Dissertation 2021: Rebellious Women in Somali Folktales: Redefining Womanhood and Femininity

Disclaimer: Not an accurate portrayal of my current writing.

Introduction

Somali culture is prevalent and exhibited in the traditional folktales passed down from generation to generation through oral methods. I will be exploring the rebellious women’s dissentient actions within these accustomed stories in Somalia, and the ideology these characters and stories introduce. Rebellious figures typically sprout within oppressive structures, whether defiance is in human nature or a coincidental commonality, I plan on discussing this attribute. The liberating, unconventional women within the Somali folktales could have been a direct opposition to the patriarchal nature of the society. The aversion to gendering norms is implied in Somali folktales through the depiction of women characters’ resistance. In a system that suppresses women, it makes it all the more commendable when a subjugated individual overcomes the seemingly unattainable which both Dhegdheer and Araweelo purposely achieve in various ways will be discussed. Folklore is commonly used to extend messages to educate the next generation whilst presenting new and forward-thinking which would be beneficial to a growing society. In this case, these tales present contradictions to societal values as they illustrate women with characteristics that would have been perceived as masculine traits and also depict women who do not conform. The non-conforming women I'll be analysing are Dhegdheer, a bad mother and an unfeminine character and Araweelo, a violent ruler and unforgiving dictator. These unconventional depictions exemplify a rebellious nature towards the patriarchy. I aim to analyse the use and impact of these non-conformist representations of women in these stories and discover the true role of folktales.

 I am intrigued by these two women who overcame patriarchal thinking in a restrictive society within their stories, Araweelo and Dhegdheer, as they both represent subversive nature and rebellious stride. Firstly, Dhegdheer is an example of a woman who is a non-conformist, as she is a direct contradiction to the supposed correlation between motherhood and womanhood. The depiction of her dismisses the expected maternal nurturing of women within this hyperbolic, dark tale. The grotesque cannibalism of her children has a grotesque irony as she ingested what she birthed, this imagery sparks noticeable similarities to the old tale of the Ouroboros which was an old tale of a serpent consuming itself. I will further examine this tale and connect it to the cultural elements, whilst also analysing the direct disparity in the gender expectations present in the patriarchy. The second non-conformist I will be exploring is Araweelo, she is a forsaken widow who transgressed into a sovereign that united Somalia by merging the clans. She became a symbol of power and strength and surprised all with her feat of ruling over men. She is the epitome of underestimated strength, it was initially believed she held no measurable worth but she was able to express her courage and leadership despite the constant convictions. Her ability to rise and persevere expresses the resilience that lies in women. Similar to Dhegdheer's cannabilism, she used violence by castrating men to ensure her rule and power throughout the clans. I'll introduce relevant tales to support this, that present feminine resistance towards gendered norms alongside my analysis of both Dhegdheer and Araweelo, as well as exploring themes such as femininity, resistance, gender expectations and womanhood/motherhood. Both Dhegdheer and Araweelo challenge the idea of femininity and womanhood through their perceived masculine ways due to their aggression and refusal to submit whether it was to society or men. They both also resembled one another in terms of resistance, I will be exploring the ways they resisted within their actions and their characteristics. They both showed resistance mainly to gender expectations, of being a woman and mother. Furthermore, both women characters resembled one another not only in their resistance to gender norms and conformity but also in terms of brutality as Dhegdheer is known for her cannibalism and Araweelo for her castration of men. Both women were portrayed as violent and deranged, the frenzied representations of them are arguably a reflection of society's reaction to those who aren't subject to conformity. I will be discussing the society, culture and gender bias within both of these stories, whilst analysing the extensive symbolism and veiled meanings and tones. In my analysis, I will also aim to introduce a discourse into the application of these tales and the underlying message. These rebellious messages arguably were included in the folktales for a specific group within the next generations, women. These stories are evolving around women who were excluded from the cultures and male-biased societies. Both of these distinct,  vigorous women and their stories reject the roles of women, mothers and wives whilst expressing ideals of there being more to womanhood than in service to a man. Within this essay, I will be utilising both of these women's stories and truth, enabling me to examine intricate topics of rebellion in society and culture; gender expression and defiance; the expected role of women; readers' reactions towards these characters and finally, the influence of these unorthodox women. I will also further my essay into the topic of femininity and womanhood within other depictions, in terms of animals and nature. As within Somali folktales, the man-made concept of gender transcends from people, into different types of fauna which arguably expresses the rigidness of mankind's tendency to continually group and restrict.  Moreover, the exploration of the portrayal of this will allow me to investigate muliebrity without all of the typical constraints, thus granting me the ability to deduce the initial premise of gender. By doing so, I will be able to understand in depth the rebellious nature of women within these societies that follow this premise.

