some African people, the serpent is associated
with lunar elements as it manifests cosmic powers.
The Ngala of central Congo hold that the moon
once lived on the Earth as a serpent while the
Dogon of West Africa think of the rainbow as the
serpent of Nommo, the water god. Africans clas-
sify the different species of serpent according to
conception in mythic narratives, natural behav-
iors, and ritual uses.
An Akan (Ghana) cosmological myth holds the
serpent as an object of mystery and danger, depri-
vation, and impoverishment. In this myth, the
community suddenly discovers a pot full of gold,
around which a mysterious serpent appears and
coils. The mission of the serpent is to prevent the
people from retrieving the gold. However, the
woman Asona demonstrates great courage, brav-
ery, and determination, and she dips her hands
into the pot; Asona dies after she is bitten by the
poisonous serpent. Asona is the Old Woman and
the first of the seven children of Abrewa, the
counterpart of Nyame, Akan Supreme Being.
A myth of the Basari of northern Togo presents
the serpent in a narrative that is striking but par-
allel to the Genesis myth of the fall of Adam and
Eve. The African narrative tells of the serpent as
diabolic and deceptive as it misleads the first
human beings into eating certain fruits, which
until that time only Unumbotte, the Basari
Supreme Being, had eaten. The Suk and Bari of
East Africa, the Benin of Nigeria, and the people
of the Ivory Coast in West Africa all conceive of
the serpent positively. To the Suk and Bari
nomadic shepherds, the serpent is called “child of
God.” It is looked on as a bringer of good fortune.
It is fed with milk. The people look on the serpent
as a protector and bearer of treasures and riches.
The Benin people see the serpent as a symbol of
happiness and prosperity, whereas the snake is
regarded as a bringer of wealth and fame in the
customs and traditions of the Baule and other
people in the Ivory Coast.
The Zulu people of South Africa and the
Maasai of East Africa hold similar views of the
nature of the serpent. The Zulu regard certain ser-
pents as divinized ancestors who have mysterious
power to return to Earth in this form, whereas the
Maasai of East Africa claim that the souls of the
kings and healers turn into serpents to continue
their life in this form after death. The Maasai
notion also associates the serpent with the soul.
The Chewa of eastern Zambia regard some ser-
pents as sacred and thus they play a major part in
ancestor veneration.
The serpent is regarded as a mysterious messenger
of death that is often sent on dangerous errands by
wicked persons or evil eyes to bite their victims.
Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, medicine men and
healers use certain parts of the serpent, like its fur
and teeth, in serious ritual preparations for healing.
Magicians also use the serpent in their drama activi-
ties. They often turn to the serpent and scare their
audiences who offer gifts to them. African-derived
religious systems, which included a cult of snakes
that migrated from West Africa, especially Dahomey,
to America, have produced a new form in the spiri-
tual and religious Voodoo of Haiti.David O. OgungbileSee alsoAnimals; Magic; Medicine; RitualsFurther Readings
Ranger, S. (2007).The Word of Wisdom and the
Creation of Animals in Africa. Cambridge, UK: James
Clarke.
Waldau, P., & Patton, K. C. (Eds.). (2006).A
Communion of Subjects:Animals in Religion,Science,
and Ethics. New York: Columbia University Press.SESHAT
In ancient Egypt, Seshat was the goddess of writ-
ing and measurement and the ruler of books.
Djhuty and Seshat were divine sesh (scribes).
Djhuty is well known as the scribe of the gods,
the god of wisdom, knowledge, science, cosmol-
ogy, magic, medicine, and the afterlife. Seshat was
Djhuty’s consort and is portrayed as a female
wearing a headband with horns and a star with her
name writtenSš3ton it. Her dress is a plain sheath
covered by a long panther skin, with the tail
reaching her feet. She is often depicted with the
notched palm rib that represented the passing of
time. Seshat’s name is inscribed on the obverse side
of the upper register of Narmer’s palette.
Seshat was an expert in the art of sighting the
stars and planets. She has also been recorded as
assisting the king in the ritual of “stretching the608 Seshat