Thread by @GiveBatsABreak

ARE THESE BATS PEEING ON THIS WOMAN?!

Yes! But…but why?

Have you ever heard the tale of Samoan Princess-turned-goddess Leutogi?

If not, then read on to discover the answer!! 1/

[🎨 Yuki Kihara, Tonumaipe'a; How She Was Saved by the Bats (2004)]

Princess Leutgitupa’itea - also called Leutogi - was born of royal Samoan blood in a time when Samoa and Tonga warred with one another. 2/

In an effort to forge a bond of peace with Tonga and put an end to the shedding of blood, the King of Samoa offered his daughter, Princess Leutogi, to be the second wife of the Tongan king. 3/

The princess was gentle, kind, and peace-loving, so she agreed to the arrangement.

These same qualities that might have endeared her to us made her the object of scorn for the Tongan people, the Queen foremost among them, who saw her as weak. 4/

Princess Leutogi spent most of her time away from the town (as one in her situation might), immersing herself in the natural beauty of Tonga. 5/

On one of her outings she found an injured bat which, as was fitting for her compassionate disposition, she immediately set out to nurture back to health. 6/

The overseer that accompanied the Princess wherever she went instantly tried to kill the bat, not out of compassion but out of disgust. Princess Leutogi, exhibiting strength the people didn’t think she possessed, stood between the overseer and the bat, preventing its death. 7/

The Princess returned night after night to tend to the bat, bringing it fruit and telling it stories until it was well enough to fly again. Once that day came, Leutogi took the bat into the forest and, with tears in her eyes, released it. 8/

The Tongan King couldn’t help but notice her compassion and thought to put it to use. “You will watch over my son, the Prince,” he ordered. The Prince was an unsavory character but the Princess fulfilled her duty with grace and patience. 9/

This didn’t mean she was happy. Indeed, she longed for the days she spent with the bat. This longing never left her no matter how she busied herself with the Prince’s demands. 10/

On a certain evening, she felt a stirring deep within her. A pull. A call, even. It came from the Tongan coast. The spirits of the night, as dangerous and fearsome as they might be, would not stop her from approaching the beach and answering the call. 11/

Upon arrival, the Princess found that for which her soul had pined:

the bat had brought her here. 12/

That night and for many nights after they reveled in each other’s company, eating fruit and telling stories like before. The bat brought friends and kin to join in their happiness and all was well. 13/

All was well, that is, until the Princess returned from her time with the bats to receive the news that the Prince, for whom she had been ordered to care, had died. 14/

The Queen blamed his death on Princess Leutogi’s negligence and, seeing an opportunity to bring her hatred to fruition, sought her death. The King of Tonga agreed:

death by pyre. 15/

The villagers gathered around as she was placed on the wood, her wrists lashed together, her body tied to the post. The murderous fire was lit. The ravenous flames licked at the Princess’ feet. 16/

Leutogi began to sing the songs of her childhood, accepting her fate and seeking to die in peace. As the sound of her voice went forth, the call that had stirred in her chest before now stirred in a smaller, furrier chest. 17/

The bat she had rescued and thousands more swarmed in a cloud over her, urinating to put out the fire and save Princess Leutogi’s life. 18/

The King, the Queen, and the townspeople were less than happy with this development, and fearing for his own life, the King banished the Princess to a remote, infertile, uninhabited island where she would starve to death. 19/

At least that was the plan. The bats didn’t save Princess Leutogi just to let her die. No, they took her fresh fruit, berries, nuts and seeds, and kept her constant company. After a time, the bats had gardened the island with their seeds and it became lush and fertile. 20/

On this island among the bats she loved, Princess Leutogi trascended her humanity to become a goddess, worshipped as protector of bats and fertility by her former people: the Samoans. 21/

Now go back and look at the artwork in the first tweet again with this story fresh in your mind! And share with those you think could use a happy ending today 🦇✨ 22/22

Another version of the story has the King ordering Leutogi's death bc she ruined his hunting plans, her death being thwarted by the bats, & then sending her to an island on which was a wandering spirit who did not kill her for he thought she would starve to death

🎨Nikki Mariner

@nikimariner In honor of the bats saving her, when she later had a son she named him Tonumaipe’a, a name meaning "rescued by flying foxes."

You can see this and other gripping Asia-Pacific bat legends at @RimbaResearch's website!
rimba.ngo/2020/10/26/bat…