Hlakanyana: The Zulu-Xhosa Trickster Born from the Womb
Hlakanyana (Uhlakanyana) is a cunning trickster figure in Zulu and Xhosa folklore, of weasel-like size and nature, who speaks from his mother's womb demanding to be born because the cattle of his father are being devoured. After birth, he embarks on a series of adventures: he tricks a cannibal by cooking the cannibal's mother and feeding her to him, escapes by turning into a stick, steals birds from traps, and outwits a hyena and a baboon. His stories emphasize the triumph of intelligence over brute strength and the importance of cunning for survival in a precarious world.