The Creation of the Eland

The creator god, ǀKaggen (the Mantis), decided to create his most beloved animal, the Eland. He took a piece of a great beast's hide and soaked it in honey from a rock. He churned it and it grew into a small, living eland calf. ǀKaggen hid the calf in a secluded valley to protect it while it grew. He would visit it every day, feeding it more honey. His sons, however, grew suspicious of his secret journeys. They followed him one day, discovered the magnificent, fat Eland, and, not understanding its sacred nature, they killed it. When ǀKaggen found his creation dead, his heart was broken. In his grief and anger, he took the gallbladder of the dead Eland and crushed it. The dark, bitter fluid spread over the land, creating darkness and fear in the world for the first time. But ǀKaggen, in his wisdom, also took the Eland's blood and scattered it across the veld. From these drops of blood sprang all the other eland, spreading across the land for the San to hunt. The story explains that while the first act of killing brought darkness into the world, it also brought the gift of game to the people, creating the complex, sacred relationship between the hunter and the hunted.