Aiwel Longar tended cattle that had belonged
to his mother’s first husband, who had died when
the lion bit his finger off. Soon a great drought hit
the land and the cattle of the people began to die.
Aiwel’s cattle stayed fat and healthy. The people
could not understand why their cattle were dying,
but Aiwel’s were not. One day a group of young
men spied on him. They watched him feed and
water his cattle. They saw him give the cattle long-
rooted grass. When Aiwel discovered that the
young men had spied on him, he told them not to
tell anyone or else they would die. They told and
they died.
Aiwel then decided to tell the village elders that
they had to leave that place to avoid the death of
all their cattle. He went and told them that he
would show them where there was a big pasture
and no death. They refused to believe him. So he
went by himself and found the place and his cat-
tle prospered. But soon the people tried to follow
him, but it was more difficult now.
At one river where they were trying to cross,
Aiwel stood on the other side of the river encour-
aging them, but as they came up out of the reeds,
he would kill them with his spear. Then one of the
men, Agothyathik, saw what was happening and
decided to play a trick on Aiwel. He would take a
large ox bone and give it to a friend to take across
the river, holding it on a pole in front of him as he
crossed. When Aiwel saw this, he thought it was a
human and tried to spear it. Just then Agothyathik
grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground.
Finally, Aiwel tired and gave up the wrestling
and told Agothyathik to bring the people over.
Some were afraid, but to those who came Aiwel
gave fishing spears to carry when they prayed
and war spears when they fought. He gave them
deities to worship and a blue bull whose thigh-
bone would be sacred to them. The men who
received the spears became leaders of clans that
are spear masters who keep the most perfect way.
In the end, the spear masters were those
who followed the straight path, walked erect, and
taught others the lessons of Aiwel that the spear
could be used for good, as in fishing, or for
defending the clan against enemies, as in warfare.
Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoDinka; Nommo; Words
Further Readings
Deng, F. (1984).Dinka of the Sudan. Prospect Heights,
IL: Waveland Press.
Lienhardt, G. (1988).Divinity and Experience:The
Religion of the Dinka. New York: Oxford University
Press.SPHINX
A sphinx is a large stone statue depicting the body
of a lion or lioness and the head of a woman, man,
or animal, such as a sheep, hawk, or ram. A com-
mon sphinx in ancient Egypt was in the form of
the body of a lion with the head of a human and
the face of the current king or queen. The most
prominent Egyptian sphinx is the Great Sphinx of
Giza, a manifestation of the sun god, Re. Situated
on a plateau and carved out of limestone, the
Great Sphinx was erected to be a guardian and
protector of nearby tombs from evil spirits.Origins
These monuments, referred to generally by the
name given to them by the Greeks, were com-
mon in Egypt and Greece. Primarily shown as a
crouching lion, sphinxes were associated with
royalty and were placed at the entrances of
palaces and tombs to protect the inhabitants
from evil spirits and Earthly enemies. In ancient
Egyptian culture, many animals possessed reli-
gious significance. The lion was associated with
the solar deities or sun gods and was revered for
its courage, strength, and guardianship. Ancient
Egyptians believed that lion gods served as
protectors and guarded the gates beginning and
ending the day.Beliefs
Among the most notable Egyptian sphinxes is the
conjoined sphinx representing the lion god, Aker.
The Egyptians believed that Aker, known as an
Earth god, watched over the eastern and western
horizons guarding the gate through which the sun
would pass each day. Another sphinx, Tutu, was
prominent during the 1st millennium BC. One ofSphinx 631