The Power of Story: African Mythology and Its Modern Resonance
What comes to your mind when African mythology is mentioned? Folktales? Creation stories? Deities? African mythology encompasses these and more. It includes the stories, beliefs, and traditions with which African societies and communities explain their origins, the world and their place in life. Not to be mistaken as a homogeneous concept, there are variations in mythology across African regions, countries and tribes and in this article, you will learn about the power of story in African mythology and its modern resonance looking at key themes, beliefs, deities and mythical creatures from the continent. Read on!
A major theme in African mythology is deity worship. There are hundreds of deities across Africa with specific powers and attributes. Whereas some, like Olorun (aka Olodumare), Baal Hammon and Tannit, are revered as supreme gods in West and North Africa respectively, others like Mbaba Mwana Waresa in Southern Africa are worshipped as the goddess of agriculture, fertility and rain. Other mythological themes in Africa include ancestral worship (where dead relatives are venerated and implored for assistance), spirits, mythical creatures, tricksters, shapeshifting and more.
Major Deities & Figures in African Mythology
Gods & spirts: Before the widespread incursion of Christianity and Islam across the continent, Africa had its gods and goddesses, which drew worship from millions of adherents. Some of these gods are common among regional neighbours:
Tiurakh (Théourakh, Thiorak or Tulrakh): Like most humans, the Serer people, with links in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania, desire wealth, prosperity and success in their endeavours. The deity the Serer people beseech for their material desires is Tiurakh, the god of wealth and prosperity. Tiruakh is believed to reside in the forest, and worshippers seeking his blessings troop to the tallest trees in forests around them to offer sacrifices in supplication.
Mami wata: Renowned for its fair-complexioned alluring beauty and long hair, Mami wata draws adherents from across Africa, the Caribbean and even Asia. Its name means “mother of water”, and it is believed to have snake-charming powers and an ability to appear in mermaid and masculine and feminine forms. Some devotees believe Mami wata is a pantheon of water spirits all over the world, and faithful worshippers can expect children, good fortune, and other blessings from it.
Mami Wata
Tricksters: Where Africans look to their gods/deities for spiritual and material blessings, protection, and guidance, they turn to tricksters for moral and behavioural lessons. In African mythology, tricksters are associated with mischief, shiftiness, boundary testing, cunningness, and wisdom. Although each region has its trickster, some regions have tricksters in common.
Anansi the Spider holds a legendary status among the Akan-Ashanti people of Ghana, West Africa. It is famed for having the ability to shift shape between human and spider forms, and many tales depict it as a small yet extremely wise and cunning animal.
Hare: A widely known trickster among the Bantu peoples in Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia, is the Hare. It is believed to be cunning, highly adaptable, and through its mischievous escapades, passes on moral lessons to the young and old.
Kaagen: playing a dual role as supreme god and trickster is Kaagen, a god among the San Bushmen of Southern Africa. Kaagen manifests in different forms as a praying mantis, bull eland, snake, caterpillar and louse. Legend describes Kaagen to have a dichotomous nature; it can create and it can also destroy what it creates. Most of its mischief is said to be carried out in its mantis form.
Kaagen
Creation Stories, how different cultures explain the world
Kikuyu Creation Story: In exploring different creation stories, we look first to the Kikuyu people of Kenya, East Africa. The Kikuyu regard Ngai as the Supreme God who put the first man, Kikuyu, and first woman, Mumbi, on earth. Soon enough, the couple were blessed with nine daughters who produced the nine tribes of Kikuyu and through whom other tribes on earth arose.
The Efé Creation Story: The creation story of the Efé people of DR Congo bears a close resemblance to the Genesis creation story of the Bible. Tore is recognised as the supreme God who created the first man, Baatsi, out of clay and later gave a woman to him. He then instructed the couple to procreate and fill the earth while warning them not to eat from the Tahu tree.
Mythical Creatures & Folktales, unique beasts and moral stories
Did you know that there are mythical femme fatales? Yes, Aicha Kandicha, a mythical creature in Moroccan mythology, is one example. Reputed to have lived in 16th Century Morocco, she is described as a resistance fighter who supported the Moroccans in their fight against Portuguese invasion. Her ploy involved attracting the invaders with her beauty and charm, after which her fellow soldiers killed the hapless victims. A reprisal attack by the Portuguese led to the extermination of her family and fiancé, upon which she became more vengeful. Her anger continues to boil even in death as her spirit is said to roam near water bodies across Morocco, killing men she comes across and rendering pregnant women childless.
Aicha Kandicha
Influence Beyond Africa. Diaspora religions and pop culture.
In a surprising discovery of positive cultural appropriation, African mythology has continued to wield enormous influence beyond the continent. This is due to many factors, including the transatlantic slave trade and mass migration of Africans to other continents. Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and the United States are some of the countries where African mythology has become ingrained. This is why Oshun, Shango, Yemoja (Yemaja) and other deities now have ardent devotees outside Africa. Syncretisation has also promoted the fusion of African mythology with Christianity and other mainstream religions.
Pop culture, especially books and films, also weaves African mythology into its offerings. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, American Gods, the Woman King, Star Trek, Iyanu, Children of Blood and Bone and other creative works are replete with different examples of African mythological themes, thus bringing these elements to life for a wider audience and in so doing, they enliven and cement African mythology in our culture.