Nada the Lily
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''Nada the Lily'' is an historical novel by English writer H. Rider Haggard, published in
1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...
. It is said to be inspired by Haggard's time in South Africa (1875–82). It was illustrated by Charles H. M. Kerr. The novel tells the tale of the origin and early life of the hero Umslopogaas, the unacknowledged son of the great Zulu king and general Chaka, and his love for "the most beautiful of Zulu women", Nada the Lily. Chaka was a real king of the Zulus but Umslopogaas was invented by Haggard. He first appeared as an elderly but vigorous warrior in ''
Allan Quatermain Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel ''King Solomon's Mines'', its one sequel ''Allan Quatermain'' (1887), twelve prequel novels and four prequel short stories, totalling eighteen works. An English professional ...
'' (1887). He also appears in the novel ''
She and Allan ''She and Allan'' is a novel by H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1921. It brought together his two most popular characters, Ayesha from ''She (novel), She'' (to which it serves as a prequel), and Allan Quatermain from ''King Solomon's Mines' ...
'' (1921). ''Nada the Lily'' is unusual for a Victorian novel in that its entire cast of characters is South African and black. ''Nada the Lily'' features
magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
and
ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
s as part of its plot. There is some anecdotal evidence that Umslopogaas might have been based on an actual person, although not as described in the book. He would have been a Swazi not a Zulu.


Plot outline

''Nada the Lily'' is set at the time of Chaka, the Zulu king, around whom much of the action turns, but essentially the book is the story of Umslopogaas, and of "his love for Nada, the most beautiful of Zulu women." They have been brought up as brother and sister but Umslopogaas is really Chaka's son. It is narrated by Mopo the father of Nada and witch doctor to Chaka, whom Chaka had vowed never to slay because he saved the life of Chaka and his mother when they were outcast wanderers. During the course of the novel Umslopogaas teams up with Galazi the Wolf, who lives on Ghost Mountain and has power over a spectral wolf pack. The story ends tragically when Nada, fleeing the wrath of
Dingaan Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu (c. 1795–29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan, was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828 Dingaan is also a given name and may refer to: *Dingaan Myolwa, South African pol ...
following the assassination of Chaka, takes refuge in a cave on the mountain. Galazi dies in her defence but the cave proves her tomb as she is unable to open the stone door she closed behind her.


Historical basis

Parts of the story are closely based on actual historical events and on folktales recorded by Bishop Henry Callaway and others. 'Mopo' is based in part on a man called Mbopa who was involved in the assassination of Shaka; however Umslopogaas, Galazi and Nada are wholly invented characters. The real-life Zulu kings
Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...
and
Dingane Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu (–29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan, was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828, after assassinating his brother Shaka. He set up his royal capital, uMgungundlovu, a ...
are major characters and the book is set around the time of real events such as the assassination of Shaka, the
Weenen Massacre The Weenen massacre ( af, Bloukransmoorde) was the massacre of Khoikhoi, Basuto and Voortrekkers by the Zulu Kingdom on 17 February 1838. The massacres occurred at Doringkop, Bloukrans River, Moordspruit, Rensburgspruit and other sites aroun ...
(the subject of Haggard's later novel ''
Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...
''), the
Battle of Italeni The Battle of Italeni was a battle that took place at in what is now KwaZulu Natal province, South Africa, between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus during the period of the Great Trek. Background After the massacre of Piet Retief and his men b ...
, the
Battle of Blood River The Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Zulu. Est ...
and the coming to power of
Mpande kaSenzangakhona Mpande kaSenzangakhona (1798–18 October 1872) was monarch of the Zulu Kingdom from 1840 to 1872. He was a half-brother of Sigujana, Shaka and Dingane, who preceded him as Zulu kings. He came to power after he had overthrown Dingane in 1840. ...
(Panda), the third king of the Zulus.


Cultural influence

''Nada'' is an Arabic word for the dewdrops in the morning and, as such, a poetic metaphor for the concept of generosity, another possible translation of the same word. It is also probable that the name is a reference to the Portuguese word meaning "nothing" because Haggard was introduced to that idiom while living in South Africa.


Reception

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...
praised ''Nada the Lily''. Bleiler said the novel was "generally considered to be Haggard's finest work, a sustained, tragic story. While Nada is a sop to the romantic market, the remainder of the book is powerful, imaginative, and filled with cultural detail". John Scarborough included ''Nada'' on a list of what he regarded as Haggard's best novels, along with ''
King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'', '' She: A History of Adventure'', ''
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
'', ''
Red Eve ''Red Eve'' is a historical novel with fantasy elements, by British writer H. Rider Haggard, set in the reign of Edward III. ''Red Eve'' depicts the Battle of Crécy and the Black Death, and also features a supernatural personification of Death ...
'', and ''
Eric Brighteyes ''Eric Brighteyes'' is an epic Vikings, Viking novel by Henry Rider Haggard, H. Rider Haggard that concerns the adventures of its eponymous principal character in 10th-century Iceland. The novel was first published in 1890 by Longman, Longmans, G ...
''.Scarborough, John. "H. Rider Haggard". In Bleiler, Richard, ''Science Fiction Writers : critical studies of the major authors from the early nineteenth century to the present day''. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. (pg. 323-329)


References


External links

* *
Images and bibliographic information for various editions
of Nada the Lily at SouthAfricaBooks.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Nada The Lily 1892 British novels 1892 fantasy novels Novels by H. Rider Haggard Novels set in South Africa Cultural depictions of Shaka