African cosmogony

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African cosmogony describes the central parts within the formal canon of African myths , which deal with the creation of the ancestors and the environment of man. The establishment of a cosmic order, if myths are alive, is a cultural and religious task that is a prerequisite for the social and economic existence of a community. Cosmogonies that deal with the creation of the world come from the Asian area and are less common in Africa .

In numerous variations, however, it is about the separation of heaven and earth, a myth from the same area of ​​ancient high cultures, which ended the peaceful coexistence of prehistoric men and gods and the time of the ancestors began. The loss of paradise was initiated by a fall.

Above everything and almost everywhere in Africa there is a high god who is often the first creator. He is addressed in the ritual, more often he has moved into the distance.

Demarcation

The existence of things and people, including the norms of living together, must be justified. Myths are stories about their origins in primeval times. One does not speak of myths casually. They are considered sacred, some myths may not be known to certain groups of the population (women, children, uninitiated ). On the other hand, other stories, fairy tales or animal fables may be just as colorful, but they are not real, but (at best) funny.

A structure corresponding to the cosmogonic myths have origin myths, which were introduced to justify all possible manifestations in the world. They explain the behavior of an animal as well as the power of the king derived from a mythical founder. These myths of origin are a continuous update for new situations that have come into the world since the beginning of the world and that must first be justified in order to be able to cope with them.

A third distinction should be made, especially for Africa, between myth and magic . Humans are passive towards myth as part of their traditional African religion , they can only try to please. Magic is an active practice and, while based on faith as well, like science, is geared towards verifiability. The same cause will always produce the same effect, so the right ceremony will produce the desired result. If not, then there was even more powerful magic at play from elsewhere.

actors

The personified creative forces can be classified hierarchically within the respective culture according to their position in the otherworldly world, their practical share in creation or according to the degree of their cultic veneration. Since myths about the deities vary considerably and sometimes contradict each other, different lists result depending on the interpretation.

Sky gods

The high god is usually nicknamed "Creator", but his precise approach to creation is usually not discussed. In heaven he can have become far removed, functionless and without cult, others, however, exert a noticeable influence in their capacity as god of storms and rain. Alone without a wife he creates everything out of himself as the first cause, his children are heavenly people who he has formed from clay, wood or his own blood. He sends them to earth to educate people there.

Olorun

One of the most famous sky gods is the creator of the universe, Olorun, among the Yoruba in Nigeria, who over time disappeared behind his son Obatala , the real creator who formed people from clay. Olorun is a rapt god, sexless, an “owner of heaven” or “lord of heaven”. He leaves the creation of the solid land from the primordial sea to the earth god Oduduwa .

The Yoruba cosmos is one of the most well-structured mythical buildings in Africa. There are two separate worlds, which are represented in rites by a calabash divided in half. The upper half-shell is the heavenly, spiritual realm of the ancestors and all deities and is called the Orun . From here they radiate a life force (Ase) into all areas of the visible human world, the Aye world. Contact with the gods must be maintained through rituals and sacrifices and the continuous flow of this power must be guaranteed. Though distant, Olorun wields power over the specialized gods, the 201 or 401 orishas .

Mulungu

The East African high god Mulungu is just as entranced as Olorun and is little worshiped. Its distribution area extends from Mozambique and Malawi to parts of Kenya . In the center is the settlement area of ​​the Nyamwezi in Tanzania , where 45 different epithets for the god were counted. For some peoples he was originally considered an earth god, more often as an ancestor god. He was honored by travelers in some areas as a protector with piles of twigs or stones. More important is his responsibility for rain and fertility. In the past, when the harvest failed, the ancestors were to blame first, and Mulungu, as the head of the ancestors, was to blame in second place. Mulungu speaks at Donner. The assignment of the color white shows its important position. The role of creator came later.

Kalunga

Kalunga was even more connected to earth and once the ruling ancestor god . Its distribution area is the west of South Africa, south of the Congo River and northern Angola . In some areas he was also god of the underworld, which is supported by his connection with water, sea, death and the moon. In many Bantu languages , river names have the root word "lunga" or "longa". In one area of ​​Angola there are two names Kalunga, "in heaven" or "river" is added to the name.

Kalunga becomes the creator in heaven after he brought down the first man-made tower and left only Sambi and his wife Ndumba alive. He took Sambi with him to heaven and sent a little bird down to the navel of the Ndumba, which crept into the womb and made her pregnant. The myth ends with Kalunga's words: “This is how I make people.” The fertility bird refers to wooden figures that are placed on roofs and fed by women who want to have children.

Leza is a creator god in central southern Africa residing in heaven, who manifests in rain, lightning, thunder and rainbows. He is a clear god of the sky. From the connection with the earth goddess Bulongo ("clay") grain and all things grow.

Mawu-Lisa

Among the Ewe and Fon of Benin , Lisa is a god of heaven and is associated with the sun. During a solar or lunar eclipse, he unites with his wife Mawu , the moon goddess. According to a myth, the couple descended from the first mother Nana Buluku, who created the world and then withdrew. They are usually worshiped together as Mawu-Lisa .