Grammatical errors from this point.

Chapter 1

As I am dissecting the role of gender and discussing female resistance I will be using these stories to get a more evident depiction of women within Somali folktales, and the first woman I will be exploring is a complex character called Dhegdheer. Dhegdheer is a woman who opposes the conformities expected of mothers, an individual who embodies unconventionality. Her story goes against the ideology that women have a natural maternal behaviour, she introduces a hyperbolic idea of going against the patriarchy by dismissing the motherly duties that were bestowed upon her. Moreover, she enables readers to be confronted with a radical idea that questions motherhood with its supposed correlation to womanhood and the rejection of duties expected of an ‘obedient’ wife. Withal, the story was created in patriarchy that saw the worth of women within their fertility, thus arguably the birth of this tale is in direct opposition to the societal norm. The story focused on female rebellion and resistance, as the story of Dhegdheer focuses also on her daughter who fought and survived despite the dangerous conditions she was raised in. The story of Dhegdheer is of a mother who mistreated her children, particularly her eldest daughter and eventually met her doom at the hands of her child. Moreover, her story presents gender resistance and non-conformity in the roles of being a daughter, mother and wife whilst also discussing elements of gore and violence carried out by both Dhegdheer and her daughter. Dhegdheer fails at the role of a mother by emotionally and physically abusing her children, and rejecting her duties as a wife by killing her husband in her sleep. Similarly, it can be said the daughter of Dhegdheer also failed at being a daughter by killing her mother, both women present aggression that conflicts with the expected decorum of women.

Ahmad Artan Hanghe expresses how ‘an interesting characteristic feature of Somali folktales is that most of the characters in them are females, rather than males’, which is evident within Dhedgheer’s stories. The main characters who push the story onward are women such as Dhegdheer and her daughter who were skilfully portrayed to directly contrast the mother and daughter's stereotypical attributes. Withal, Dhegdheer emotionally and physically abused children including her own and even ate her child’s breast, her carnivorous behaviour depicted in the story portrayed her as a demonized, gruesome mother figure. The action stresses the irony of consuming the child she birthed and hyperbolically illustrates her rejection of her motherly duties. Dhegdheer focused on eating children specifically, which further conveys her incapability to mother children exemplified through how ‘Dhegdheer showed no kindness to the children'. This focus on cannibalism towards children is a direct contrast to the expected natural nurturing behaviour from women, thus not only contradicting her motherhood but also her femininity. Moreover when ‘she caught the unlucky children, she ‘gave them food and water to drink and then decided to slaughter and eat them after some days, when they became fat and healthy'. The only time she expresses motherly attributes was when she was feeding them for her carnivorous benefit, she expresses her underlying motivations when she exclaims ‘where are the children who lured to pamper to as to slaughter and eat them one after the other?’. The act of providing nourishment to only nourish herself exhibits an evident self-interest, which further contradicts society's expectations of motherliness. The selfishness portrayed does not align with the maternal instincts of a mother as mothers are expected to be self-sacrificing. Furthermore, the fact that she specifically consumed her daughter also persists the idea of how a mother is meant to provide nourishment for her children yet instead of feeding her family she fed herself her children. This macabre twist directly goes against the expected mother-daughter relationship, as the mother goes against the duties of protecting and providing for her children and the daughter does not recognise Dhegdheer as a mother figure. Additionally, the fact that it was her eldest daughter who kills her possesses importance as it is typically the eldest daughter within Somali culture helping the parents with household duties or responsibilities. The daughter, similar to the mother, dismissed her supposed obligation to provide help to her mother and ended up killing her abusive mother. Furthermore, the fact that both the mother and daughter projected violent tendencies contradicts the nurturing attribute women are expected to obtain. Moreover, the mother’s death at the hands of her child is symbolic as she died when her daughter pushed her into a pot of boiling water. The idea of boiling water is a reference to how the stereotypical motherly responsibilities lie in the cooking and cleaning, and the fact she died being cooked alive is a ghastly end to a mother who never physically made sustenance for her children. Dhegdheer’s death came when ‘the girls collecting all their courage, first poured the hot broth into the cannibal’s long ear as she was still asleep; and when Dhegdheer opened her mouth with a cry of great pain the girls poured into it the red hot cowrie shells’. The fact that it was ‘three brave girls who killed Dhegdheer’ exemplifies how women were the centre of Somali folktales and also there is an irony of girls killing a woman who did not conform to feminine ideals. It can be argued that the daughter conforms as she used the particularly cooking as the way to kill her mother due to her eccentries, she took her duty of cooking only when it was to put an end to her mother. Furthermore, by slaughtering her mother who nevr conformed to society she symbolises the imporbability of living without conformation. Dhegdheer’s daughter arguably rebelled against her responsibility as a daughter, against her mother and femininity as she depicted callous behevaior in the murder of her mother. Although, by elminated an non-conofmrist through cooking suggests that there is an extent to her non-confomrity and rebellion. 

