Project Gutenberg 2010-06-18 Public domain in the USA. 187 Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton) 1841 1904 Stanley, Henry Morton, Sir Stanley, H. M. (Henry Morton) Rowlands, John Buckley, Walter My Dark Companions and Their Strange Stories Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England "My Dark Companions and Their Strange Stories" by Henry M. Stanley is a collection of folklore and legends likely written in the late 19th century. The book features tales shared around a campfire during Stanley's travels, primarily focusing on the oral traditions of Central Africa, showcasing various characters and their intriguing narratives while conveying moral lessons. The beginning of the collection introduces the custom of storytelling around the campfire, which began with a page of King Mtesa recounting the legend of the "Blameless Priest". As Stanley describes these gatherings, he reflects on the range of stories shared—some being unoriginal or morally ambiguous, while others, particularly those told by indigenous narrators, stand out as unique and laden with underlying wisdom. He offers a summary of the first tale—The Creation of Man—told by a native named Matageza, which explores the origins of humanity through a captivating narrative featuring the Moon and a Toad in a creative conflict over their place in creation. This story sets the tone for further discoveries within the realm of African folklore, emphasizing community, culture, and moral teachings. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 73.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Animals -- Folklore Folklore -- Africa, Central Animals -- Africa, Central GR Text Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore 372303 2025-07-13T10:17:52.393039 text/html 373694 2010-06-18T10:14:20 text/html 7957498 2025-07-13T10:18:01.134993 application/epub+zip 7961066 2025-07-13T10:17:56.304059 application/epub+zip 204167 2025-07-13T10:17:54.772054 application/epub+zip 8153644 2025-07-13T10:18:04.479002 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 8143397 2025-07-13T10:18:00.041992 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 389896 2022-09-15T06:42:19.847318 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 354309 2025-07-13T10:17:51.695091 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 354163 2010-06-18T10:14:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19750 2025-07-13T10:18:04.608982 application/rdf+xml 16751 2025-07-13T10:17:55.275020 image/jpeg 3793 2025-07-13T10:17:55.021030 image/jpeg 7357875 2010-06-18T10:14:50 application/octet-stream application/zip 133314 2010-06-18T10:14:48 application/octet-stream application/zip 7466741 2025-07-13T10:17:52.558073 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia