top of page

AFRICA 
Cradle of Humankind

Keep In Mind
there are over a thousand different ethnic groups in Africa, each with its own traditional belief system and set of stories.  
There is no "African mythology" any more than there is an "Asian mythology" or a "European mythology".

Despite centuries of colonization by Arabs, Europeans, and freed slaves from the U.S.A., Africa's mythical legacy lives on.

Modern Africa is divided between the predominantly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, and both are heavily syncretized with native myths and belief systems.

 

Africa is not Wakanda

The Supreme God of Africa

Amma
Dogon, Mali

Wele
Abaluiya, Kenya

Kagn
Khoi-San, Kalahari region

Khonvoum
Mbuti foragers, Congo forest

Mbombo
Kuba, D.R. Congo

Nyame
Ashanti, Ghana

Zanahary
Malagasy, Madagascar

Unkulunkulu
Zulu and Xhosa, South Africa

Juok
Shilluk, South Sudan

Imana
Nyarwanda, Rwanda

Ngai
Masai and Kikuyu, East Africa

Waaq
Cushitic peoples, Horn of Africa

Mawu-Lisa
Fon (Dahomey), Benin

Leza
Various nations of Southern Africa

 

African Creation Stories

Mwuetsi then makes another attempt to "have fun" with Morongo, but he gets bitten by a venomous snake.

As Mwuetsi starts dying, all life starts dying.
His human children then strangle him and bury him into the ground.

The Kongo Universe
(D.R. Congo)

The Supreme God Leaves Humankind

Gods of the Yoruba
Nigeria, Benin, Togo

Heroes and Monarchs

African Trickster Tales

This next story contains content from Anansi, who has blocked it in your kingdom on copyright grounds.

Animal Stories

IMG_0624_edited.jpg

African Mythical Creatures

The Final Chapter
Origin of Death

When West Africans were taken away as slaves (after having been captured by African rulers to be sold to European slavers), they brought their mythic traditions with them to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the U.S. of A.

The enslaved Africans in Brazil and the Caribbean created new religious movements such as Haitian Vodou, Cuban Santeria, Jamaican Obeah, and
Brazilian Candomble.
These Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean  traditions can be viewed on the webpage about Latin American and Caribbean folklore.


The enslaved Africans in the U.S. of A. created the tales of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, Br'er Fox, and other characters.
These were compiled by the storyteller Joel Chandler Harris in his Uncle Remus compilations.
The Br'er stories can be found on the U.S. American folklore webpage.

bottom of page