Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this epic myth of the Nyanga people.
PART EIGHTEEN
The semidivine Chief Mwindo set out to find and battle Kirimu, the seven-headed monster terrorizing his domain. Mwindo was guided by Nkurongo, the sole remaining Pygmy from the foursome who had encountered the creature while hunting a wild boar for the Chief.
Mwindo carried with him his signature weapon – his conga-scepter, a riding-crop sized staff made of antelope tail. When the Pygmy had led the hero to where Kirimu had slain his comrades the pair saw that the creature was lying in wait in the jungle, ready to strike at anyone who attempted to retrieve the boar slain by the Pygmies.
Mwindo advised Nkurongo to hang back so he could spread the word to the people of Tubondo if their Chief died in battle with the massive creature. With that Mwindo joined in combat with Kirimu and the jungle around them was torn up by their mammoth struggle.
The hero pitted his strength, his song-spells and his weapon against the mighty beast. Eventually Mwindo had succeeded in flipping the monster onto its back and then beat its heads to death with his conga-scepter.
After regaining his breath Chief Mwindo regaled Nkurongo with another boastful song about himself following which he sent his conga-scepter flying back to Tubondo on its own. Once there a large number of men knew to follow it (like Lassie) back to where Mwindo, Nkurongo and the corpse of Kirimu were located.
Mwindo’s conga-scepter returned to his hand just as the mass of men from Tubondo arrived on the scene. The men hailed Chief Mwindo for his victory, then formed a long train of bearers to carry Kirimu’s dead body back to Tubondo.
When the long procession arrived back in the village three of Chief Mwindo’s seven advisors who served as his “cabinet” complained aloud about the semidivine hero ignoring their advice to leave Kirimu alone. They condemned Mwindo for his deed and claimed he had now made Tubondo a target for countless other monsters.
In response Mwindo struck the three men dead with his conga-scepter and replaced them with men shrewd enough to know not to openly challenge and accuse their Chief of such things in front of the entire village.
Next Mwindo rose his conga-scepter over his head and sang another song-spell. This song-spell tore open Kirimu’s belly and from the semi-digested remains of the three Pygmies they were restored to life in perfect health.
From there Mwindo proceeded to have some of his men scrape all the undigested remains in Kirimu’s lengthy instestines, or clingingto his inner ribs or the sides of his stomach. From those remains Mwindo resurrected all the other recent victims of the monster, both human and animal.
Some of the humans had been devoured by Kirimu months earlier. All of the victims brought back from the dead were welcomed by Mwindo. There were so many he granted them all a new section of his domain, making Tubondo village even larger.
While Mwindo bored entertained the assembled villagers with another song boasting about his most recent exploits trouble was brewing from an unexpected quarter. The catalyst for that trouble was the smell of Kirimu’s cooking flesh as the people of Tubondo feasted upon it.
As the scent of that cooking meat drifted up into the Heavens it caught the attention of Nkuba the lightning god. At the sight of Kirimu cooking on the fires in Tubondo and the sound of Mwindo’s boastful song about slaying the creature Nkuba became furious.
Long ago he and the monster Kirimu had sworn a bond of friendship. The creature’s merciless way of dealing out death had impressed Nkuba, who found a kindred spirit in Kirimu. The bond between the lightning god and the monster went back long before Nkuba’s recent alliance with Mwindo.
The lightning god looked down at the celebratory meal in Tubondo and vowed to make Chief Mwindo pay for killing his friend Kirimu. +++
THE FINAL PART OF THE MWINDO EPIC IS COMING UP NEXT TIME!
FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE: PART ONE OF MWINDO
FOR ANOTHER EPIC MYTH CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/03/17/iroquois-epic-myth-hodadeion/
FOR SIMILAR ARTICLES AND MORE OF THE TOP LISTS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/top-lists/
© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Balladeer's Blog 
Heroes fighting monsters are common to mythology around the world.
I agree.
Does Mwindo die in the last part like Beowulf?
Tune in and see!
So it all comes to an end next time?
Yes, and then I move on to another serialized feature.
Looks like a awesome finish is coming.
I hope you liked it.
I thought Nkuba liked Mwindo?
He does but his bond with Kirimu came first.
You should do podcasts of these.
Maybe I will someday.
Nice story but it’s too long. too many parts
I understand how you could feel that way!
Move on to the next story already please
This Saturday Dec 5th I will.
Very nice but this one is too long.
I hear that a lot from ladies. (I’m kidding!)
Too much Mwindo.
I appreciate the feedback.
I would love to read more about their goddesses.
I will be doing more about the Nyanga goddesses in a few weeks.
Odd to see so many deities underground.
By my count Hittite myths and Egyptian myths feature the only other pantheons with such a large number of deities living beneath the Earth. And the Nyanga are the only ones I’ve encountered who have so many deities who have NO duties regarding death living underground.
Nkuba is a badass!
Yes he is.