At the beginning of the story, before his conception, Sundiata's birth is prophesied to his father in classic epic fashion. On behalf of the buffalo woman, his lineage is half mortal, half divine, a typical genealogy for heroes in world myths (e.g., Hercules, Orpheus, Arjuna, Cú Chullain, even Wonder Woman).
Despite having a physical impairment, Sundiata wields unnatural strength, intelligence, and kindness that distinguish him as a child. However, his father's first wife schemes to place her cruel son on the throne. This plot point (the wrong man on the throne, and our hero without one) is a classic narrative arc for any hero's quest—giving us a protagonist, an antagonist, and a magnetic pull driving the hero onward with a sense of destiny surrounding them. He conquers his enemy with magical weapons (an arrow tipped with a magic rooster's claw) and allies, and his triumphant placement on the throne begins an age of prosperity and happiness for his people.
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