Moreover, before Dhegdheer even had children or got married she ‘was a beautiful young lady, patient and obedient to her parents’. This obedience continued as ‘after the marriage, however, Xaynwada tried to be good and obedient to her husband, to win his goodwill and confidence’. This exemplified how Dhegdheer grew into an unconventional individual who fought societal expectations after initially conforming to her maidenhood and this was arguably expressed to be her husband’s fault. Within her first marriage, her husband was ‘very unhappy about his wife not bearing him sons’ by the time she had her third daughter and it was depicted that she neglected her household duties as she ‘don’t look after the home anymore’. Dhegdheer is depicted as a woman who failed at being a mother and wife and is recognised for her inability to live up to societal expectations. Furthermore, her forsaking her role as a wife was expressed when ‘ in that night while the husband slept peacefully on his grass mat, Xaynwada slit his throat with her terrible, long knife and ate some of his flesh’; this grotesque depiction symbolises her relinquishing her responsibilities and conveys the disparity of her obedience to her husband in the past. This rebellion towards her husband came after her being berated for failing her duties as she could not bear him sons or keep up with the housework. The complete dismissal of societal expectations argubably stemmed from the pressures and burdens of conforming. Additionally, she was also depicted through her failure as a mother when her last daughter explained how ‘the two elder sisters escaped from their cannibal mother’; Dhegdheer refused to carry out her motherly and wifely duties in conformity again expressing an indisputable relinquishing of gender norms within Somali tales. Dhegdheer continued to reject her maternal and wifely duties which led to the sepration betwene her and her duaghters, her unconventionaility left her isolated and this isolation is also a rejection of a woman's role in society. Although, it can be argued this seclusion is not directly contrasting gender expectations as women withint his culture were expected to be hidden and shrouded from the world outside the home.  Moreover, Dhegdheer was the ideal woman within her community when she was young as she was ‘sociable and popular with the youngsters of her age, boys and girls alike’, thus the ‘girls tried to imitate her exemplary character and the boys endeavoured to win her maiden favours’. She is depicted in other stories about ‘her youthful days' as Dhegdheer is called ‘Dhudi, the slim, shapely girl’ and ‘as she grew to be a charming young woman many suitors came to her father to ask for her hand in marriage. The beauty of Dhegdheer gradually descended and her appearance became unconventional with her ‘long asinine ear’ and her ‘habit of eating human flesh transformed the cannibal woman into a wild animal with the fangs of a wolf and the claws of an eagle’. Along with her ‘shaggy hair’ and ‘blood-red eye’, her appearance is not the only unorthodox attribute about her due to her rejection of maternal and wifely duties, her inhuman abilities and cannibalistic behaviour. Furthermore, her cannibalistic behavior is enabled through her inhuman strength and speed which exemplify that she is extremely athletic which is not typically expected of women, thus arguably it can be implied that she possesses masculine traits. She is depicted as a ‘tall, fat and strong woman, one that she used to run so fast that not even the fastest horse could overtake her’ with ‘tremendous smelling and hearing powers’; this depiction further exemplifies her animalistic character that completely contradicts the feminine ideal and contradicts womanhood. The fact that Dhedgdheer goes beyond human abilities reiterates how she even rebels against humanity as well as femininity within society. Withal, Dhegdheer is the embodiment of unconventionality in every aspect, she rebels by not comforming to motherhood/womanhood, society and the limits of humankind.

