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mythology
The Yoruban religion has a number of levels, like the layers of an onion. The most
spiritual and longest existing is at the center.
Obi, Shaluga, Obi, and 1001 others, they became the kindly guiding spirits, the
Lesser Orishas.
Paraphrase of the "Cult of the Serpent" from M.J. Herskovit's Vol II 'Dahomey' books.
The Dahomey god of snake-like things is a very old creation. It belongs to no other
family but to Lissa-Mawu itself. It is a very important servant. In the days the earth
was being created it carried Lissa-Mawu about in its mouth. When they rested it left
its excrement which we call 'mountains'. It is important because it was creation so
very early in the sequence of creation outlined above, and it is the link between all
aspects of the universe as we know it. It binds all the levels together. If for no other
reason it is wise to respect it because it is the trusted servant of a most powerful
creation god. To quote a follower of the religion:
"Da(nh) is powerful. We have no love for him. He gives and he takes away. He is a
theif. One is never done with being anxious about placating him, for he does not
forgive readily, as Legba does."
page 255
Danh is a vodun who gives life its visible properties: movement, flexibility,
sinousness, fortune (good than bad; bad then good). It manifests itself as a serpent,
as the rainbow, as an umbiicus, as plant roots, as the nerves of animals, as gas
coming out of mountains. It is the cord that leads from the Olurun through all the
parts of the universe as created. It was why mammals are animated at birth with the
cord. It is why if plants have their roots severed they die, as they lose connection
with the spirit world. In a mature organism, humankind in particular, it is a volatile
Fortune, either a confident, assertive conqueror or an bitter lackey. At death it is the
thin stream of material which comes out of the top of the head, floating upward,
taking a sinuous shape, holding vast sinister power capable of destroying mountains,
or killing people.(paraphrase of statements made on page 252).
As always with Yorubian spiritual deities there are two, one male and one female.
One who lives in the sky and one who lives in the sea (to keep cool). The one in the
sky is Danh, the one in the sea Aido Hwedo. When Aido Hwedo moves there are
earthquakes. Aido Hwedo is need to support the great weight of the Earth, or it will
collapse. Monkeys bring up iron from the sea and beneath the sea for Aido Hwedo
to eat. When the supply of iron runs out, then Aido Hwedo will begin to eat his own
tail as Olledumare decreed, and the world will collapse. When Danh transports
lightning to the earth from the spirit world there is thunder, the sound of his tail
coming down and going back up (the double rumble sound).
At birth the umbilicus and afterbirth is buried under a tree (palm preferrably), but
no one is told which tree so that no wizard can try to control the person by seizing
spiritual control of the buried cord. The child and tree are not connected. As the
child grows up, this animating spirit is only activated if the adult is responsibility for
others and for property (a male in other words). As soon as people are dependent on
him his spirit is activating and now he can succeed or fail depending on how much
he attends to placating his connection to Danh. In fact anxiety now becomes a very
ubiquitous in the young man's life. "When a man starts to succeed it is fitting he
does not forget the one who brought him into the world".
He must pay attention to the manifestations of anxiety, restlessness, emotionally
laden dreams, encountering a white shrouded man who disappears if spoken to,
diviners tell him there are spirit messages for him. If the man ignores the signs then
his animating spirit will wreck havoc in his life, even killing his children, his wife,
and/or destorying his possessions. By serving his spirit he can avoid, or at least
ameliorate the harm. By ignoring the messages that his spirit wishes placation and
attention then the man comes to be dominated by others people who have attended
to their spirits. In fact if a person attends to his spirit well, more power, possessions
and prestige comes his way. At some point his spirit may be so powerful that the
man and the spirit are responsible for protecting a whole community or even a set of
communities. (paraphrase of material on pages 250-252).