To make a human, they used the jaw of a deceased family member, and muscle and meat were added from clay - a common practice. (Until the 19th century it was part of the rite to bury the pine bones of kings separately from their bodies in two different tombs. Mutesa of Buganda , who died in 1884, was the first ruler of his dynasty to prohibit this practice after his death.)

Like all heavenly gods, the two are far removed. They are in contact with the people through the Vodun , 14 gods they created , the chief of which is the god of iron Ogun . The mastery of iron was of central importance for the development of agriculture in the history of Africa, which explains why the two sky gods determined the mighty Ogun to organize the world on their behalf.

The Ewe, who live further west in Togo up to the Volta River , have the male highest god Mawu (or Mawu-ga ). He is the omniscient, good creator god, he allows punishments to be carried out by lower deities (trowo) . Mawu seems to be less withdrawn than other sky gods, as he can bring rain and food to people. A Christian influence cannot be separated from the Mawu creation myths. Mawu creates people from clay and the jaws of the deceased. There are three other sky gods among the western Ewe who can possibly be understood as aspects of the one high god.

Ancestors and lower deities

After the heavenly gods, these are the most influential creative forces. These include chthonic deities in the subterranean soul kingdom , which are simply called earth gods . With the Ewe they are called Trowo. Mythical ancestors who are somewhat closer to humans also belong to this. They correspond to personal protective gods. The creative ancestors themselves come from trees, rivers or holes in the ground and - just like earth gods - can call forth people, animals or things from the same places. These evocation myths are common, but simple in form.

Helpful beings, ancestors and animal heroes

At this level there is no active creation, it is about the creation of the first cultural goods and justifying grounds for social and religious institutions. Dogs, aardvarks and spiders are involved in creation, birds give good advice. In one of numerous Akan creation myths in West Africa, the spider Anansi was commissioned to create the world. The five-toed chicken that created the Yoruba world became famous.

Creation of the world

Heaven has always been there because behind the beginning the existence of a creator god is certain. The creation of the earth very rarely happens out of nothing. Probably the oldest people in Africa are the San , who have an enormously rich inventory of myths in which animals play a supporting role. The Gwikwe, their creator god, belong to the San . Nariba made the earth and all the stars. To do this, he took fire, burned the tips of birds' wings and fastened them to a tree. He took one wing and attached it to a piece of wood with a string, and attached a piece of coal to the other end. He threw the whole thing as far as he could. On the third try, he tossed it high into the sky. This is the sun now. When the earth got so hot that he had to crawl, he burned his knees. Then came the first tree that! Kxare ("to be together") meant, out of the ground and! Nariba rested in the shade. Another San god threw his sandal or an ostrich feather into the night sky until the moon shone. As original myths, these stories are told somewhat randomly and casually. There is a lack of structure.

With the Ewe the earth suddenly emerged from the darkness, or God put stones on top of each other and covered them with earth. In between he rested under a euphorbia tree. That was the first tree, it was created at the same time as the earth. His white poison juice was once the ordeal needed. Where the tree stands today, God has settled down with creation.

Center of the Yoruba

The main role is played by the chicken with five toes. In the beginning everything was desolate, swampy and watery, called Olokun, the divine sea. The gods occasionally came down along cobwebs to play in the swamp. One day Olorun sent his son Obatala down with the fifteen-toed chicken and some dirt. He got drunk on the way. Then Olorun sent Brother Odudua to set the chicken on the sea, where it began to scratch the sand until an island with the holy city of Ile-Ife was formed. - The chicken is reminiscent of the messenger birds of the biblical flood.

A variation of this story lets Olorun create the supreme god Orisha Nla and commissioned him to provide a firm foundation. Orisha Nla received a snail shell with some soil, a dove and the chicken with five toes. He came with it to the swamp, spread the earth in one place, and put the chicken and pigeon on it. These began to bury the earth, after a certain time the swamp was covered with solid ground. Orisha Nla went back to heaven and reported. The sky owner Olorun sent a chameleon down to test. Chameleons are always slow, mostly too slow, deliberate and have a cautious gait. The animal reported that the earth was distributed but not dry enough. They made rework dry. The place of creation is called Ife ("wide"), later Ile ("house") was added. The work lasted four days, on the fifth day the highest orisha was worshiped. Later he was sent again by Olorun to plant trees, bring food, wealth and the oil palm.

A third variant, because it is the most important myth for the Yoruba: Olorun sent his son Obatala down with the globe to put it on the sea. It broke, and the parts formed mountains and islands. The first plant was the oil palm, which Obatala used to make palm wine and fell asleep drunk. Annoyed, Olorun sent his daughter Odudua to keep order. With her was Aje, a turkey-shaped goddess who scratched the ground, whereupon millet and other seeds could soon be sown. Today Ile-Ife is where the palm tree stood.

World of the Dogon I

Creator god Amma created the sun: white, hot and surrounded by eight rings made of red copper, as well as the moon with rings made of white copper. For the earth he threw a lump of clay into space. It flattened out; it was north.

