The Firewalkers

 The Firewalkers

(A Legend from Fiji)

On an island near Suva, the capital of Fiji, there lives a tribe known as the Firewalkers. The men walk on burning hot stones, and yet their feet are never burnt and their skin is not even singed.

The people say that long ago an ancestor of theirs was given the power to do this by a stranger, and from that day to this they have been able to walk on heated stones.

The men of the village used to meet in a large house in the evenings to chat and to tell stories. Each one took turns in providing food, and they always tried to bring some special delicacy for their evening meal.

One day a man called King Chestnut Tree promised to catch some eels; so he set off very early in the morning and went to fish in a small pool. There he found that a large stone had fallen into the water, making it very muddy. So he climbed onto the stone and sat down, thinking that perhaps a big fish was hiding beneath it. He began to dig around the stone with a stick, and then he jumped down into the hole he had made, and very cautiously he felt with his hand. Suddenly he pulled out a great eel.

He threw the creature across his shoulder and started to return home with his fine contribution to the feast. But he had not gone very far when his burden spoke to him. “Do not kill me,” he said. “Spare my life, and if you let me go I will give you wealth and riches.”

The eel slipped off his shoulder and immediately turned into a fine young man.

“I don’t need wealth, for I am already rich,” replied Chestnut Tree. “Who are you?”

“My name is King Lemonjuice,” said the young man. “Please let me live and in return I will make you the champion javelin thrower.”

“All my tribe are javelin throwers, and I happen to be their captain,” said Chestnut Tree proudly.

“Let me live,” begged Lemonjuice, and he tried to bribe his captor by offering to make him the most handsome man, and then the best navigator. But Chestnut Tree became tired of this bargaining and refused all the tempting offers.

“I will teach you how to walk on hot stones and bear terrific heat,” promised the captive, who was becoming desperate.

“What was that? What did you say?” Chestnut Tree was interested at last.

Lemonjuice explained quickly that the first task was to gather firewood for four days. Then they must dig a large pit.

“Then we must light a fire in the pit, and after that we must bury ourselves in the embers and bake for four days and four nights. When we have done that I shall have kept the promise I made to you in return for sparing my life, and we can both go home.”

Chestnut Tree agreed to do this, and together they made a great oven and heated the stones with fire for four days and nights. When the embers were removed and the stones leveled, the two men walked over the burning hot stones and then stepped onto the grass once more. Neither of them had singed a foot or burnt a toe, nor had they any pain or discomfort.

Lemonjuice suggested that they should bury themselves in the oven, but his friend was afraid that this might be a trick and that he would be left there to be cooked alive.

“No, I prefer just to step on the stones and not stay there long lest my skirt be burnt,” he said.

So he did that again and came out of the oven safely without a burn, and from that day to this all the men of that tribe have been able to walk on hot stones as their ancestor did long ago.

Source

Tales from the South Pacific Islands

Anne Gittins

1977

Pages: 11-13