Thursday 9 May 2013

SA Myths: 3 quick ones for you!


Umlindi Weminigizimu
The African people believed that Qamata created the whole world.  When he wanted to create the dry land, Nganyamba – a dragon who slept under the sea – tried to stop him from doing this.  Qamata realised that he would need some help so he approached the one-eyed goddess, Djobela, and she cast a spell to create four giants who were to guard the land from the north, south, east and west.  There were many battles and eventually the giants were defeated, but, as they were dying, they asked the goddess to turn them into mountains, so they could continue to look down on the land and protect it.   She did this and the giant of the south, known as Umlindid Wemingizimu, became Table Mountain.



Adamastor
Adamaster is the spirit of the Cape of Storms.  The first story about him was told by the Portuguese poet, Camoens in the 1500’s.
Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese explorer was approaching the Cape with his fleet, when they were surrounded by a huge dark cloud, in the shape of a gigantic human.  The figure asked them why they were so foolish as to attempt to sail in such dangerous and stormy waters and told them that there would be awful disasters if they tried to sail round the Cape of Storms.  He told the terrified sailors that he was Adamastor who had tried to overthrow the gods.  The gods punished him by turning him into a mountain and placing him at Cape Point to guard the seas of the south.



The Circle of Islam
The story goes that the Muslim, Nureel Mobeen escaped from the prison on Robben Island, made his way over to the mainland and hid in the caves on the mountainside, near the Twelve Apostles.  His tomb (kramat) is now a shrine at Oudekraal.
In Cape Town, there are six kramats that form the Circle of Islam – one in Somerset West, one on Robben Island and four in the Cape peninsula (including the one belonging to Nureel Mobeen).  Muslims believe that the Circle protects those who live within it from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tidal waves, fire, plague and famine.



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