Bayajidda Slays the Serpent of Daura
The foundational legend of the Hausa people tells of Bayajidda (Abu Yazid), a prince from Baghdad who traveled across Africa to Daura, where a fearsome serpent named Sarki guarded the town's only well, the Kusugu well. The serpent only allowed the people to draw water on Fridays. Bayajidda, unaware of the danger, went to the well on a Thursday. When the serpent attacked, he cut off its head with his sword. As a reward, Queen Daurama offered him half her kingdom, but Bayajidda instead asked for her hand in marriage, ending the tradition of celibate queens. Their son Bawo fathered six sons who,