📖 Morocco Hykayat | Story Viewer

Once upon a time, God was everywhere, and basil and lilies bloomed in the garden of the Prophet.

There was a man who had seven sons, the youngest of whom was called Hdidane. The man wanted to go on pilgrimage, but he feared that “Ogre Mother” would come and devour his children.

He said to them:
— My sons, I wish to go to pilgrimage, but I am afraid the ogress might come and eat you after I leave.

They answered:
— Father, don’t worry about us. Each of us will build a house to protect himself. Go, and leave us be.

The father asked the first:
— What kind of house do you want?
He said: A house of clay, with a clay door, a loaf as large as the sky, and a jug of water.

The second said: A house of wood, with a wooden door, a loaf as large as the sky, and a jug of water.
The third said: A house of stone, with a stone door…
The fourth: A house of reeds, with a reed door…
The fifth: A house of palm fronds, with a palm-frond door…
The sixth: A house of leather, with a leather door…
But the seventh, **Hdidane**, said: A house of iron, with an iron door, iron keys, a loaf as large as the sky, and a jug of water.

So their father built for each son the house he requested, then departed for pilgrimage, leaving them behind.

The Ogress Attacks

Soon after, “Ogre Mother” came.
She tore down the clay house and ate the first son.
She smashed the wooden house and ate the second.
She demolished the stone house and ate the third.
She crushed the reed house and ate the fourth.
She blew away the palm-frond house and ate the fifth.
She ripped apart the leather house and ate the sixth…

But when she reached Hdidane’s iron house, she found no way to get in, for both the walls and the door were iron.

Day after day, the ogress watched and lay in wait for him, until his food began to run out.

Every morning, Hdidane would leave his house, go to the spring, drink the water, then foul it with dirt and garbage. Afterwards, he climbed the fig tree: he put the good figs into his basket and pelted the ogress with the rotten ones.

She was one-eyed, and when the rotten fig struck her she would cry:
— “More, my father, give me more!”

And Hdidane, laughing from atop the tree, would reply:
— I fooled you, Ogre Mother! I drank the water clean, spoiled it for you, took the good fig for myself, and struck you with the rotten one!

She would rage and chase after him, but he always escaped, riding her little donkey back to his house. Once inside, she could never enter.

The Trick with the Resin

At last the ogress thought of a plan. She went to the shepherds and swore:
— Each of you must gather a ball of tree resin as large as his head. Whoever fails, I will eat him!

The shepherds obeyed and gave her the resin. She smeared it on her donkey’s back. So when Hdidane tried once again to ride and escape, he stuck fast.

She laughed, saying:
— Now you’re caught, Hdidane!

He answered:
— Ogre Mother, if you try to eat me now, you’ll find nothing but bones. Let me propose something better: put me in a pit, feed me almonds and walnuts, and give me a needle and thread. When I grow fat, I’ll hand you the needle — then you may eat me.

The ogress agreed and did as he said. Each time she came to check, he showed her the needle. Until one day, instead of the needle, he showed her the thread.

She pulled him from the pit, ready to slaughter him. But he said:
— Look at me now, I am so fat! If you eat me alone, you will waste half of me. Better to call your family and friends, hold a great feast, and let your daughter be the one to slaughter me.

She found the idea clever, so she went to invite her kin, leaving her daughter behind.

When the daughter came to kill him, Hdidane said:
— Your people will soon arrive, and they will see you like this — hair tangled, face unkempt. Come, let me fix your hair, make you pretty, and then you may kill me.

The foolish girl believed him, bent her head, and he cut her throat instead. He skinned her, wore her hide, and cooked her flesh.

The End of the Ogress

When the ogress returned with her people, he served them the meat. She said to him, thinking he was her daughter:
— Come, my child, eat with us.

He answered:
— I already ate while cooking. Eat in health, mother.

Then he said:
— Give me the keys to Hdidane’s iron house. I want to see how it looks inside.

She gave him the keys. He went, locked the house securely, and climbed to the roof to watch.

When the ogress and her people came, he threw down his disguise — the skin of her daughter — and cried:
— Here is your daughter’s hide, O eater of her own child!

The ogress roared with rage:
— You tricked me, Hdidane!

She tried to smash the iron house, but each blow stuck her fast until she and all her companions perished.

Thus Hdidane the trickster triumphed over Ogre Mother.

And the storyteller ends:
**My tale went down the river’s stream, and I stayed with the noble and the generous.**

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Cultural Context & Heritage Insights

Origin & Folklore Tradition:
Hdidane (from the Arabic word "Hadid," meaning iron) is Morocco’s most celebrated folkloric trickster. Rooted in both Amazigh (Berber) and Moroccan Darija oral traditions across the Atlas and coastal plains, tales of Hdidane were traditionally told by grandmothers during winter evenings around the brazier (kanoun). Unlike heroes who conquer by brute force, Hdidane represents intellectual sharpness and resilience.

Moral & Cultural Symbolism:
1. Wit Over Brute Force: The Ogress ("Al-Ghoulah" or "Tseriel" in Tamazight) embodies dangerous, unchecked natural forces and famine. Hdidane’s victory proves that strategic cunning, patience, and adaptability consistently triumph over raw physical intimidation.
2. The Symbolism of Iron: While his brothers built houses of fragile earth, reeds, and wood, Hdidane alone demanded a fortress of iron. In North African tradition, iron is historically linked to protection against dark forces and represents unyielding mental discipline.
3. The Youngest Son Archetype: In traditional Maghrebi storytelling, the youngest sibling frequently outsmarts the elders, reminding listeners that wisdom and foresight are not determined by age or size.

Moroccan Cultural Glossary:
• Al-Ghoulah / Tseriel: The mythical ogress of Maghrebi folklore, representing fear of wilderness and disobedience.
• Kanoun: A traditional terracotta charcoal burner around which families gathered to hear bedtime tales (hykayat).
• Hila: Cunning or shrewd strategy, an admired survival trait celebrated in North African folktales.