She studied six Igbo folktales and also through oral interviews of some prominent Igbo people of ages ranging from 20-70 yrs of age. The writer investigated the reasons for such development through reading books and journals relating to the topic. In other words, trickster is used in the education of the young.
They teach moral, yet trickster plays prominent role in the tales of Igbo people. He so much defeats other characters by his deceptions. But when it comes to folktales, tortoise is the smallest among the characters. There are large, ferocious, and beautiful animals that would make the presence of tortoise unnoticed. In the case of gathering of animals, he would be the least noticed. The trickster of the folktales of the Igbo people of Nigeria is tortoise ‘Mbe’. He manages to extricate himself from intrigue and sometimes saves himself from dangerous situation by a display of mental ability. A trickster is often something of a rogue.
In Hausa, he is “ereke”, in Yoruba he is “ijapa”, in Ashanti (Ghana) he is “ananse”, in Trinidad, he is fox, in other parts of Europe, he is rabbit, monkey or hare etc. Trickster has different names in the tales of different ethnic groups of the world. One of the outstanding characteristics of folktale is the possession of trickster.
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