Dogon village Banani, east of Ségou near the main town Sangha on the rocky slope below the plateau. Houses made of clay on stone foundations, intermediate floors are made of wood. Small pitched roofs belong to storage houses: microcosms of life, contain food grain and seeds.

The Dogon in Mali have an extremely sophisticated cosmogonic order in terms of space and time. This does not mean speculative ascriptions of astronomical knowledge, but the structure of the world that has been consistently developed from the history of creation. The resulting world model is represented in symbols everywhere in everyday life. Simple transport baskets have a round opening, which is to be understood as a symbol of the sun, and a rectangular base, which means heaven or earth. Grain stores also stand on an almost square base and end with the round tip of a conical roof . They symbolize the self-contained world; if they had a different shape, the order would be disturbed and they could not be used as storage.

At the beginning the decisive factor is the original , which was created in a state of nothingness. This simplest form as a starting point is at the beginning of creation in many advanced cultures. (For the idea of ​​the original in other cultures, see also: Cosmogony .)

Amma was alone at first. He created the shape of an egg made up of his four collarbones. These divided the egg into four quarters, which contained the four elements fire, air, earth and water, the bones were the four cardinal directions. He also created 266 cosmic signs, these were the structure and principles of all things. Amma placed everything together with plant seeds on a disk and let it rotate between the cosmic axis points. As a result, the water drifted out and the seeds dried up. The creation failed, Amman destroyed it and began again.

This time he brought seeds into the center of the cosmic egg, into which he spoke seven creative words in the sacred language (Nyama). The seeds trembled seven times and spiraled in seven directions within the egg, creating seven segments, and at the center of the world a human figure was created. The seventh direction broke out of the shell and produced an extra segment, smaller than the others and incomplete. The seventh segment is our world, the others are below, another seven segments or spheres form the sky. The principle of disorder was created, which, as duality, together with the principle of order, forms the structure and dynamics of the Dogon world. The creation of the first human couple then follows from the same egg.

The traditional Dogon clay house is a symbol derived from the order established in the origin. The door is in the north, opposite on the wall is the stove, consisting of two stones that mark west and east. The flat roof is the sky, possibly four small roofs on the edge form the cardinal points . Lébé rests in the ground, the prehistoric man transformed into a snake with his head turned north. The whole village plan follows the same principle. The most important task of the myth of origin is thus achieved: the order of the world.

Engong and Okü

The Fang and related ethnic groups in South Cameroon and North Gabon have an extremely complex, oral epic tradition, which is performed by a singer and narrator who accompanies himself on the Mvet bridge harp . The unique stringed instrument is called like all the traditions that create identity for the Fang and form the basis for the cultural, social and moral rules of conduct. The origin of the universe is called Atarega (literally "beginning"). The first thing that moves is Eyo . At that time there was no time, space or matter. Eyo mixed the colors of gold and copper to create a glowing egg called Aki Ngoss Eyo . The egg changed its color between red and white according to the external influences, until it expanded to infinite size and finally burst into countless pieces, from which the stars became. A tremendous storm of steaming heat scattered the pieces in all directions, forming the Milky Way.

The later cosmic struggle between good and evil for the incarnation is portrayed dramatically and with great attention to detail. The two opponents are the immortal beings Ekang in the land of Engong, made of iron, who fight against the rebellious mortals from the land of Okü. The Ekang can move through the air on elephant tusks and use rainbows to set fires so that entire villages burn down. The hero of the people is Obame, he tries to elicit the secret of the metal from the iron people of Engong. Overall, the parallels to Greek mythology are unmistakable.

Near heaven and primeval times

Part of the idea of ​​the Golden Age is the myth of the separation of heaven and earth. Once upon a time, the male-female principle lay on top of one another as a world pair. Heaven and earth were parallel worlds, people in heaven occasionally fell down and climbed up again after a while, gods also lived on earth. The separation is at the same time the transition from the prehistoric people who lived peacefully together, who were giants, some had tails and long hair, to the mythical ancestors of a society.

Connecting rope of primeval times

Without a difference between the two worlds, people were immortal. There was a rope, chain, or spider thread to cross in both directions. Dead people on earth had to get to heaven on a rope and after a short time returned there alive and rejuvenated. When the Creator God formed the first people in heaven, He sent them down to earth by the rope. Among the Ashanti , the first seven people descended on a chain, begat some people on earth and then went back to heaven. Odudua and Ore, the first man of the Yoruba, came on a chain. There are also people who secretly fled from the sky god who came down by a spider's thread.

The following story of Luyia belongs to the happy prehistoric times: A young woman who did not want to marry the chosen man ran into the bush and came to a rope that was hanging down from heaven, grabbed it, was lifted to heaven and stood there disoriented. The mother of the sun (male) took the woman in but wanted to marry her off to her son. The woman refused, lowered her eyes and said nothing. Even after she had brought shining gifts several times, she did not answer. At last the sun gave its own rays and they both married. The woman bore three sons to the sun, but kept the rays given as gifts in a pot all the time. It was dark on earth. Then the woman asked permission to visit her parents on earth and bring gifts. After three days she went back to heaven. Before that, she opened the pot and let out the rays of the sun. Everyone was happy. Since then, the sun has shone by day and the moon by night.