Chapter 2

Both Dhegdheer and Araweelo are women within their stories who renounce the role of a mother and wife, although whilst Dhegdheer leaves her society and lives as a recluse, Araweelo sculpted her society into one she believed was righteous despite it being unconventional. Araweelo is a well-known figure within Somali mythology who ruled over the clans as a widow, and also came to her demise by the hand of her offspring. This individual completely dismissed her expectations surrounding her femininity and surpassed her male counterparts, which was revolutionary within the Somali society where women were not thought to be ambitious or excel. This ethos presented within both of the woman’s stories is the common nature of cultural societies, despite how ‘no one knows exactly when folktales began to appear’  but the society’s layout is similar in both stories which indicate how rigid and persistent the gender expectations were. Thus making Araweelo’s achievements all the more exceptional as we read through the unconventional aspects of Araweelo that were exemplified through her journey and her transgressions against the societal set behaviour expected of women, similar to Dhegdheer. Araweelo rebelled against ideologies of femininity and womanhood, and continued to also reject the lowly standing of women within her society by rising up and becoming a powerful monarch. By questioning the standards of society and roles of women, she showed a vocal resistance to society by expressing outwradtly defiant ideals and statements. Similar to Dhegdheer, she initially confirmed and went along with the expected duties of a wife and mother but began questioning the unjust nature of it, and completely dismissed her roles whilst encouraging a complete turnabout of the system.

