Dahomey mythology

Dahomey mythology

The Dahomey (or Fon) are a nation located in Benin, Africa. The mythology of the Dahomey includes an entire pantheon of thunder gods; for example,

  • Xevioso (also Xewioso) is the god of thunder in the So region.
  • The head of the thunder pantheon is named Sogbo, which is also used to describe devotees of the thunder gods.

It is also in Dahomey where the Mami Wata religious tradition is widely established.

Contents

Mawu and Lisa deities

Lisa (male) and Mawu (female), married twin siblings of Nana Buluku, are the creator deities, occasionally combined as Mawu-Lisa, an androgynous deity. Lisa (or Mawu-Lisa) is the father of Dan.

Mawu-Lisa (or either separately), created the world and made it orderly, then made plants, animals and humans. The entire process supposedly took four day's time.

  • The first day, Mawu-Lisa created the universe and humanity.
  • The second day the earth was made suitable for human life.
  • On the third day, humans were given intellect, language and the senses.
  • Finally, on the fourth day, mankind received the gift of technology.

Offspring-deities of Mawu and Lisa

The other gods were formed from the divine feces of Lisa-Mawu (or both separately).

  • Gbadu is a daughter of the pair, and
  • Da and Gu are sons.
  • Dan is a snake who assisted in the creation of the universe and currently supports it, with 3500 coils of himself above, and 3500 below, the universe.

When the myths were transferred to the Haiti, due to the African Diaspora, Dan became Damballah. Lots of Dahomean and other Western African culture art have a vertical snake motif; this is thought to represent the power of "God" (Mawu-Lisa or some other) being transferred to humanity.

Other gods

  • Agé - patron god of hunters, and the wilderness (plus the animals within it)
  • Avrikiti - god of fishermen
  • Ayaba and Loko - sister goddesses
  • Gleti - moon goddess
  • Gu - son of Mawu and Lisa, Gu is the god of war and patron deity of smiths and craftsmen. He was sent to earth to make it a nice place for people to live, and he has not yet finished this task
  • Okanu - god of dreams
  • Sakpata - god of smallpox
  • Zinsu and Zinsi - semi-divine twin magicians
  • Fa or Ifa - god of wisdom and knowledge
  • Nana - goddess of fertility and creativity
  • Egberun - deities of prosperity and protection, also for seers and clairvoyance

See also

External links

  • Vodoun Culture Haitian Vodoun as chronicled by native Haitians
  • Baba Alawoye.com Baba'Awo Awoyinfa Ifaloju, showcasing Ifa using web media 2.0 (blogs, podcasting, video and photocasting)

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dahomey — Kingdom of Dahomey Kingdom → Capital Abomey …   Wikipedia

  • Mythology of same-sex love — Religious narrative has included stories interpreted by many as accounts of same sex love and sexuality. Other myths contain LGBT references. Among surviving examples are:List of myths associated with same sex loveArranged by continent of origin… …   Wikipedia

  • LGBT themes in mythology — Part of a series on LGBT themes in mythology Regional mythologies …   Wikipedia

  • List of dragons in mythology and folklore — This article is a list of dragons in mythology and folklore. * Aido Wedo, the Rainbow Serpent of Dahomey mythology * Apalala, a mythical river dragon who was converted to Buddhism * Apep or Apophis the giant snake or serpent from Egyptian… …   Wikipedia

  • Haitian mythology — Haitian Vodou (also known as Voodoo in the United States) is a predominantly African derived belief system. It is a syncretic mixture of Roman Catholic rituals introduced during the French colonial period, African beliefs, with roots in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Snakes in mythology — Snakes were central to many mythologies because of their perceived quality of being both familiar and exotic. The behaviour of snakes and their facial features (e.g. the unblinking, lidless eyes) seemed to imply that they were intelligent, that… …   Wikipedia

  • Nana Buluku — (or Nanan bouclou) is the Supreme Deity of the Fon from Dahomey. In Dahomey mythology, Nana Buluku is an androgynous deity creator of the Universe and all that exists in it. Twins were born to Nana Buluku: the moon god Mawu and the sun god Lisa.… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Benin-related topics — This is a list of topics related to Benin. Those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar.Benin* BeninAirports in Benin* Cadjehoun AirportBuildings and structures in Beninports… …   Wikipedia

  • List of religions and spiritual traditions — The following is a list of religions and spiritual traditions, however it excludes modern religions, which can be found in list of new religious movements.Abrahamic religions A group of monotheistic traditions sometimes grouped with one another… …   Wikipedia

  • Serpent (symbolism) — Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens, serpentis something that creeps, snake ) that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context, signifying a snake that is to be regarded not as a mundane natural phenomenon nor as an …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”