God leaves the world angry

The most popular myths describe the separation of the rope, how it came about that heaven and earth were separated and the gods withdrew from the earth. The rapture of God is the result of human malice or arrogance. With the Lobi in northern Ghana and in the south of Burkina Faso , people could fly or lower themselves from the sky on iron chains. Heaven and earth lay on top of each other. When people were hungry, they cut off a piece of the sky and cooked it. The creator god Humpa (also clan head of the Lobi) urgently ordered not to open the pot while cooking. A woman broke the command and with the rising steam from the pot the sky departed. Alternatively, in order to satisfy their hunger, they received a giant hoe from God to work the ground in such a way that mountains and valleys were formed.

Angry god, spider and spider thread are elements of the classic creation and separation myth among the Lozi of Zambia . God Nyambi (Nyambe) created the earth and all creatures and lived with them and his wife Nailele (Nasilele) among them. The first man, Kamonu, was different from animals in that he mimicked everything Nyambi did. When Kamonu harassed the creator god and tried to gain his magical abilities, Nyambi was forced to hide from Kamonu. A spider found a safe place in the sky and carried it there on a long silk thread. When Nyambi got there, he stabbed the spider's eyes out so that it could not show his whereabouts. Kamonu tried to build something to get to heaven but fell down. Nyambi has since been seen as the sun in the sky, Nailele as the moon.

A common motif in the Sudan region is the overly dense sky, which is pushed away by angry women. God was once above their heads and was a hindrance to women pounding food. A woman with a pounder that was too long met God, whereupon God left. The story continues with the woman who called the children together to collect all the pounders available, which, placed one on top of the other, should reach to heaven. One thing was still missing, the woman wanted to take the lower one out and up, whereupon the structure collapsed. Tower of Africa.

The story of the Dinka from South Sudan works according to this pattern : The creator god, who also brings rain, is called Nhialic , sometimes his name is simply Deng ("rain"). Heaven and earth are connected by the rope. Nhialic allowed the people one grain of millet per day , that was mashed and was sufficient. Pounding more or growing more grain was forbidden. The first two people were Garang and Abuk . One day, the woman got greedy and planted and pounded a large amount of millet using a longer pounder. With that she met the sky god, who angrily withdrew and sent a little blue bird from above to cut the rope. Since then, people have had to work for their food and are often hungry.

In a second creation story, the earth was initially in darkness. Among the people created by Nhialic, one was named Aruu Pabek. He braided a rope and got eyes with which he saw that he lived in darkness. With the rope he caught a wild animal, part of which he gave to the Creator's wife. For this he was rewarded with an ax. Aruu Pabek complained about the darkness and struck the ground hard with his ax. As a result, part of the earth flew upwards and it became light. With the same story, fishing with the spear is also introduced. Aruu Pabek had refused to accept the spear first offered to him, the separation of heaven and earth was the punishment. The sacred spear became the main ritual object of the Dinka.

Something similar happens in the story of the Nuba , only here's an excuse: The sky was once so low that the women could not hold the spoon high enough to stir the millet gruel, which burned their hands on the pot. One day, an angry woman pushed the spoon vigorously upward through the clouds and sky, which then receded. Before that, they could cut themselves off from the clouds to eat. As in Genesis , the woman is to blame.

A joke

A separation story without a rope and instead of the malicious woman with a malicious deity is portrayed by the Ewe. The youngest son of the gods Mawu-Lisa is Legba , always jokes and very revered in the region. At first Legba was concerned about pleasing his mother Mawu, but Mawu held him responsible for all the bad things he did to people, while Mawu claimed the successes for himself. After talking to his mother, he left. When it rained at night, he crept into the garden where Mawu was planting yams, borrowed her large sandals and stole all of the yams. He had previously told Mawu that thieves wanted to steal their yams, and Mawu reacted with a death threat if anyone dared. In the morning, people saw the footprints on the wet floor, so to identify the perpetrator, everyone had to leave their footprint. Only Mawu herself had a positive test result, she was accused of stealing her own yams. Since the son had played a prank on her, she explained, she would retire to heaven. With this rather fairytale story, apart from the removal of Mawu, Legba's role as a mediator between people and the sky god is justified.

It could just become too much for God: With the Mende in Sierra Leone, God created heaven, earth, animals and, lastly, humans. The latter were allowed to ask for everything and got everything fulfilled. God said "take it" until he secretly disappeared and advised people to worship a chicken in his place.

First people

Due to the separation of heaven and earth, the strangely shaped prehistoric giants remain behind, although sometimes a development towards first humans takes place, a complete new creation can lie in between. Later, in recourse, they became the mythical ancestors. Their manufacture can be differentiated according to the material used or according to the place of their creation or their emergence. Usually clay is used, less often wood.

First people made of clay

The first couple in Paradise in Rwanda were sterile. They asked God for help, who made a small figure out of clay and saliva and instructed the woman to put the figure in a pot for nine months and add some milk in the morning and evening. Only when the limbs are formed should she remove the figure. So it happened and a man came out. Where there is a creative earth deity, it will naturally also work with clay, some gods have "potters" as a nickname. How the Ewe God forms new people from the jaws of the deceased and clay has already been mentioned: very small clay figures are formed and put into the woman. The souls are born independently and are sent into the womb of the woman by a spirit mother. This particular dualistic view of creation has been widely discussed.

