Mursi Myth

The Song of the Monitor Lizard
 -a Mursi myth, as told by a Mursi

A long time ago we Mursi shed our skin and there was no death,
but death was given to us by the monitor lizard.
So, now we have been cursed by the monitor lizard
and the shedding of the skin that was ours, he gave to the snake.
So, now the snake sheds its skin and we die.
Now when the snake shed its skin it was because it heard the singing of the monitor lizard.
The monitor lizard climbed a tree and sang a song:

“The snake dies, the Mursi sheds his skin”
“The snake dies, the Mursi sheds his skin”

The snake was close by and he heard
(but the monitor lizard didn’t know he was there).
He heard this and he didn’t want to die,
so he came and decided to eat the monitor lizard.
And he asked the monitor lizard saying:
“Hiiiii!, who are you saying will die?”
And the monitor lizard was afraid of being eaten and said:
“No! The Mursi will die. The Mursi will die.”
“Okay, sing then,” said snake.
So when the monitor lizard sang, he said:

“The Mursi dies, the snake sheds its skin.”
“The Mursi dies, the snake sheds its skin.”

Now the snake sheds its skin and we Mursi die
and in this way, death came to the earth forever.