8 Interesting African Creation Myths The World Should Know About

Under the Earth

The Berbers of North Africa

Before creation began, one man and one woman lived under the earth. They were unaware that they were different until the day they had a disagreement at the drinking well. When the woman insisted that she be the first to drink water, the man pushed her aside and she fell to the ground. The bottom of her garment rose up and she was exposed. When the man asked about her body, she said that it represented good. He stayed with her for eight nights and they eventually gave birth to 50 sons and 50 daughters. Overwhelmed by the number of children they had produced, they sent their children above ground, where they created mankind and expanded on earth.

via glennbeck.com

via glennbeck.com

The Oromo of Ethiopia

Waqa, the creator, inhabited the sky and made sure to keep his distance from earth by way of a barrier of stars. He didn’t believe in punishment, but he did believe in trickery and persuasion. He asked man to compose a coffin for him. When the coffin was complete, he trapped them inside and sent them to the flat earth. He brought about a fiery rainstorm that lasted for seven years and formed the landscape of the earth. When the earth was complete, he released man from the coffin unharmed and used his blood to create women. After a while, 30 children were produced, but the men felt  their wives had given birth to far too many. As a result, Waqa took half of them and turned them into animals.

 

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