FA GD 1S African Mythology A to Z ae Patricia Ann Lynch Revised by Jeremy Roberts FuBLISHERSae African Mythology A to Z, Second Edition Copyright © 2004, 2010 by Patricia Ann Lynch All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, clectronie or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House 132 West 31st Street ‘New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lynch, Patricia Ann. African mythology A to Z./ Patricia Ann Lynch ; revised by Jeremy Roberts. — 2nd ed. p-em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-415-5 (he : alk. paper) 1. Mythology—African. 2. Encyelopedias—juvenile. L Roberts, Jeremy, 1956- UL Title. 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Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid‘The gift of fire frequently began with its theft from the being that possessed its secret. In a myth of the [Kung of Namibia, a man named | Kai !Kini was the only person in the world who had fire, which he made with fire sticks that he kept hidden. +Gao!na, the !Kung Creator, discovered |Kai IKini’s secret and, through trickery, stole the fire sticks from him. +Gao!na broke the sticks into small pieces and scat- tered them throughout the world so that everyone could have fire. In a tale told by the Ekoi of Niger and Nigeria, a boy stole fire from the sky god, Opasst. In revenge, Obassi crippled the boy. According to a story told by the Zande of Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, Torr, the divine Trickster, stole fire from his uncles, divine blacksmiths. FLOOD Flood myths are found around the world, and Africa is no exception. Throughout all but the desert areas of Africa, there are myths about a primordial flood. (According to the !Kung, who live in the Kalahari Desert and its fringes, the very idea of a flood is ludicrous!) Flood myths are as various as the tribes that tell the stories. Following are a few of them. Bakongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) An elderly woman, tired and covered with sores, arrived at a town ina valley. She asked for hospitality but was turned away at every home except the last one she came to. The people there took her in and cared for her until she was well again. When she was ready to leave, she told her hosts to come with her. Because of the other inhabitants’ lack of hospitality, the town was cursed, and the Supreme God, Nzambi, would destroy it. The night after they left, heavy main fell, turning the valley into a lake. All of the townspeople were drowned. Ekoi (Niger, Nigeria) At first there was no water on Earth, so the first man, Etim ‘Ne, asked Onassi Osaw, the god of the sky, for water. Obassi gave him a calabash (a kind of gourd) that held seven clear stones. When Etim ‘Ne put a stone in a hole in the ground, water emerged and formed a lake. When Etim ‘Ne’s children were grown and married, he gave each household a river or lake of its own. When his grandchildren were grown, he told each of them to take seven stones from their parents’ rivers or lakes and plant them at intervals to create new streams. All of Etim ‘Ne’s grandchildren followed his instruc- tions but one. One grandson collected a basketful of, stones and dumped them in one place. This caused a flood that covered his farm and threatened to drown the entire Earth. Etim ‘Ne prayed to Obassi, who FLOOD 45 stopped the flood. However, Obassi let a lake remain where the disobedient grandson’s farm had been. Kwaya (Tanzania) A man and woman had a pot that never ran out of water. They told their new daughter-in-law never to touch the pot. However, the curious young woman could not keep from touching it. The pot shattered, and the resulting flood drowned everything. Maasai (Kenya) The Supreme God, resolved to destroy humanity because of its sinful- ness. He would save only one righteous man and his family. En-kai told this man—Tumbainot—to build an ark and take his family and animals of every kind into it. Then En-kai sent rains that lasted for many days until the whole world was flooded and all living creatures were drowned. Tumbainot sent out first a dove and then a vulture to find out whether any dry land existed. When it seemed that the flood was receding, Tumbainot grounded the ark. He, his family, and the animals left the ark and repopulated the Earth. (This story has obvious Judeo-Christian influences.) Mandingo (Céte d'Ivoire) A charitable man gave away everything he had. When the Supreme God, Ouende—disguised—asked him for food, the man gave the god the last of his food. Ouende rewarded the man with three handfuls of flour, which kept renewing itself and brought the man great wealth. Then Ovende told the man to