Szerkesztő:Blackfire/Ga-gorib

Ga-gorib

Ga-gorib, a legendary monster who sat by a deep hole in the ground and dared passers-by to throw rocks at him. The rocks would bounce off and kill the passer-by, who then fell into the hole. When the hero Heitsi-eibib encountered Ga-gorib, he declined the monster's dare. When Ga-gorib was not looking, Heitsi-eibib threw a stone at the monster and hit it below its ear, causing it to fall in its own pit.

In an alternate version of this story, Ga-gorib chased Heitsi-eibib around the hole until the hero slipped and fell inside. Heitsi-eibib eventually escaped and, after a struggle, was able to push the monster into the pit.

Gorib is "the spotted one" (meaning leopard, cheetah, or leguaan) in Central Khoisan languages, so the Ga-gorib probably has some connection with this formidable species. The element "ga-" remains to be explained. Possibly, it is a negative, "not-a-leopard", not only on comparative morphological grounds, but also because its adversary Heitsi-eibib has many symbolic connotations of the leopard, such as rain, stars and speckledness.

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A monster of the Khoikhoi, the 'thrower down'. The creature sat on the edge of a great pit and dared passers-by to throw stones at him. The stone always rebounded and killed the thrower, who then fell into the pit. When the legendary hero Heitsi-eibib approached it, he wisefully declined to aim a stone until he had diverted the monster's gaze. He then struck Ga-gorib under the ear and tumbled it into its own trap. Another version of this legend tells of how Heitsi-eibib was chased around the pit before he slipped and fell in it. He managed to escape but had to wrestle with the monster for a long before he succeeded in pushing Ga-gorib in the pit.

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Legendary hero of the Hottentots. Son of a cow and some miraculous grass, eaten by the cow, Heitsi-eibib is a great magician, a patron of hunters, and a superb fighter. Only he could rid the Hottentots of the monstrous Ga-gorib, ‘thrower down’. This creature was in the habit of sitting on the edge of a great pit and daring passers-by to throw stones at him. The stone always rebounded and killed the thrower, who then fell into the pit. When Heitsi-eibib approached Ga-gorib, he declined to aim a stone, until he had diverted the monster's gaze. Then he struck Ga-gorib under the ear and tumbled him into his own trap. Another version of the contest relates the near defeat of Heitsi-eibib, who was chased round the pit before he slipped and fell into it. Though he managed to escape, the hero was hard pressed and only succeeded in pushing Ga-gorib into the pit after a prolonged wrestle. According to legend, Heitsi-eibib was killed on numerous occasions, after which he resurrected himself: his cairns are dotted over the Hottentot lands. (http://www.answers.com/topic/heitsi-eibib)

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