[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-92522-en":3,"doc-seo-92522-105":28,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":89},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":26,"read_time":27},92522,8796095461610,"Oliver","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c",1,"Story & Novel","The tree wife","This document presents \"The Tree Wife,\" a Southern African Folktale, vividly illustrated by Jemma Kahn. Originally published by the African Storybook Initiative in 2014 under a Creative Commons license, this tale allows for commercial use, adaptation, and further development, provided the original copyright and credits are maintained. The narrative unfolds with a prosperous but lonely old man who, unable to find a wife, ingeniously creates one from a tree branch. Upon bringing the statue to life, he marries her, bestowing upon her the traditional adornments of a married woman and building her a home. He makes one fervent plea: that she never reveal her origin. However, the beauty of the young wife sparks envy and suspicion among the young men in a neighboring village, leading them to plot her abduction. The story thus sets the stage for a conflict driven by curiosity, desire, and the potential exposure of a hidden truth, exploring themes of creation, identity, and the consequences of secrets within a traditional African cultural context. The visual artistry by Jemma Kahn enhances the storytelling, drawing readers into the unique world of this enchanting folktale.","The tree wife  \nA Southern African Folktale  \nIllustrated by Jemma Kahn  \nEnglish Story Book  \nThe tree wife  \nA Southern African Folktale Illustrated by Jemma Kahn  \nEnglish  \nCopyright © 2014, African Storybook Initiative  \n[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)  \nYou are free to make commercial use of this work. You may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the copyright and credits for authors, illustrators, etc.  \nThe tree wife  \nA Southern African Folktale Illustrations by Jemma Kahn  \n[https://www.africanstorybook.org](https://www.africanstorybook.org)  \nOnce upon a time, there lived a man who had plenty of everything – a large fertile farm, with cattle, sheep, and goats . But, as he grew old, he grew sad, because one thing was missing. He did not have a wife.  \nStanding under a tree one day, he had a brilliant idea . If he couldn’t find a wife, perhaps he could make one?  \nSo he set to work to shape a beautiful woman from a strong branch of the tree . When he had finished making the statue, he touched her eyes, and they opened. He blew gently on her, and she came alive .  \nShe was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen . He knelt before her, and asked her to be his wife.  \nHe gave her a colourful apron, beads, and a head ring, the sign of a married woman . And he built her a house with the mud and grass that used to lie at the foot of her trunk.“Only one thing I beg of you,” he said to his wife.“Never tell anyone where you come from .”  \nBut before long, the young men from a neighbouring village began talking among themselves .“How can such an oldman have such a beautiful young wife?”So they decided to steal her and take her to their own kraal.","cbCaigMSwHae3v1r","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigMSwHae3v1r","pdf",2978701,20,"English","en",105,"# A Southern African Folktale\n## The Tree Wife","[{\"question\":\"What is the origin of the story \\\"The Tree Wife\\\"?\",\"answer\":\"\\\"The Tree Wife\\\" is a Southern African Folktale illustrated by Jemma Kahn and published by the African Storybook Initiative in 2014.\"},{\"question\":\"What happens in the story \\\"The Tree Wife\\\"?\",\"answer\":\"A lonely old man creates a wife from a tree branch, and after she comes to life, he marries her. He asks her never to tell anyone where she comes from, but young men from a neighboring village become suspicious of the beautiful young wife and plan to steal her.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the conditions for using \\\"The Tree Wife\\\"?\",\"answer\":\"The story can be used commercially, adapted, and added to, as long as the copyright and credits for authors and illustrators are kept intact. Users are free to modify and share the work under the terms of the Creative Commons license.\"}]",1784318182,31,{"code":4,"msg":29,"data":30},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":31,"title":13,"keywords":32,"description":14,"schema_data":33,"social_meta":84,"head_meta":86,"extra_data":88,"updated_unix":26},"the-tree-wife","",{"@graph":34,"@context":83},[35,52,66],{"@type":36,"itemListElement":37},"BreadcrumbList",[38,42,46,49],{"item":39,"name":40,"@type":41,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":43,"name":44,"@type":41,"position":45},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":41,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":41,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-tree-wife/92522/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":60,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":61,"interactionStatistic":62},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":39,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-17",true,{"@type":63,"interactionType":64,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":65},"ViewAction",{"@type":67,"mainEntity":68},"FAQPage",[69,75,79],{"name":70,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":72},"What is the origin of the story \"The Tree Wife\"?","Question",{"text":73,"@type":74},"\"The Tree Wife\" is a Southern African Folktale illustrated by Jemma Kahn and published by the African Storybook Initiative in 2014.","Answer",{"name":76,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":77},"What happens in the story \"The Tree Wife\"?",{"text":78,"@type":74},"A lonely old man creates a wife from a tree branch, and after she comes to life, he marries her. He asks her never to tell anyone where she comes from, but young men from a neighboring village become suspicious of the beautiful young wife and plan to steal her.",{"name":80,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":81},"What are the conditions for using \"The Tree Wife\"?",{"text":82,"@type":74},"The story can be used commercially, adapted, and added to, as long as the copyright and credits for authors and illustrators are kept intact. 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