HOW MUSHROOMS FIRST GREW

24/07/2025 4 min

Listen "HOW MUSHROOMS FIRST GREW"

Episode Synopsis

“The Debt That Traveled: A West African Folk Tale”What happens when a debt becomes too heavy to bear? In this captivating traditional story, follow an extraordinary chain of misfortune that begins with two brothers who turn to highway robbery to escape their creditors. When they try to start fresh with farming, a hungry bushfowl destroys their crops—and inherits their debts in the process.From there, the burden passes through an unlikely series of characters: a nest-building bird whose eggs are destroyed in a storm, a silk-cotton tree stripped bare by an elephant, a hunter who shoots the wrong target, and finally to a colony of wise ants who must find a creative solution to break the cycle.This timeless tale explores themes of responsibility, consequence, and ingenuity while offering a charming explanation for why we find what we call “mushrooms” growing on ant hills. A perfect blend of moral lesson and whimsical storytelling that will delight listeners of all ages.https://mythopia.io/story/953/how-mushrooms-first-grew