Sakalava

(map)

After creating the earth, the god Zanahary went to the sky.

Ratovoatany ("The bachelor of the earth") came out of the ground. He made a great fire whose smoke choked Zanahary's child and surprised Zanahary, who left nobody down there. Zanahary sent Rakobonkobona to investigate.

Rakobonkobona found Ratovoantany, learned that he came from the earth unmade, and reported back to Zanahary, who decided to send down great showers on the being and his fire.

But Ratovoantany could see it coming. He created mountains to take refuge from the rain water. Thus the origin of mountains, and the rain was the origin of seas and lakes. During the many days of rain, Ratovoantany lived on the highest mountain and stayed in his house making statues.

When Rakobonkobona found Ratovoantany (and smoke) again after the rain, Zanahary decided to come investigate himself. When he saw the statues, he was amazed at their beauty. The two conversed a long time.

"Why don't you give your statues life?" asked Zanahary.

"I can form them, but I cannot give them life."

"I will give them life and take them to the sky."

"But then what do I get, for making their bodies?"

They bickered a long time and finally agreed that Zanahary would make the statues live and would take the life into the sky whenever one died, and Ratovoantany would keep the bodies on earth.

Charles Renel, Contes de Madagascar, vol. 3: Contes Populaires (Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1930), 69-74.