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Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this epic myth of the Nyanga people.

PART TEN

Mwindo, having survived the initial gauntlet of traps from Muisa, the god of the dead, spent the night with Kahindo, the goddess of good fortune, in her hut. 

Come morning in the land of the dead Mwindo reported to Muisa. As the death-god had threatened the previous evening, he had a task to assign the semidivine Mwindo. If the hero succeeded at the task Muisa would tell him where he could find his evil father Shemwindo. If he failed he would be slain by Muisa and never leave the land of the dead.

Muisa commanded Mwindo to plant banana trees there in the land of the dead and cause them to grow and produce bananas despite the fact that no fruit had ever grown in that lifeless realm.

Given the amount of time it would take to plant acres of banana trees let alone for them to try to grow Muisa figured that even if Mwindo’s magic was strong enough to accomplish the miraculous deed it would keep him occupied for months.   Continue reading →

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this epic myth of the Nyanga people.

PART NINE

Kahindo

Mwindo prepared to pursue his cowardly father Shemwindo into the land of the dead ruled by the god Muisa. The semidivine hero’s Aunt Iyangura was frightened for Mwindo’s safety but he assured her he could take care of himself in the land of the dead.

To further comfort his aunt he pulled the rope from his pouch of magical implements and tore it into two pieces. He gave one piece to Iyangura and he kept the other on his person. Mwindo told Iyangura that her end of the rope would act as a life token so she would know he was still alive.

(Life tokens such as this have been covered previously at Balladeer’s Blog in Vietnamese, Malagasy and Philippine myths. They were usually a plant of some sort which would reflect the physical state of the myth’s hero on their travels. As long as the plant was alive then his loved ones would know the hero was still alive as well.) Continue reading →