Africa Snake worship

mami wata, plays major role in various african , african-american religions

in africa chief centre of serpent worship dahomey, cult of python seems have been of exotic origin, dating first quarter of 17th century. conquest of whydah dahomeyans brought in contact people of serpent worshippers, , ended adopting them beliefs @ first despised. @ whydah, chief centre, there serpent temple, tenanted fifty snakes. every python of danh-gbi kind must treated respect, , death penalty killing one, accident. danh-gbi has numerous wives, until 1857 took part in public procession profane crowd excluded; python carried round town in hammock, perhaps ceremony expulsion of evils. rainbow-god of ashanti conceived have form of snake. messenger said small variety of boa, individuals, not whole species, sacred. in many parts of africa serpent looked upon incarnation of deceased relatives. among amazulu, among betsileo of madagascar, species assigned abode of classes. maasai, on other hand, regard each species habitat of particular family of tribe.

eva meyerowitz wrote of earthenware pot stored @ museum of achimota college in gold coast. base of neck of pot surrounded rainbow snake (meyerowitz 1940, p. 48). legend of creature explains rainbow snake emerged home when thirsty. keeping tail on ground snake raise head sky looking rain god. drank great quantities of water, snake spill fall earth rain (meyerowitz 1940, p. 48).

there 4 other snakes on sides of pot: danh – gbi, life giving snake, li, protection, liwui, associated wu, god of sea, , fa, messenger of gods (meyerowitz 1940, p. 48). first 3 snakes danh – gbi, li, liwui worshipped @ whydah, dahomey serpent cult originated (meyerowitz 1940, p. 48). dahomeans, spirit of serpent 1 feared unforgiving (nida & smalley 1959, p. 17). believed serpent spirit manifest in long, winding objects such plant roots , animal nerves. believed manifest umbilical cord, making symbol of fertility , life (nida & smalley 1959, p. 17).

mami wata water spirit or class of spirits associated fertility , healing, depicted woman holding large snake or lower body of serpent or fish. worshipped in west, central, , southern africa , african diaspora.

african diasporic religion

in haitian vodou, creator loa damballa represented serpent, , wife ayida-weddo called rainbow serpent. in west african mythology, ayida-weddo believed hold sky. simbi type of serpentine loa in haitian vodou. associated water , believed act psychopomps serving papa legba.

ancient egypt

ancient egyptians worshipped snakes, cobra. cobra not associated sun god ra, many other deities such wadjet, renenutet, nehebkau, , meretseger. serpents evil , harmful such case of apep , set. referenced in book of dead, in spell 39 made repel evil snake in underworld. back! crawl away! away me, snake! go, drowned in lake of abyss, @ place father commanded slaying of should carried out.

wadjet patron goddess of upper egypt, , represented cobra spread hood, or cobra-headed woman. later became 1 of protective emblems on pharaoh s crown once upper , lower egypt united. said spit fire @ pharaoh s enemies, , enemies of ra. referred 1 of eyes of ra, associated lioness goddess sekhmet, bore role.