The ring of the Queen of Sheba

King Souleymane loved Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, more than all the treasures of his kingdom. To seal their union, he gave her a ring of unequalled beauty, so precious that the stars themselves seemed to pale beside it.

But the djinns the king had exiled to the islands of the Moon had not forgiven him. They were waiting for the moment to take their revenge. One night, one of them crept up to the queen, stole the ring and flew off southwards, over the sea.

When he reached Ngazidja, the djinn hurled the ring with all his strength at the highest mountain on the island. The ring struck the summit so violently that it dug into the earth right down to the heart of the world. Fire gushed out, the mountain rumbled, and an immense crater opened up: this is the caldera of Karthala.

Ever since, they say, the ring has lain at the bottom of the volcano. When Karthala wakes, spews its smoke and makes the island tremble, the elders say it is the ring still burning with the anger of the djinns.

Others tell the story differently. Souleymane and Bilqis are said to have come to spend their wedding on the island; having climbed to the top of the mountain together, the queen herself is said to have thrown her ring there, promising to return one day. Others still say that the djinns also stole the queen's throne and hid it at the bottom of the crater.