Tradition / Region: Cameroon Mythology
Alternative names: Aleleb
Category: Bat
The Myth
Aleleb the Bat is portrayed in Cameroonian folklore as a sorrowful, intelligent creature tied to grief, loyalty, and the origin of nocturnal life. Unlike many trickster bats found in folklore, Aleleb is deeply emotional and devoted to family, especially to his aging mother. He is described as a close companion of Neneb the Sun, and the two share an unusually powerful friendship, constantly visiting one another and living almost like brothers.
Bat’s mother eventually becomes gravely ill. Aleleb desperately searches for healers, carrying herbs and prayers from compound to compound while traditional healers call upon the ancestors to save her. Despite every effort, she continues to weaken until she finally dies after giving her son final words of wisdom and endurance.
Overwhelmed by grief, Aleleb decides he must bury his mother before nightfall. Because sunset is approaching, he flies to his friend Neneb the Sun and begs him to delay darkness just a little longer so the burial can be completed properly.
But Sun refuses.
Neneb tells Bat he cannot hold back the coming night and suggests waiting until morning instead. To Aleleb, this response feels cold, dishonorable, and cruel. In his deepest moment of suffering, the friend he trusted most chooses not to help him.
Bat returns home devastated and buries his mother in darkness.
After the burial, Aleleb lies beside her grave and swears never again to look upon the face of the Sun. From that day onward, according to the myth, bats abandoned the daylight forever and became creatures of the night.
In this story, Aleleb symbolizes mourning, wounded friendship, filial devotion, and exile from the world of light. The myth explains the nocturnal behavior of bats while also functioning as a moral tale about loyalty and the consequences of refusing compassion to those in grief.
Sources
Makuchi. (2008). The sacred door and other stories: Cameroon folktales of the Beba. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press.