Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet and author once said, "Myths can’t be translated like they did in their ancient soil. We can only find our own meaning in our own time.” 

Myths and legends are as complex as they are appealing, from the death of heroes to the rise of new kings; each society with a different story to tell and a way to tell it. However, as defined, a legend contains some facts and becomes exaggerated to the point that real people or events take on a "larger than life” quality. In contrast, a myth isn’t based on fact, but is symbolic storytelling that was never based on fact. And so we ask ourselves, what is true and what is not? 

Local legends

Rwandan tales have many almost mystical characters, one of them named "Ryangombe”, famously viewed as a ‘god’ by ancient people, called upon in times of war and peril to save and conquer. 

"Ryangombe was a person as history tells us, he was a man of great might and strength. In his time, he had achieved great exploits and his name was sang all over the kingdom, and so when he passed away his reputation grew to become a mystic tale,” says Antoine Nyagahene, a history professor at the University of Gitwe, located in Southern Province. 

"He came from the Kingdom of Gitara located in the present eastern part of Africa, alongside his army ‘Abacwezi’; that is when he crossed paths with Ruganzu II Ndoli, one of the renowned Kings of his time,” Nyagahene says.  

He notes that Ruganzu was a man of valour and honour, as a king he conquered many kingdoms alongside one the most famous history figures in Rwanda, "Ruganzu II Ndoli” a renowned king whose legacy began in exile after he was condemned for his father’s assassination. He returned years later to unite Rwanda together to become a great kingdom under his reign.

 "He was a great king and so after his death, tales of his exploits were told and passed down from generation to generation, the belief was that he left footprints on stones, caused earthquakes when in battle, which lead to Ruganzu becoming a mystical character to many when he is actually a historical figure who actually lived,” says Nyagahene. 

Another intriguing character was a woman called "Nyirarunyonga”. Famous for her uncouth way of living, it is said that she pursued men for physical gratification, and was known to be selfish and insulting. Tales suggest she was a woman of great strength, and could take on any fight, and that she once insulted the King and was executed for her disrespect,” says Charles Rutayisire. 

She is portrayed as an arrogant woman, said to have once got into a fight with a man because his cattle ate grass on her land. 

Rutayisire notes that it is important to teach and narrate such stories to young people, and applies the same to his children. "There is one of my favourite tales, Ngarama and Saruhara of Nkomoko, who singlehandedly defeated a giant bird that was terrorising the kingdom,” Rutayisire adds.

And then there is Ndagaba, recorded as one of Rwanda’s earliest heroines. In an article published by this paper, ‘In the footsteps of Ndabaga, the legendary trailblazer’, Appolinaire Muvunanyambo, the vice president of Inteko Izirikana, an association of senior citizens dedicated to the promotion of the Rwandan culture, said the story of Ndabaga is one of the most fascinating narratives.

"Ndabaga drew courage from challenging circumstances. Those days, some men, especially chiefs or sub-chiefs, used to go the King’s Palace to camp there for months, or years. Some of them were part of the army of the King and would, from time to time, go on the battlefield,” he explained.

Ndabaga grew up without knowing her father as he had spent years at the King’s palace seeing as he didn’t have a son to ‘redeem’ him, he added.

"She felt she could do something even when no girl or woman was supposed to replace their father in ‘Itorero’,” Muvunanyambo said, in reference to the group of men who were specially trained to "serve the nation” and spent extended periods away from their families.

To get her way around the established practice, Ndabaga trained herself to perform tasks that were reserved for boys during her formative years, eventually becoming so good she would outperform boys in masculine tasks.

When Ndabaga felt that she was ready to replace her father, she headed to the palace and, after identifying and informing him of her mission, she convinced him to leave her behind and return home to rest as he was growing frail.

In modern Rwanda, Ndabaga continues to inspire many.

"You don’t need to do extraordinary things to walk in the footsteps of Ndabaga. She was an ordinary girl and what she did was considered routine duties for boys and men at the time. You can be a Ndabaga by pursuing excellence in whatever you do, however ordinary it may look,” Muvunanyambo was quoted.

The great thing about tales is that they never get old, they pass down from generation to generation for others to get a portion of our history.