All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

Part of a group often known as “bushmen”, the

San are a hunting people who live mainly in

Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Their

mythology includes stories about how the first

people of their tribes were created, as well as

accounts of events important to them, such as

the beginning of hunting. Some key characters

in their stories are the bee, which, as the maker

of honey, is a symbol of ingenuity and wisdom;

the mantis, a primal spirit involved in the

creation of humanity; and the eland, a type

of antelope and a popular quarry for hunters.

Myths of the San

SOUTHERN AFRICA

THE FIRST HUNT

The mantis made an eland, the first of its kind, and

nurtured it on honey. One day, a young man saw it at

a water hole and went to tell his father, the ancestor

Kwammang-a, who took his bow and shot the eland

dead. The mantis had gone to gather food, and when he

returned, he saw the creature dead and Kwammang-a’s

followers dividing up the meat. He was enraged, and

tried to shoot the hunters, but all his shots missed.

Then he took the creature’s gall bladder and split it

open, so that all the world was flooded with darkness

as the gall flowed out. Later, he threw the bladder into

the sky, where it became the moon. Since then, it has

given people light as they hunt by night.

Eland

Although San hunters

pursue wildebeest or

smaller creatures, the

eland is a popular subject

in their mythology, because

it is a symbol of strength.

THE FIRST HUMANS

At the beginning of time, a honey bee carried a praying mantis over

the dark waters of a river. But the waters stretched far and wide, and

as the bee looked for a solid patch of ground on which he could land,

he became tired of flying with the weight of the mantis on his back.

The mantis seemed to grow heavier and heavier, and the bee flew

lower and lower until, quite exhausted, he began skimming on the

surface of the water. As he floated, he saw a large white flower that

was half open, waiting for morning to come so that the sun’s rays

could help it bloom. The bee set the mantis down on the flower,

planting within the mantis the seed of the first human before dying.

When the sun rose, the flower opened wide. As the air warmed, the

mantis awoke and the seed germinated to create the first San.

South African landscape

The San live in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, a region

where water is scarce, unlike at the time of the creation. Water

is hence a precious commodity that is, for them, a symbol of life.

San rock art

The San are outstanding painters, creating images using

natural pigments on the rock of cliffs and caves. The

subjects of San artists include the hunt and the animals

(^132) of the Kalahari Desert, both part of their mythology.