Eidolon helvum

Status: Near threatened. Though it is common throughout its range of sub-Saharan Africa, it is hunted as bushmeat, and its population has been declining.

A story from Sierra Leone explains how darkness and cold came into the world. When the earth was first made, the sun and moon shone in alternating cycles, bathing the world in their light at all times. One day God summoned Bat to him and entrusted Bat with a package of darkness that he was to bring to the moon. Bat did not realize the importance of his task, and so he was careless. Midway through his journey, he grew hungry and paused on the road. He set down the package to flit into the trees and find fruit to eat. The other animals, mischievous and curious, saw the abandoned item and began tugging at the strings that bound it shut. Too late, Bat saw what was happening, and though he rushed forth to scatter the interlopers, it was too late. The last string was pulled loose and darkness flowed out into the world. Bat tried desperately to catch the darkness, flitting this way and that way, but it was to no avail. Exhausted, he fell asleep, only to wake at the next twilight and once again attempt his hopeless task of catching the darkness in order to put it back and take it to the moon. This is why you often see bats fluttering in the twilight hours, forever trying to catch the darkness.

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Size: 6 x 6 inches
Medium: Ink
©2023, Stephanie Law