leave the area. ‘The god sent six months of rain that created a flood and destroyed the man’s selfish neighbors, who had refused the god’s request for food. Mbuti (Democratic Republic of the Congo) A cnaMeLeon, hearing a strange noise in a TREE, cut open its trunk. Water came out in a great flood that spread all over the Earth. The first man and woman emerged with the water. (See also HUMANS, ORIGIN oF.) Yoruba (Nigeria) According to the Yoruna CREATION accounr, in the beginning there were only the sky above, ruled by the Supreme God Otoren, and the misty, watery domain below, ruled by the goddess Otokun. At that time, Olokun was the only oxisa (deity) who lived apart; all the other orises lived in the heavens with Olorun. When Oparata, the second in command to Olorun, created dry land and people filled the world, Olokun became angry over the loss of so much of her domain. In a fit of rage, she sent a great flood that covered the land, drowning nearly all of the world’s inhabitants. Then KAl,46 FON CREATION ACCOUNT Orunmiia, the god of divination, fate, and wisdom, came down to Earth and restored the land. FON CREATION ACCOUNT Fon (Benin) Atwo- Hweno, the Cosmic Serpent (see also sae), carried the Creator, Mawv-Lisa, in his mouth as she shaped the universe. The Earth’s surface—its high places and low places, its curves and other physical features—were created by the serpent’s movement. Wherever the ser- pent and Mawu-Lisa rested, mountains formed from Aido-Hwedo’s excrement. When the Creator was finished creating the world, she ordered Aido-Hwedo to coil himself into a circle around and underneath the Earth to hold it in place. When there was an earthquake, it happened because Aido-Hwedo stirred. Aido-Hwedo revolved around the Earth, causing the movement of the heavenly bodies. ‘Traditionally, the Fon had a four-day week in recognition of the four days in which Mawu-Lisa created the world. On the first day, she gave birth to the gods and goddesses of the Vooun, the Fon vaNTHEON of deities, and she made humans out of clay. (See also HUMANS, ontGIN oF.) On the second day, she made Earth habitable for humans. On the third day, she gave humans speech, sight, and awareness. On the fourth day, she gave humans the skills they needed to survive. FON PANTHEON See Vopun. FOX. The wily foxis seen throughout Africa as both a rricksrer figure and a cuvturE nero who made significant contributions to humans. According to a myth told by the Uduk of Ethiopia, the fox brought rine to people and taught humans to speak. FROG An amphibian that lays its eggs in water and undergoes a metamorphosis, changing from an aquatic, gill-breathing tadpole into a semiaquatic, lung-breathing adult frog. Because of this change in form, frogs represent transformation. For many cultures, frogs symbolized the link between the UNDERWORLD and the spiritual realm and functioned as messengers between humans and the gods. Ina myth told by the Ekoi of Cameroon, the sky god Osawa sent a frog to deliver the message to people that death was the end of all things. In a myth of the Ambundu of Angola, a frog was instrumental in arranging the marriage of the hero KiMANAUEZE to the daughter of the Sun and the Moon. In an Efe myth, a Toap was given a pot containing death and was warned not to let anything happen to it. Tired of carrying the heavy pot, the toad accepted a frog's offer to carry the pot for him. Unfortunately, the frog dropped the pot and it broke, letting death escape. (See also DEATH, ORIGIN OF) FULBE BAUDI See kavpl. FuNzt (Mruzi) Fjort (Republic of the Congo) ‘The mythical blacksmith of the Fjort. After the Fjort received the gift of rire from a river deity, Funzi appeared and taught them how to work in iron and copper. This cuLrure nero is also credited with creating lightning when his hammer struck sparks from his anvil. (See also THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.)CRIED oom African Mythology African ATOZ wars 2004 2010 No preview No preview Common terms and phrases Abu Nuwas according AfPiICAN aie! Anansi ancestors animals Arebati Ashanti creation account Creator dead deities known Democratic Republic died divine Dogon Kaggen Kalunga Khonvoum killed king kingdom land legend Libanza link between heaven live Nyambe Nyame obassi Obatala Oduduwa ogboinsa OIOFUN origin ofdeatn OF Sonata SONINKE South Africa spider spirits stars story Sudan SUPFEME tale thunder: Xhosa YOrUba Yorba nigeria Zulu Bibliographic information Title African Mythology, A to Z Mythology A to Z Authors Patricia Ann Lynch, Jeremy Roberts Publisher Infobase Publishing, 2010 ISBN 143813133X, 9781438131337 Length 179 pages Export Citation BIBTeX EndNote RefMan