342
took from the wealthy to give to the
poor, had healing powers, and was
immune to bullets. Just before he
was to be executed, he promised to
continue helping people even after
death. The first person he helped
was the officer who arrested him,
whose child Gil saved from dying
of illness. To this day, shrines to Gil
exist across Argentina.
See also: Viracocha the creator
256–57 ■ Hahuba the snake of
being 258–59 ■ The sky makes the
sun and earth 260–61THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
Ethiopian, 6th century CEWhile the Queen of Sheba appears
in the Bible and Quran in the 6th
and 7th centuries CE, the fullest
account of her legend is in the
Kebra Nagast, an Ethiopian epic
from 1322. After hearing of King
Solomon’s wisdom, the queen,
Makeda, traveled to Jerusalem to
meet him. She returned home
pregnant with his child; the boy,
Menelik, would become the founder
of the Solomonic dynasty that ruled
Ethiopia from 950 BCE to 1974.
See also: The epic of Gilgamesh
190 –97 ■ Jumong 230–31 ■ En-kai
and the cattle 285AISHA QANDISHA
Moroccan, date unknownJinn are supernatural beings made
of smokeless flame who interact
with the material world. They are
usually invisible and can be good
or evil. In Morocco, Aisha Qandisha
was a notorious and powerful jinn.
She appeared in the form of a
beautiful woman with the legs of a
goat, and could cause either fertility
and fortune, or death and madness.When Aisha Qandisha pursued
people, it was impossible to run
away. They could only survive by
plunging a knife into the earth
and using it either to banish her
or to negotiate a price for her
favor and support.
See also: Fire and rice 226–27 ■
Ananse the spider 286–87 ■ The
Dogon cosmos 288–93QUEEN AMINA OF ZAZZAU
Nigerian, 17th century CEAlthough the subject of many
myths, Amina was a real ruler who
reigned over the kingdom of Zazzau
in northern Nigeria during the 15th
or 16th century. Amina was a great
general, highly skilled at leading
cavalry. She turned Zazzau into a
major power, extending its control
over neighboring areas and trade
routes throughout the region.
Amina declined to marry and never
had children. After each battle,
however, she was said to select a
lover from among her vanquished
foes who would be executed after a
night with her.
See also: Cybele 116–17 ■ The
descent of Inanna 182–87 ■ Eshu
the trickster 294–97ADU OGYINAE
Ashanti, date unknownIn Akan mythology, based in
Ghana and the Ivory Coast, at the
beginning of time all humans lived
underground. Then seven men,
five women, a dog, and a leopard
all crawled out of a hole left by a
giant worm and looked around in
terror at their incomprehensible
surroundings. Adu Ogyinae, the
first of the group to reach the
surface, calmed them, one by one,by laying his hands on them. He led
everyone to build the first shelters,
but died unexpectedly when he
was crushed by a falling tree.
See also: San creation myth 284
■ En-kai and the cattle 285
■ Ananse the spider 286–87THE BILOKO
Democratic Republic of Congo,
date unknownThe Biloko were dwarves who
resided deep in the rainforests of
the Congo. They lived inside trees
and were covered in grass. While
small in size, they had sharp claws
and could open their mouths wide
enough to swallow a human. The
Biloko were highly territorial
creatures, preying on those who
ventured into their territory. They
were able to enchant humans using
bells that caused them to fall into a
deep sleep—at which point the
Biloko devoured them whole.
See also: Origin of the universe
18–23 ■ Theseus and the Minotaur
76–77 ■ Ananse the spider 286–87NYAMINYAMI THE
RIVER GOD
Zimbabwean/Zambian,
20th century CENyaminyami was the god of the
Zambezi River for the Tonga
people. He was usually described
as having the body of a snake and
a fish’s head, and as staining the
water red where he swam.
Nyaminyami lived underneath a
rock and made whirpools in the
water surrounding it so that no one
could venture near. When the
Kariba Dam was built in the 1950s,
it separated Nyaminyami from his
wife. The project was beset byDIRECTORY
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DIRECTORY 343
RATA AND
MATUKU-TANGOTANGO
Maori of New Zealand,
c. 13th century CERata’s father Wahieroa was killed by
an ogre called Matuku-tangotango.
