us
races who preceded the Aryans in Central and Northern Europe. In like
manner the long-haired cannibal of Zulu nursery literature, who is
always represented as belonging to a distinct race, has been supposed to
be explained by the existence of inferior races conquered and displaced
by the Zulus. Nevertheless, as Dr. Callaway observes, neither the
long-haired mountain cannibals of Western Africa, nor the Fulahs,
nor the tribes of Eghedal described by Barth, "can be considered as
answering to the description of long-haired as given in the Zulu legends
of cannibals; neither could they possibly have formed their historical
basis..... It is perfectly clear that the cannibals of the Zulu legends
are not common men; they are magnified into giants and magicians; they
are remarkably swift and enduring; fierce and terrible warriors." Very
probably they may have a mythical origin in modes of thought akin to
those which begot the Panis of the Veda and the Northern Trolls. The
parallelism is perhaps the most remarkable one which can be found in
comparing barbaric with Aryan folk-lore. Like the Panis and Trolls, the
cannibals are represented as the foes of the solar hero Uthlakanyana,
who is almost as great a traveller as Odysseus, and whose presence of
mind amid trying circumstances is not to be surpassed by that of the
incomparable Boots. Uthlakanyana is as precocious as Herakles or Hermes.
He speaks before he is born, and no sooner has he entered the world than
he begins to outwit other people and get possession of their property.
He works bitter ruin for the cannibals, who, with all their strength and
fleetness, are no better endowed with quick wit than the Trolls, whom
Boots invariably victimizes. On one of his journeys, Uthlakanyana fell
in with a cannibal. Their greetings were cordial enough, and they ate a
bit of leopard together, and began to build a house, and killed a couple
of cows, but the cannibal's cow was lean, while Uthlakanyana's was fat.
Then the crafty traveller, fearing that his companion might insist upon
having the fat cow, turned and said, "'Let the house be thatched now
then we can eat our meat. You see the sky, that we shall get wet.' The
cannibal said, 'You are right, child of my sister; you are a man indeed
in saying, let us thatch the house, for we shall get wet.'
Uthlakanyana said, 'Do you do it then; I will go inside, and push the
thatching-needle for you, in the house.' The cannibal went up. His hair