in Ethiopia as part of the Ethiopian Folktales Project, undertaken with the British Council and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education. They represent the Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia and Wolayita regions. All the 300+ stories I collected are available to read in English and Amharic at www.ethiopianfolktales.com. Re-tellings for children are at www.ethiopianfolktalesforkids.com.

I wrote a full account of the project in The Lure of the Honey Bird, published by Birlinn Polygon in 2013.

There is an astonishing wisdom and richness in Ethiopian folktales. There are wisdom stories, animal fables, ogres and kings, wise men and farmers, and stories about the creation of the world and its creatures.

The book is beautifully illustrated by Yosef Kebede, Emma Harding, Griselda Holderness and Lydia Monks.

Oxford University Press

ISBN 0192745352