Initially, the harsh resistance against gender norms was expressed by Araweelo when ‘she wanted to take part in the work of her husband and the rest of the men; such as sitting in the council of elder’s meeting where important decisions were made for the people'. The fact she wanted to gain control and power through the work that was typically expected of men originally demonstrated a disinclination to accept the society she lived within. This attempt to retain a political posttion was due to how ‘Araweelo was not happy with the work of a housewife, looking after the home and the children’, similar to Dhegdheer she itnially took on her expected obligations but began dismissing them after feeling dissatisfaction. Araweelo’s desire to become more led to her exceeding her role in society and she completely single-handedly changed the system she lived in through pure determination and restlessness. This behaviour contrasts with the expectations of women who were told to be obedient and submissive as the way the society was set during this unknown period was that ‘men always ruled the land and fought against one another the women looked after the children and the home’. The maternal expectations of women were disregarded and rejected by Arraweelo who altogether reversed the supposed and expected  roles of men and women within that culture. By completely changing the way society was run and the systems in place, she undoubtedly expressed a rebellious nature conjoined with a ruthless resoluteness. Moreover, Arraweelo’s tale had a differing reaction in terms of men and women as ‘whenever Somali men pass by the stone mound they throw several stones onto it with a curse upon Arraweelo’s name’, whilst ‘in contrast, Somali women place green branches and fresh flowers onto the supposed Arraweelo’s grave as a sign of respect for the greatest woman ruler in Somalian oral literature’. The fact that the complete contrast in eactions is so evident conveys how her story can be viewed in differing perspectives, as for women she is seen as a heroic, brave individual but by men she is seen as a brutal dictator. The importance of the women treasuring her is how her story is retained through time and it has been argued that the existence of Araweelo may not just be a story or myth. G.L Kapchits elucidated how ‘heroic legends tell about real people and events of the past..having emerged from stories told by eye-witnesses, they gradually shift away from the factual basis, undergoing free poetic interpretation’. The legend of Araweelo is one that is spoken with pride as she stands as a feminist idol who freed women from the constraints of society still to this day, within my family also. This exemplifies how her story was used to express a message of the power of women and to inspire young Somali women to excel beyond societal expectations. Somali folktales have been used traditionally not only to entertain children but also implement ideologies, which both Dhegdheer and Araweelo’ stories do as both convey the ability to transcend expectations and extinguish the cultural constraints placed on women. Additionally, it is typically women and mothers who preserve the culture as they are the ones who tell their children these stories and introduce to their children other elements of Somali culture and traditions in terms of clothing, dances such as baati, diraac, cunaabi, cambarshe, niiko. The fact that it is women who carried her story further expresses the influence of Araweelo today, and the hope that lies within her legend. To add, Arraweelo’s story arguably came around to act as a revolt against society and provided a reminder to women of the inner strength that lies within them.  Arraweelo's unconventional ways benefited the oppressed gender and stands as a story that reminds women about the possibility of transgressions within an authoritarian society. 

Moreover, Arraweelo’s physical attributes are homogenous to the expected physical qualities of a man which further conveys her transgressions and her non-conformist ideals. Moreover, the fact that ‘she also wanted to take up arms and fight like a man on the battlefield’ exemplifies the extent of her rebellious nature due to the complete shunning of her culturally biased responsibilities as a woman. Furthermore, it is exemplified that there is absolute resistance to gender norms and the supposition that women cannot acquire many physical attributes. Arawelo challenges this belief by expressing a desire to fight on the battlefield as well as wanting to indulge in politics. Furthermore, Arraweelo was questioned due to her change in behaviour as in her husband’s perspective she was taking on her womanly roles as his wife or exhibiting feminene qualities. Thus, he stated ‘it's strange you behaving and thinking like a man; your place is in the home’ which exhibits the focrceful nature of society by asserting strict constraints on women. The constant forcing of the traditional gender norms was not enough to dissuade her which further exemplifies the extent of resistance as well her rebellious chracaterisric as she was not able to be swayed or deterred from her ulterior motive. Arraweelo’s perseverance and tenacity are commendable due to how she was able to develop a mindset that contrasted the environment she grew up in and conveys how she is a non-conformist free thinker. Additionally, her resistance was highlighted through her steadfast statement of how ‘a woman could also do what a man does if she wants to’ which led to her questioning the workings of the gender norms within the society and then acting on her thoughts and beliefs, despite it completely contrasting society and the system. She continued to present an argument on the changing of the system purely based on her thinking which again emphasizes the resolute, internal resistance she obtains. Moreover, she exemplifies her tenacious resistance when her words become actions as she questions ‘why not allow women to take their places in the council instead of these old fools?’, which gradually descended to when ‘the clever Arraweelo carried out her plan to seize power and she became the ruler of the land’. Moreover,  her cunning intelligence and obstinate character allowed her to not only verbally resist the cultural gender expectations but completely overthrow them. Arraweelo’s inspiring story of transgressing the supposed intransigent society ends with the brutal ending of how ‘when she became ruler of the land Arraweelo gave orders to castrate all the men and made them eunuchs’. Moreover, it can be argued that Arraweelo continued to resist morals and ethics by causing the oppression of another group through violent methods. Although Arraweelo uses the same despotism as the society she grew up in, this exemplifies how she arguably did not resist the cruel workings of society herself but decided to utilize the brutality that already existed for her own aspirations and desires. Thus, it can be argued that Arraweelo resisted gender expectations in terms of femininity and womanhood but not the maniacal behaviour that society encouraged. Moreover, the way Arraweelo is depicted in her stories drastically changes as she is intially presented as a symbol of female heroism and a figure of strength for Somali women. However, in some stories, she is envisioned as a greedy, cruel monarch who murdered unnecessarily. The range of depictions of Arraweelo and the argument on whether she was a real person exemplifies how folktales can be blurred and adapted as ‘storytelling constitutes an integral part of living oral tradition’. Withal, folktales travel from generation to generation by word of mouth and ‘then such a tradition gains access to a written language, among the first things people write down are folktales that are then spread further, in various ways’. Suzanne Lilius further conveys the importance of the folktales due to how it is a way to sustain the culture from which the stories are derived, and that it conveys the origins of customs within a civilisation. Thus, it can be suggested that Somalia was a matriarchal society initially as it would explain why Somali folktales revolve mostly around women and the idea of the matriarch within Araweelo’s tale. Moreover, Ali Jimale Ahmad reinforces this as he explains that ‘the predominance of female characters in Somali lore is perhaps due to the theory in earlier centuries matriarchal lineage was the base upon which Somali family life rested in earlier periods..the matriarchal lineage did not wholly lose its historical identity in modern Somalia; for there are still clans still bearing the names of their ancestral mothers, such as, for instance, reer-cambaro, reer-maryan’. Araweelo’s reign could have been a reflection of the matraichal syste that acem before the patriach and could have been a story to also exemplified the importance of women as well as reflection of the previous systems. Adddtinally, Araweelo’s sovereignty came to the end by the hand of her grandson who murdered her similar to Dhegdheer’s daughter killing Dhegdheer. This trope of your offspring being the end presents an irony as children are to continue your legacy and lineage. This arguably could exemplify how the role of the mother does not enable women to uffil their cpabailties as they are stifled by the heavy burdens and repsonisbilties that come with mothering. Araweelo’s story portrays the ability to perservere against the rigid limitations that societies upholds surrounding womanhood/motherhood and femininity, and exemplifies the importance of rebelling as it allows you to achieve more than what is expected of you.