Out of rivalry with the creator god Olorun of the Yoruba, Orisha-Nla not only makes the earth dry and forms clay people on behalf of his master (where Olorun was responsible for breathing life), he also makes imperfect people: the hunchback, the cripple or the albino. The rivalry between the two is the cause of disorder. If a supreme God does not form himself, but only gives life, that makes him higher. Other gods only have power and protection as long as they acknowledge the supremacy of the highest god.

According to the place of their appearance

The first people of the Jagga in Tanzania descend from heaven on a spider's thread, the spider is revered as an ancestor. Elsewhere the first couple is thrown out of the clouds. Heavenly inhabitants come to earth, fall in love and beget the ancestors. Some stay because a bird has pecked the rope in between. First humans are not necessarily ancestors who later become dynasty founders.

The South African god Kalunga may have spread the sky like an ox skin on stakes and hung the celestial bodies on it, but in creating mankind, his contribution is more of a modest appearance. The places that generally come into question for this are trees, rock crevices, holes in the ground or termite heaps. The first two pairs of people step out of a tree that splits in the middle, three pairs step out of a crevice or Kalunga hits a termite heap with a stick, from which the first pair of people, Amangudu and his wife, emerge. Their two sons later marry their sisters and then step out of the above tree in pairs. There is always a couple that emerge together. Where the woman is created later and in a simpler way, there is suspicion of Christian or Islamic influence.

Dynasty founder derived from ancestor

North and west of Lake Victoria between the old empires Buganda and Buhaya , the creator god Katonda disappeared behind a number of function gods called Lubare. He was ousted by Gulu (Mugulu) , another sky god and creator, when various kingdoms arose with the immigration of Nilots from the north, tracing their respective dynasties back to the first man, Kintu . It's a ranching legend. Primitive man Kintu was once alone with a cow and lived on milk. Then Gulu's daughter Nambi came to earth, they wanted to get married, the King of Heaven was against marriage and called his daughter back. Now Kintu had to work through some tests. The cow was taken away from him to see if he could live without milk. Kintu ate leaves. Nambi asks Kintu to go to heaven, where a great meal was cooked for 100 people. Kintu was forced to eat everything. He ate a lot and secretly poured the rest into a hole in the ground. After further testing, he finally had to find his own cow in a large herd, which was achieved with the help of a bee, after which the couple obtained consent to marry and returned to earth. The story continues with a lot of staff and describes, among other things, how Nambi's bad brother Whybe (Walumbe, god of the dead) came to earth with him and how disease and death have been with people ever since. A loss of paradise is built into it, and the deified prehistoric men became the starting point and the justification for power for the clans.

World of the Dogon II

Creation with the egg continues. The Urei was turned into a double placenta. In each one, God Amma placed a pair of male and female twins. Before the end of the 60-year pregnancy, one of the male twins (Ogo) became impatient, fearing that he would not receive his female counterpart after giving birth. Ogo looked for her himself, spiraled in the opposite direction in the cosmic egg and brought in disorder. Then he stole all the grain and significant signs (holy words) in order to create a world of his own. Amma strangled the other of the male twins (Nommo) , scattering his parts in four directions in order to regain control of the sacred words in his body. After five days, Amma gathered the pieces together, brought Nommo back to life and made him ruler of heaven. From parts of Nommo he created four other Nommo spirits, whose descendants became ancestors of the Dogon. Then he sent everyone to earth in a great ark with animals and plants in it. At the same time, Amma transformed Ogo into a pale fox who wanders lonely and always restlessly in search of a woman. His traces are interpreted by Dogon healers. Amma sacrificed one of Nommo's descendants, whom he later revived in the form of the serpent Lébé. People follow in the footsteps of the pale fox, the hapless forerunner of their civilization. Amma made the world for people. It is a second, restored world that is in danger of sinking back into disorder. This requires periodic ritual sacrifices.

Power of the first word

In the act of destruction and reconstruction specifically to preserve the sacred words, their meaning for the creation process becomes clear. The gods must have these words, and there are myths of their own to explain why they were given to humans. The Bambara neighboring the Dogon have a creation myth that was previously only told to the test subjects at initiation during their 63-day isolation: Maa Ngala , also Dambali , the “inconceivable-infinite”, on his instruction, enters nothingness Urei was created with nine departments, from which 20 prehistoric men emerged. None of them corresponded to the idea of ​​the Creator, who wanted to create a suitable interlocutor for himself. So he took a piece from each and created a new creature and breathed a part of his own name, "Maa" into it. The First Man was thus the sum of everything and endowed with part of the creative power. This prehistoric man as the peak of creation became guardian of the world through possession of the sacred words. Initiation by Maa Ngala is repeated to this day as a ritual to enter the adult world. The acquisition of the myth and the ability to see and interpret the sacred characters turns the initiation ceremony into the actual ritual of passage.

