African mythology
Anansi's storytelling tradition
African mythology encompasses the traditional religious narratives, cosmologies, and spiritual beliefs of the continent's diverse peoples.
Given Africa's thousands of ethnic groups, no single mythology exists—rather, a vast tapestry of creation stories, ancestor spirits, trickster figures, and divine pantheons.
Common threads include supreme creator deities, nature spirits, and the honored dead who influence the living.
The Yoruba orishas have spread globally through the African diaspora.
- AnansiWest African spider deity
- libationCeremonial drink offering
- spirit mediumsThose who channel the dead
- water spiritsFolklore beings inhabiting rivers, lakes
- initiation ritesFormal admission procedures
ancestor veneration · spirit world · naming ceremonies · harvest festivals · ancestral shrines · sacred grove · healing rituals · earth goddess · oral tradition · griots · praise songs · trickster tales · animal fables · purification rituals · ritual masks · seasonal celebrations · creation myths · storytelling traditions
- Mythologies
- mythologyZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Odin
- Black Diasporamotherland, pan-Africanism, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, maroons
- AfrofuturismAfrofuturism, Octavia Butler, Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, Janelle Monae
African mythologyNorse mythology
Scandinavian pagan religion
Greek mythology · Roman mythology · Celtic mythology · Slavic mythology · Chinese mythology
African mythologysecular humanism
Nonreligious ethical philosophy
atheism · rationalism · empiricism · modern science · Western philosophy
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