Chapter 3

Within Somali Folktales there is an emphasis on women being mothers and wives and how their significance lives in those roles. Most tales surround the women being these figures who both Dhegdheer and Araweelo were able to escape from, although this stereotypical trpe is still very common in other stories as Dhegdheer and Araweelo positions are just rare circumstances. These myths as skilfully expressed by Clyde Ford, ‘is an initiatory tale about the femine passage, from childhood into womanhood and motherhood’. This is exemplified through the stress put on the correlation between womanhood and motherhood, as well the women’s role being particularly a wife. Throughout the tales, it states the domestic duties of wives and also the preferred characteristics of wives. It continually states in many tales in Folktales From Somalia by Ahmed Artan Hanghe the failures of wives, which expresses the high expectations of wives which allows us to understand the pressures that both Dhegdheer and Araweelo were forced under. Thus, both of the female characters’ determination to become more than wives is understandable considering the mental burdens placed on them. Furthermore, within the tale of The Nine Defects of a Woman it is exemplified the extent of the high expectations as the husband critiques her as ‘she passes objects to me with her left hand, although she isnt left handed; that she always give me spiteful glances, and of the nightly naggings’. This conveys how perfection is expected of women and how their behavior or characteristics is also expected to be suited to the husband’s needs and wants. Additionally, this extensive critiquing of wives is further reiterated within The Divorcees where the four women states how they were ‘divorced for being a glutton’, ‘divorced for reason of conjugal infidelty’, ‘divorced for she was neglectful of the husbands livestock and household’ and the last women was ‘divorced for being habitually rude’. The fact they were all also in need of another husband exemplified how women typically relied on husbands within that society and culture as men were customarily the breadwinners, whilst the wives focused on taking care of the home. Furthemore, this similar idea of the unnecessary critiquing of wives was further conevyed within The Feminine Belly as the wife was looked down upon due to her eating habits as ‘in somali tradition gluttony is considered as a habit unworthy of a human being especially in women’. In addition, this exact ideology was reflected within A Strange Divorce where a woman was divroced in a day as ‘she is neglectful, she is unlucky, she is thriftless, she is impatient, she is curseful’. This listing further exemplified how women were heavily judged and ostracized unnecessarily. In all these tales, women were portrayed as individuals who were limited to their roles of wives and expected to perform their roels and domestic duties flawlessly in fear of divorce or extensive criticism. This evdiently highlights the pressures that must have been forced upon both Dhegdheer and Araweelo who both abandoned their roles as wives after continuous aggravation and dissatisfaction shown to them. Moreover, there was this obedient wife trope portrayed in Somali tales of where the wife is hard-working, selfless and self-scarcifacing. This ocnpet of the wife continually putting herself last, whilst also nourishing and providing for her family including her husband.  Within The Sky and The Women, the ‘two housewives started pounding millet with mortar and pestle in the courtyard at their hurts, so as to rpepare meals for their husbands’. This idea of wives taking on the responsibility of the housework and preparing nourishment for their husbands is a cultural belief and societal expectation of them. This idelolgy continues in a more self-destructive way in the wife’s phsycial manner as demonstrated within Atirana-Kinuge as the wife is shown to be putting the husband’s health and mind before her own. This is exmeplfied when ‘the wife gave the mouthful of milk produced by the goat  to her husband to drink; leaving nothing for herself’, this self-sacrifacing behavior is expected of mothers and wives, despite their own health being neglected. The representation of womanhood and femininity is directly represented within their roles of wives, where they are expected to retain self-deprivation in order to solely care for their husband’s needs within the household.