Three digressions

World axis

In the Yoruba world, Odudua, who lowered himself by a chain and set the chicken down, was also the first person Ore, in whose memory a long stone stele was erected in the center of the holy city. Taking a seat means creating order. The place where the chicken pawed and where a Dogon house stands is the center of the world . From here the rope once led to heaven. The tree from which the first humans emerged stands in the same place. The first human sacrifice in a Shona myth was supposed to bring rain. A world tree emerged from the girl's body , the leaves of which turned into rain clouds. At South Indian temples you can still find a long pillar ( stambha ) that pierces the sky, either in the building or free-standing in the inner courtyard , along which people entered the world of the gods. It is a symbol of the past, when gods and humans lived together on the world tree.

Termite mounds

Termite mounds , termites, also white ants: white is the color of death in Africa. Termites are considered to be the incarnation of the dead. The kifwebe dance with white masks is said to drive away death among the Baluba.

Sacrifices are made to earth gods or spirits alike on trees and on stone monuments and termite mounds; the latter are often ghost seats. There are myths in which the first humans came out of the underworld through an opening in termite mounds. The origin myths do not include the large division of stories in which the hero, a hunter in pursuit of his half-hit game, gets down through a cave or through termite mounds into the underworld and only comes out again after a dangerous action. A myth of going into the underworld and at the same time a myth of origin is a story from the Marungu Mountains of Congo: The aardvark was the first living creature to hunt ants with dogs on the dark earth. When a rat was chased into a cave in the earth, he came to a brightly lit city in the underworld, received a human pair from the creator god there and the sun and moon packed in two baskets. According to ancient Indian mythology, the snake king lies down there , and a Buddhist prince also lives underground, where only one access through the termite mound leads.

For the Baluba in the Congo, the termite mound is a symbol of the androgynous unity of the first being, whose power is transferred to the head of the clan in a ritual that repeats creation. In practice, a piece is broken out during the ceremony and placed in a small fence, where it represents the cosmic mountain that the mythical founder had first climbed.

Against this cosmogonic backdrop, termite mounds generally become a symbol of danger and power. The hill can therefore be a place where the initiation rite of circumcision takes on its meaning. With the Ovambo in southern Namibia a secret ritual took place at the beginning of the installation of the king on a termite mound. In further rituals the king gradually acquired his magical abilities until he finally became holy king. Circumcision and taking possession of the king of his land and power are rites of passage in which “the impossible” must be done to overcome a dangerous intermediate stage. The king, appropriately prepared in the magical ritual, received two white mushrooms in each hand of the Ovambo and was able to ("really") crawl headlong into and through the termite mound. During this ritual on termite mound, the king disappeared for a moment at the cosmic origin.

The chameleon and the origin of death

Basically, death comes into the world with the loss of paradise. Why this is so is explained in the myth. The rulers of the earth quarreled among the Xhosa as to whether the people who were immortal until then should die. One group wanted to send the chameleon to the people with the message that they were immortal, the other wanted the lizard to convey the message of death. The slow chameleon gets a head start, but falls asleep along the way and is overtaken by the lizard, who first comes to the Creator's residence in heaven, stating that the rulers of the earth decided that humans should die. The chameleon comes with its message later, too late. So there has been death on earth since time and both animals are hated by humans.

Madagascar giant chameleon

Messages of death are always delivered according to the same scheme, with the chameleon playing the role that corresponds to its nature. Only with the Ashanti are a goat and a sheep sent out alternately , with the goat dawdling on the way and eating in the bush while the sheep reports the wrong death message. In this story the direction is reversed: God sent the animals and humans did not believe the correct message that came later.

With the Wute in Cameroon , the chameleon is sent by God with the message of eternal life, but it takes 14 days to arrive. The snake learns of the assignment, goes off on its own, lies to the people that it was sent by God and tells of death. Death and sleep, both personified, are happy and begin their work. The belated chameleon arrives, can only determine the lie and its effects and, when it returns, report to God. He curses the snake for its lie that people should kill it everywhere, and the chameleon for its slowness. Both are to be despised.

Further west in Benin , God initially called all animals together and only the chameleon came too late. It justified itself when it was abused by all animals that it only had four hands but no legs. After this apology, God declared that the chameleon should not be eaten by any other animal. Satisfied, the chameleon ran away and said: “I was walking slowly. In this way I avoided death. ”That is the explanation why the chameleon as an immortal animal brings the message of life.

Repetitions

The creation started from a place of origin, the return to this holy place is an existential experience, the place is the archetype of tree-worshiping places , temples (which symbolize the world mountain in Asia ) and cities. The fact that the way there can be difficult is due to the principle of destruction (Pale Fox) that has gotten into the cosmic order. This moment of danger becomes visible at the narrow entrances, excessively high steps and the temples of all ancient cultures on steep mountain peaks. The redemption granted on pilgrimages is related to the length of the journey ( Mecca , Jerusalem , Lhasa , Kailash ). If a sacrifice took place during the creation of the world, this must be repeated during the construction of a building; with the consecration by the sacrifice, the creation is repeated during the construction (champagne at the ship's baptism).