Seeking revenge, Rata traveled
with his companions to find the
ogre. While Matuku-tangotango
was washing in a stream, Rata
killed the ogre, cut out his heart,
and roasted it over a fire. He then
discovered that his father’s bones
had been taken by nocturnal
goblins called the Ponaturi. Rata
and his companions raided the
village of the Ponaturi, defeated
the goblins, and rescued the bones
of Rata’s father.
See also: Orestes avenges
Agamemnon 64–65 ■ The fate of
Oedipus 86–87 ■ Tane and Hine-
titama 314 –15PELE THE FIRE GODDESS
Hawaiian, date unknownPele was the Hawaiian goddess of
fire, lightning, dance, wind, and
volcanoes. She was also known as
Ka wahine ‘ai honua (“the woman
who devours the land”). Pele was
born on Tahiti as a daughter to the
earth goddess Haumea and the
sky father Kane Milohai. Pele was
exiled to Hawaii because of her
fiery temper and for seducing the
husband of her sister. She died
when her sister found her and killed
her in battle. In death, Pele became
a god and took up residence inside
Kilauea, a volcano on the island of
Hawaii, where she still lives.
See also: Susanoo and
Amaterasu 222–25 ■ Legend of the
five suns 248–55 ■ Ta’aroa gives
birth to the gods 316–17THE BUNYIP
Australian Aboriginal, date
unknownOne of the most fearsome beasts
in Aboriginal legend was the
amphibious bunyip (“devil” or
“evil spirit”) that lived in lagoons,
swamps, and riverbeds. The bunyip
has been described in a variety of
ways; it has been variously said
to have the head of a dog or a
crocodile; tusks, horns, or a bill;
and the body of a hippopotamus,
an ox, or a manatee, with at least
nine regional variations across
Aboriginal Australia. The fierce
creature is believed to kill and eat
any unwary humans who wander
across its territory.
See also: The quest of Odysseus
66–70 ■ The Dreaming 302–07
■ The killing of Luma-Luma 308–09ISOKELEKEL
Micronesian, 16th century CEIsokelekel (“shining noble”) was a
semimythical warrior. He came
from the island of Kosrae (now in
the Federated States of Micronesia),
and in some accounts was the son
of the thunder god Nan Sapwe.
Isokelekel led an invasion of the
island of Pohnpei, almost 311 miles
(500 km) away. The local king
initially welcomed Isokelekel, but
war eventually broke out between
them. The mighty Isokelekel
triumphed, with his rival running
away and transforming into a fish.
Isokelekel divided Pohnpei between
his sons, from whom the local
chiefs trace their lineage.
See also: The many affairs of
Zeus 42–47 ■ Cherokee creation
236–37 ■ Viracocha the creator
256–57floods, mishaps, and accidents,
which local people attributed to
the rage of the river god.
See also: The founding of Athens
56–57 ■ Perseus and Medusa
82–83 ■ The fish-eyed goddess
finds a husband 211HUVEANE THE CREATOR
Lesotho/South Africa, date
unknownHuveane was the creator god who
made the heavens, the earth, and
humanity. Once he had done so,
and not wishing to be disturbed by
people, he drove pegs into a long
pole and used it as a ladder to
climb into the sky. As he stepped
off each of the pegs, he removed
them so that nobody could follow
him. Huveane has resided in
heaven ever since.
See also: Fire and rice 226–27
■ Cherokee creation 236–37
■ San creation myth 284THE RAIN QUEEN
Limpopo of South Africa,
16th century CEDzugundini was the daughter of
a chief who was forced to flee her
home. She escaped to the Limpopo
region of northwestern South
Africa and established a tribe
called the Balobedu. In this new
queendom, the eldest daughter
would inherit the throne, and
men were not permitted to rule.
Dzugundini was famed for her
rainmaking ability. Rain queens
continued to reign over the
Balobedu until the death of Queen
Makobo Modjadji VI in 2005.
See also: Cybele 116–17 ■ The
descent of Inanna 182–87 ■ Eshu
the trickster 294–97US_336-343_Directory.indd 343 06/12/17 5:15 pm