Furthermore, the concept of femininity is further portrayed within the natural world, including the animal world including Mother Nature herself. Within the tale of The Sky and The Women, the stars and rain is described to have been the consequences of the actions of the women in the story. It is depcietd that ‘what people call stars are those gaping holes the women had pierced through the sky with their pestles when it hung close over the earth’ and ‘what people know as clouds is but a beuaitul girl who carries home a bucket full of water which she draws from a water-well’. The  ‘water in the bucket spills over and drains through the star-holes in the daldaloole…it is this water which people call rain’, the fact that the actions of these separate women caused the stars and rain exemplified how femininity is woven within the natural world. The emphasis of carelessness of women echoes the negative traits expected of women, women within this culture are portrayed to be inattentive and neglectful, although their actions created natural phenonums. This story is symbolic of how women are essential to the conitnution of this world and how ‘a woman is a source of life, as well as the instrument of its destruction, says the story’. The actions of the women where they ‘pierced holes through the sky, and if the cloud-maiden did not unwittingly rock her water-bucket to splash the water in it, then the people and animals would have had no water; and without no water there would be no life’. This is symbolic of how women bring life into the world and sustain them through nourishment and provisions, and the significance of women as without them the world would not have continued. Furthermore, this tale signifies the importance of women, and refers to their role as mothers and wives as they poked holes in the sky whilst preparing meals for their husband and the ‘beautiful girl’ was carrying water back home. The way womanhood is illustrated is through how women are the ‘source of life’, they evidently exemplified how women are the foundation of humanity and the sole reason for the conntinued existence of living beings as well as life itself.