In Africa, the Flood myth is not very widespread, the great flood usually occurs in connection with a collapse of the sky, which brings with it rain. A sacrifice must then be made to the gods (as with the San ) so that they can raise the sky again. Stories similar to the biblical flood, in which an ark, a bird flying ahead, etc. appear, are likely to be of precisely this origin.

First and infinite queue

Where the primordial unity is divided into two halves: The Gnawa in Morocco developed an extremely sophisticated cosmic structure . In the Derdeba obsession ritual, the former black African slaves deal with the contradicting and constantly repeating world that emerged from a dividing snake egg. They represent the acutely threatening spirits in connection with the red light snake (dunya) and the cosmic blacksmith, from whose divided body man emerged.

Among the Baluba there was a python that divided into a male and a female snake at the same time as earth and sky parted. Then rain fell from the sky like the flood, from the breath of the two snakes living in the water a rainbow formed, whereby the rain was stopped. In the world after the great rain, the snake is the protector and symbol of unity. The snake as a totem , as an instrument for divination or as a wood carving on ritual drums or insignia of royal power is the connecting link to the ancestral world, and its cult is a symbolic repetition of creation. Children of the Dagara of Burkina Faso will receive decorative scars that are carved into the face, a sign that they have been placed under the protection of the snake, and if they should die, that they in the rebirth will recognize.

Otherwise, Africa does not need a world that is constantly renewing itself as in Asia; the shedding snake stands for the infinite survival of the world, with its tail in its mouth as a fabric pattern and on house walls (see also the snake icon Ouroboros ). There are 3,500 snakes in the sky of the Fon and as many again under the earth. Snakes hold the sky on four pillars at the cardinal points. When the snake found only stagnant water at the beginning of the world, it drew tracks for the rivers. The serpent was created first and carried the Creator in its mouth everywhere. When the Creator finished creating the earth, He noticed that there were too many mountains, trees and large animals for the earth and that it was in danger of sinking into the sea. So the snake rolled up to carry the earth - which now corresponds exactly to the Indian idea. The cloth containers used to carry pots on the head look similar. Red monkeys that live in the sea make iron bars for the snakes to eat. If the snake does not get this food, it will eat its own tail and the earth will fall into the sea.

order

The prehistoric humans of the Ohendo in the Congo lived in a brightly lit place in the interior of the earth as still asexual and perfect beings. One day they began to search for the source of light all over their boundless realm, until they finally found three dark corridors. One was in a tree, the second in a rock, and the third was a quiet flowing stream. All but two fled in fear. One of them continued through the dark tree and came out on a path of no return to the surface of a banana plantation. The other came through the rock into a cave with an exit to the dark surface. On this earth there was a snake whose name means "that bites on both sides". This snake could bite its head and tail, stretch to the edge of the sky, or curl up small. When the two people appeared, disorder came over the earth with them, it rained for nine days and nights, a tremendous deluge flooded all the land and the wild animals wanted to hunt and eat the intruders. The masses of water flowed in the brook into the underworld, which made the people there excited. One was called Sakasaka ("the evasive", in the Congo also the name for cassava leaves) and had three heads, three eyes, three arms and all other body parts threefold. He took the path through the stream where the water fell. Whenever a difficulty arose, he separated from one of his members and sent it back to the underworld to maintain contact with his own. At the bottom the body parts joined together to form a new creature called Itapé , the "little twig". This followed Sakasaka, and to help him he dug another passage in which Sasasaka could hide for 30 days and observe what was happening on earth. After this time, Sakasaka came to the surface of the earth through a termite mound. As soon as he appeared, angry beings wanted to destroy him, but were defeated by his helper Itapé. Now Sakasaka roamed the area as Yango , "the invincible", was sad about the disorder, therefore received advice from the inhabitants of a lower place, which he reached through the termite mound, on how the world should be organized, returned to earth and together with Itapé they managed to end the flood and chaos, and all creatures were given a name.

The return to the world beyond and to the ancestors is only possible for shamans since the rope was cut . These operate a special discipline of magic. Your way leads over the central axis through the hole in the sky.

Calabashes that have been smashed can be mended by drilling holes in the edges and then sewing the pieces together. Broken clay jugs cannot be restored. When people were once asked which of the two they wished to fall down as in old age, they chose - clay jugs.

