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Island of Giants

The Baobabs are our favourite trees in southern Africa and there are lots of legends about their appearance, especially the fat stem and root-like branches. Her...
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The Baobabs are our favourite trees in southern Africa and there are lots of legends about their appearance, especially the fat stem and root-like branches. Here is one: There was a time, long long ago, when the first baobab started to grow next to a small lake. She grew slow, like baobabs do, and it took her many years to turn into adulthood. Eventually, though, the tree was tall enough to have a good look at some other trees. Some were very tall and slender, others had brightly coloured flowers or had large leaf’s. Then one day the baobab could see her reflection in the lake which shocked her to her root hairs: for the first time she could see her huge big fat trunk covered in bark that looked like the wrinkled hide of an old elephant. In addition, she only had small, tiny leaf’s and creamy, white flowers. So uninspired!

The baobab, of course, was upset and complained to the God of Evolution. “Why did you make me this huge and fat? Why not slender, with big and juicy fruits?” On and on the baobab went, wailing about the lack of curves until… The God of Evolution had enough of it. Determined to silence the tree forever, the Creator yanked the baobab out of the ground and replanted it upside down. From that day on the baobab could no longer see its reflection or complain and remained the most iconic of African trees, with its roots sticking into the sky.
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