Additionally, within the animal world there are similar roles shown of how the female animals take on self-sacrifacing roles of being a mother and the role of the cunning wife. Therefore, the fact that these tropes are reflected within the animal world alongside the characteristics seen within the women in the other tales emphasises how womanhood has constraints and expected ideals. In the tale of The Camel, The Elephant and The Squirrel, it was illustrated of how ‘a she-camel and a she elephant lived together in the forest and one day they both gave birth to a baby camel and a baby elephant’, which portrays that concept of womahood being connected to motherhood as the story revolves around the female animals being mothers. To add, this story is similar to how Araweelo was living with only women within the forest in seclusion. The stories of women and female animals living within the natural environment without males express a natural imagery of womanhood being connected to the natural world. Furthermore, femininity was also conveyed with the animal world through The Hyena and The Jackal (Qaaryare iyo Dayo) where the jackal was married to for her beauty and portrayed selfishness, a trait undesirable in women particularly wives. The story went similar to the story of Dhegdheer, as the jackal was responsible for the detah of her husband just like Dhegdheer who killed her husband in her sleep, whilst the jackal framed her husband whilst he slept. The tales of the animals reflect the people within other tales, thus exemplifying how animals were given human characteristics and thoughts. Moreover, the death of the hyena was committed by the ‘crafty jackal’ who ‘got rid of her husband, the hyena, who foolishly loved her; inheriting thereby all his property’. Femininity was portrayed within the story as beautiful yet destructive, and was reflective of common trope of women within somali tale of where they are depicted to be harnessing the ruthless ability to murder for personal gain. To add, within the tale the jackal’s focal trait was her beauty but proceeded to be her intelligence and deceitful nature. This is again comparable to Dhegdheer who was initially known as ‘beautiful’ but proceeded to be recognised by her cunning behavior and deceit. Femininity is implied to have a dark and threatening aspect to it, which is exemplified by the ruthless nature of most female chracters depicted within the Somali tales.

Conclusion

Womanhood and femininity is depicted in traditional Somali folktales not only through female characters but also the natural world and within allegories of animals. The same type of ideology is presented throughout despite the different depictions and stories, womanhood is continually linked to motherhood and in the role of the wife. There is a stereotypical role of women portrayed, they are expected to be submissive and odbeient to society and their husbands. Women were taught to be self-sacrifacing and were heavily critiqued, therefore forced into attempting in achieving impossible standards. Although, characters like Dhegdheer and Araweelo showed a complete rejection of the conventional gender roles by dismissing societal expectations and allowing themsleves to present themselves without cultural constraints. Both individuals began their stories by following their supposed obligations and their roles, but were suffocated and freed themsleevs of the burdens. Arguably, the pressures and burdens placed were the main reason for their rebellion against gender roles and society. Their stories imply how non-conformity was some-what freeing and allowed self-expression, despite the disgrace and seclusion that followed after rejecting conventions. These female characters did not only just rebel and reject the expected illustration of femininity and womanhood but created new identities completely contradicting society. Araweelo and Dhegdeer challenged gender conventions and exceeded to savagery, exemplified through Araweelo’s catsration of men and Dhegdheer cannabalism. This introduces the concept of dark femininity and potency that lives within a woman’s pain, by exemplifying this brutality they emitted an agression that contrasted traditional feminine ideals. Furthermore, both individuals' stories ended with their deaths being at the result of their offspring’s doing (Araweelo with her grandson and Dhegdheer with her daughter) which implies an grim irony of what they birthed also being their demise. This perhaps reiterates this concept of how motherhood ends up overtaking every element of womanhood.  These emblematic female characters stand as symbols of rebellion and dark femininity, whilst provoking the readers to question womanhood as a whole. Womanhood is further depicted within the natural world and allegories of animals, where it allows a range of interpretations on femininity from different perspectives. The illustration of the natural world provides an remembrance to the significance of women as it alludes to how women are the very foundation of life, evoking a connection between womanhood and the natural world. Additionally, the roles of these traditional folktales of which their focal point is seemingly on women could act as a subversive literature, as in many of the folktales they directly contradict and dismantle societal systems. These tales are passed down orally, which does lead to the presumption of its unreliability as word of mouth is an unstable method of passing information. Although, as an individual who grew up listening to the stories they allow us to remain connected to our culture and our ancestry as these stories are undoubtedly influenced by Somali customs and traditions. Suzanne Lilius reiterates on the importance of storytelling and these folktales as they ‘constitues an integral part of a living oral traditions’. Nonethless, these Somali tales not only illustrates customary gender obligations but also exihibits and contrasting exposition of rebelling towards these exact customs set through dominant and inspiring female resistant voices.