Myth of Iron

Over the decades we have heard a great deal about Shaka, the most famousor infamousof Zulu leaders. It may come as a surprise, therefore, that we do not know when he was born, nor what he looked like, nor precisely when or why he was assassinated. In Shakas case, even these most basic facts of any persons biography remain locked in obscurity. Meanwhile the public image, sometimes monstrous, sometimes heroic, juggernauts ontruly a myth of iron that is so intriguing, so dramatic, so archetypal, and sometimes so politically useful, that few have subjected it to proper scrutiny. Myth of Iron: Shaka in History is the first book-length scholarly study of Shaka to be published. It lays out, as far as possible, all the available evidencemainly hitherto underutilized Zulu oral testimonies, supported by other documentary sourcesand decides, item by item, legend by legend, what exactly we can know about Shakas reign. The picture that emerges in this meticulously researched and absorbing anti-biography is very different from the popular narrative we are used to.