In one work, this character successfully stakes his life to win a mancala-style board game against a king sitting in a room of beautiful swords. One woman’s fear about the popularity of this character leads her to summon a group of nine witches to kill him, (15[2])but the witches are so impressed that they instead begin to assist this character. This character, who was introduced to Western audiences through (*) Djibirl Tamsir Niane’s 1960 translation of one work, is born after his father makes a promise to marry an ugly maiden. In a climactic battle, this character fires an arrow tipped with a cock’s spur. This character, who first uses the branch of a baobab tree to walk, was given a griot companion by his father. After a return from exile, this character and his mother Sogolon defeat the sorcerer Sumanguru. For 10 points, name this central character of an oral epic and founder of the Mali Empire. ■END■