Bantu Mythology rarely try to explain creation, they don't consider any god to be the creator of humanity. They believe the first humans came from plants; a bamboo stem in Zulu, and from a "Omumborombonga" tree in Herero mythology. There are those who believe humans came from a hole in the ground while a few simply stick to the cave
While Bantu tradition may not credit God to be the creator of humans, they believe he plays a role in shaping the affairs of men. The story about death emphasize of this more
It is said that God gave a message to the Chameleon to deliver to humanity soon after they landed on the earth
He was to tell them they would never die, that they would live forever
As the Chameleon left, God gave another message to the Lizard to deliver to humans
The Lizard was to tell them they were mortal, humans would not live forever but progenate and die
The lizard left, in God's mind whatever message humans got first will become their fate
The Chameleon was slow on the way, he decided to take several stops to feed his stomach while the Lizard went straight to deliver his message
The Lizard delivered his message and sealed humanity's fate
When the Chameleon arrived, some humans were already dead
OGRES, MONSTERS, SPIRITS
The Basuto use the word madimo for 'cannibals,' badimo for 'spirits' or 'gods.' Zimwi is the Swahili word for a being best described as an ogre; the word occurs in old Bantu tales. A ghost is mzuka. The Wachaga and the Akikuyu have their irimu, the Akamba the eimu and the Duala their edimo.
The appearance of the izimu is variously described, but it seems to be agreed that he can assume the appearance of an ordinary human being, if it is not his usual guise. The Zulus and the Ambundu say they may be recognized by their long, unkempt hair
The makishi are sometimes said to have many heads; in one story when the hero cuts off a dikishi's head he immediately grows a second; in another a dikishi carries off a woman and makes her his wife; when her child is born and found to have only one head the husband threatens to call it "our folk" to eat her if she ever has another like it. As the second baby appears with two heads the threat was not fulfilled. But, thinking it best to be on the safe side, the wife took the elder child and ran away, hid for the night in a deserted house
Other accounts of the amazimu are still more weirdly sensational. The irimu of the Wachaga is said to be a 'were-leopard'-that is, a man who is able at will to change himself into a leopard. But in one story this irimu, or leopard, is described as having ten tails; in another he presents himself in human shape at a homestead, as a suitor to the daughter, but is detected when she catches sight of a second mouth on the back of his head
The Chaga idea of the irimu seems to be a fairly comprehensive one. An unfortunate man, who broke a tabu, was turned into an irimu, with the result that thorn-bushes grew out of his body, and he wandered about the country, swallowing everything that came in his way. His brother, whom he had considerately warned to keep his distance, consulted a diviner and, by his advice, set the thorns on fire. When they were all burned away the irimu returned to his own proper shape
Sometimes the amazimu are said to have only one leg, or only half a body; one story of a Kikuyu irimu describes him as having one leg, but two heads, one of which was stone; one-half of his body was human, but the other half stone. The Basuto also speak of a set of beings with one leg, one arm, one ear and one eye
FABLES
The hare is the most prominent character in Bantu fables, it is a symbol of skill and cunning. Its chief antagonist is the sneaky and deceptive hyena. The only animal regarded as more clever than the hare is the turtle, who beats its enemies with its patience and strong will
In areas around the congo river where the hare is unknown, its role is often taken by the antelope. In Sotho culture the hare is replaced by a jackal. Zulus have stories about hares, but in some cases the ferret takes on the role of the smart protagonist.
Lion and elephant usually represent brute force
While Bantu tradition may not credit God to be the creator of humans, they believe he plays a role in shaping the affairs of men. The story about death emphasize of this more
It is said that God gave a message to the Chameleon to deliver to humanity soon after they landed on the earth
He was to tell them they would never die, that they would live forever
As the Chameleon left, God gave another message to the Lizard to deliver to humans
The Lizard was to tell them they were mortal, humans would not live forever but progenate and die
The lizard left, in God's mind whatever message humans got first will become their fate
The Chameleon was slow on the way, he decided to take several stops to feed his stomach while the Lizard went straight to deliver his message
The Lizard delivered his message and sealed humanity's fate
When the Chameleon arrived, some humans were already dead
OGRES, MONSTERS, SPIRITS
The Basuto use the word madimo for 'cannibals,' badimo for 'spirits' or 'gods.' Zimwi is the Swahili word for a being best described as an ogre; the word occurs in old Bantu tales. A ghost is mzuka. The Wachaga and the Akikuyu have their irimu, the Akamba the eimu and the Duala their edimo.
The appearance of the izimu is variously described, but it seems to be agreed that he can assume the appearance of an ordinary human being, if it is not his usual guise. The Zulus and the Ambundu say they may be recognized by their long, unkempt hair
The makishi are sometimes said to have many heads; in one story when the hero cuts off a dikishi's head he immediately grows a second; in another a dikishi carries off a woman and makes her his wife; when her child is born and found to have only one head the husband threatens to call it "our folk" to eat her if she ever has another like it. As the second baby appears with two heads the threat was not fulfilled. But, thinking it best to be on the safe side, the wife took the elder child and ran away, hid for the night in a deserted house
Other accounts of the amazimu are still more weirdly sensational. The irimu of the Wachaga is said to be a 'were-leopard'-that is, a man who is able at will to change himself into a leopard. But in one story this irimu, or leopard, is described as having ten tails; in another he presents himself in human shape at a homestead, as a suitor to the daughter, but is detected when she catches sight of a second mouth on the back of his head
The Chaga idea of the irimu seems to be a fairly comprehensive one. An unfortunate man, who broke a tabu, was turned into an irimu, with the result that thorn-bushes grew out of his body, and he wandered about the country, swallowing everything that came in his way. His brother, whom he had considerately warned to keep his distance, consulted a diviner and, by his advice, set the thorns on fire. When they were all burned away the irimu returned to his own proper shape
Sometimes the amazimu are said to have only one leg, or only half a body; one story of a Kikuyu irimu describes him as having one leg, but two heads, one of which was stone; one-half of his body was human, but the other half stone. The Basuto also speak of a set of beings with one leg, one arm, one ear and one eye
FABLES
The hare is the most prominent character in Bantu fables, it is a symbol of skill and cunning. Its chief antagonist is the sneaky and deceptive hyena. The only animal regarded as more clever than the hare is the turtle, who beats its enemies with its patience and strong will
In areas around the congo river where the hare is unknown, its role is often taken by the antelope. In Sotho culture the hare is replaced by a jackal. Zulus have stories about hares, but in some cases the ferret takes on the role of the smart protagonist.
Lion and elephant usually represent brute force
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