The Mantis makes an Eland-Analysis

It is often debated if African folktale and myths can be seen through a universal motif. Africa in itself is so full of diversity that even looking at folktales through a ethnic or geographical perspective might sometimes seem generalist. However for my personal understanding and experiment I decided to use the 'Hero's Journey' motif to understand Khoi-San folklore.
It was definitely not easy to analyse African folklore through a universal motif like the Hero's Journey. African stories are packed with several underlying metaphors and symbols which are specific to Africa, and one has to be acquainted with such symbols to adequately draw inference from the stories.
Here is a short analysis of the story 'The Mantis makes an Eland' from the book 'Mantis and His Friends' based on my understanding of the Hero's journey. It is an entirely personal interpretation and please do leave suggestions and your opinion.

The Mantis makes an Eland.

Synopsis: The Moon is created from Kwamang-a’s shoe. After |kaggen (the Mantis) breaks the eland's gall and it blinds him, he crawls, feeling his way to the bush.  He throws Kwamang-a’s shoe with the dust into the sky so that it may become the Moon and light the ground for him to see in the darkness. (Version 1)

The Moon is created from a long white wing-feather of the Ostrich. After |kaggen (the Mantis) breaks the eland's gall and it blinds him, he crawls, feeling his way to the place of the Ostrich, where he finds a feather. He throws it into the sky so that it may become the Moon and light the ground for him to see in the darkness. (Version 2)

Hero: |kaggen, the mantis.

Stages:

-|kaggen (mantis) steals the shoe.

This act validates the ‘trickster’ reputation of the Mantis. Why would he steal the shoe otherwise?

-Creates an Eland out of the shoe.

Shows the magical creative powers that water has.

-Eland grows up in hiding.

Almost like the story of the Minotaur, where Minotaur grows up hidden from public view.

-Ichneumon spies on |kaggen and discovers the Eland.

-Kwamang-a finds out and hatches a plan.

-Kwamang-a kills the eland.

-Mantis weeps for the dead eland (who was almost like his child).

 Call to Adventure: “The usual hero’s adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken…” The mantis considered the eland his child and the eland’s death pushes the mantis to take on an adventure to avenge his child’s death.

-Meerkats cut up the eland.

Crossing the first threshold: The Mantis encounters the Meerkats who are busy cutting up the eland, the Meerkats in this stage act like the threshold Guardians.

-Mantis shoots at Meerkats but arrows backfire.

He has to overcome the challenges posed by the Guardians to cross into the spiritual realm.

-|kaggen spots the gall, pricks it.

The gall with magical powers reminded me of the 'Belly of the Whale'. It does not completely resonate with the Monomyth stage, but in the folktale it does occur in a stage when the mantis has to make a call whether to release the darkness or go back to collecting firewood for the meat.

The Gall might also act like a supernatural aid at this moment, as it hints the Mantis to release the darkness by pricking its surface.

-Mantis springs into darkness released by the gall...gets into the bushes.

Darkness might be a metaphor here, but not sure of what exactly. In the story it signifies the night. It might also signify a brief moment of the road of trials as he blindly struggles to find his way through the bushes.

-Throws his shoe/feather in the air. It becomes the moon.

The Return: The Mantis overcomes the Darkness by throwing the stolen shoe into the air which turns into the moon. He turns into a hero at this point as he rids not just himself but the whole world of Darkness of the night.