Individual evidence

  • Hermann Baumann : Creation and primeval times of man in the myth of the African peoples . Dietrich Reimer, Berlin 1936
  1. ↑ Baumann, p. 164
  2. ↑ Baumann, p. 50
  3. ↑ Baumann, p. 80
  4. ↑ Baumann, p. 85. Tower building, small bird as a bearer (flies ahead of the ark during the biblical flood), navel entrance and exit, the bird of birth (stork) are widespread images.
  5. ↑ Baumann, p. 135ff speaks of Mawu when he describes the characteristics of the male god. He rejects a quoted remark that Mawu is female.
  6. ↑ Baumann, p. 133
  7. ↑ Male at Baumann!
  8. ↑ Baumann, p. 150
  9. ↑ Baumann, p. 205 quoted: Jakob Spieth : Die Ewe-Stämme. Material for the news of the Ewe people in German Togo. Berlin 1906, pp. 70f, 502ff, 558f.
  10. ↑ Baumann, p. 88
  11. ↑ Baumann, p. 93
  12. ↑ Baumann, p. 269
  13. ↑ Baumann, p. 274
  • Geoffrey Parrinder: African Mythology. Paul Hamlyn, London 1967
  1. ↑ Parrinder, p. 21
  2. ↑ Parrinder, p. 20
  3. ↑ Parrinder, p. 72
  4. ↑ a b Parrinder, p. 34
  5. ↑ Parrinder, p. 35
  6. ↑ Parrinder, p. 44
  7. ↑ Parrinder, p. 22 f.
  • Klaus E. Müller and Ute Ritz-Müller: Soul of Africa. Magic of a continent. Könemann, Cologne 1999
  1. ↑ Müller, p. 264.
  2. ↑ Müller, p. 263
  3. ↑ Müller, p. 267
  • Harold Scheub: A Dictionary of African Mythology. The Mythmaker as Storyteller. Oxford University Press, New York 2000
  1. ↑ Scheub, p. 170
  2. ↑ Scheub, p. 185f, describes variations of the myth in which Kamonu kills and eats animals contrary to Nyambe's will and Nyambe is finally forced to retreat to heaven. The mortality of humans is also justified here because a chameleon with the message of life is slower than the rabbit that brings the message of death.
  3. ↑ Scheub, p. 177
  • Clémentine Faik-Nzuji: The power of the sacred. People, nature and art in Africa. Walter, Solothurn 1993
  1. ↑ A. Hambaté Ba: La Tradition vivante. In: Histoire géneralé d'Afrique, I. UNESCO, Paris 1980, pp. 191-230. Quoted in: Faik-Nzuji, p. 27
  2. ↑ Faik-Nzuji, pp. 52, 99 f.
  3. ↑ Faik-Nzuji, pp. 18-21. See also: Clémentine Madiya Faik-Nzuji: Mythe des As'ohendo. (French)
  • Other
  1. ↑ Mircea Eliade : Myth and Reality. Frankfurt 1988, p. 30
  2. ↑ James George Frazer : The Golden Branch. A Study of Magic and Religion. Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt 1977, Vol. 1, pp. 72-76. (Corresponds to the abridged English version from 1922)
  3. ↑ Hans Gerald Hödl: Page no longer available , search in web archives: African Religions II. Introduction to the religion of the Yoruba. 2003, p. 5f@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.univie.ac.at
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of Myths: Leza.
  5. ↑ Encyclopedia of Religion: Mawu-Lisa. ''
  6. ↑ Clara Mayer-Himmelträger: The Regalia of the Kabaka from Buganda. A biography of things. Lit-Verlag, Münster 2004, p. 142
  7. ↑ Vodun, in addition to their field of work in heaven, are also responsible for the cult organizations dedicated to them. Compare the syncretistic cults in parts of Central and South America under the name Voodoo .
  8. ↑ Werner F. Bonin: The Gods of Black Africa. Verlag für Collectors, Graz 1979, pp. 173–181
  9. ↑ Orville Boyd Jenkins: The Gwikwe Bushmen.
  10. ↑ Werner F. Bonin, pp. 63-70
  11. ^ Benjamin C. Ray: African Religions. Symbols, rituals and community. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey 1976, pp. 24-28.
  12. ^ Martin Skrydstrup: Some Field Notes on Traditional Knowledge as Intellectual Property. ( Memento of the original from March 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 142 kB) Paper presented for the conference “Can Oral History make Objects Speak?” Nafplio, 18. – 21. October 2005, p. 2 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / icme.icom.museum
  13. ^ Godfrey Lienhardt : Divinity and Experience. The Religion of the Dinka. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1961, pp. 34f
  14. ↑ Obiakoizu A. Iloanusi: Myths of the Creation of Man and the Origin of Death in Africa. A Study in Igbo Traditional Culture and other African Cultures. European university publications, Frankfurt 1984, p. 138
  15. ^ The Buganda Home Page: The Founding of Buganda.
  16. ^ Met Museum, New York: Grandpa Oranmiyan. ( Memento from April 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Photo of the column
  17. ^ Klaus Fischer and Christa M. Friederike Fischer: Indian architecture of the Islamic period. Holle, Baden-Baden 1976, p. 32
  18. ↑ Buddha-Images.com: Bhuridatta Jataka.
  19. ^ Märta Salokoski: How kings are made - How kingship changes. A study of rituals and ritual change in pre-colonial and colonial Owamboland, Namibia. University of Helsinki, March 2006, p. 16f (PDF; 3.9 MB)
  20. ↑ Albert Kropf: The people of the Xosa-Kaffirs in eastern South Africa and their history, character, constitution and religion. Berlin 1889, p. 156. In: Mircea Eliade (Hrsg.): History of religious ideas. Source texts. Herder, Freiburg 1981, p. 108.
  21. ↑ Mircea Eliade: Cosmos and History. The myth of the eternal return. Insel, Frankfurt 1984, pp. 30-33

literature

Web links