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,

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

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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.

Offspring-deities of Mawu and Lisa

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

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

See also

External links