West African Mythology

Visit the links to learn about the myths of West Africa related to objects in the sky, and aspects of their world.

Back to the World Map

<a href="/mythology/shango_storm.html&edu=high">Shango</a> was the forth king of the ancient Oyo Empire, the West African center of culture and politics for the Yoruba people.After his death, he became known as the god of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/tstorm_lightning.html&edu=high">thunder and lightning</a>. In artwork, such as this wood carving, he is often depicted with a double ax on his head, the symbol of a thunderbolt, or he is depicted as a fierce ram.<p><small><em>Image Courtesy of the Hamill Gallery of African Art, Boston, MA</em></small></p>

Windows to the Universe Community
News	Opportunities
Upcoming W2U Events	Join Today - Benefits, No Ads!
Special Offers for Teachers	Member Benefits
Teacher Newsletter	Partnership Opportunities

Explore West African Mythology

Yoruba: Olokun

Olokun, the sea god of the Yoruba people lives in a palace under the sea with human and fish ...Read more

Yoruba: Shango

Shango was the forth king of the ancient Oyo Empire, the West African center of culture and ...Read more

Yoruba: Olorun

Olorun is the chief god of the Yoruba pantheon. For the Yoruba people, he is the owner of ...Read more

Fon: Mawu

Mawu is the supreme creator god according to the Fon people of Abomey (Republic of Benin). ...Read more

Fon: Liza

Liza is a deity of the Fon people who live in West Africa. Liza is associated with the Sun, ...Read more

Did you know?

Did you know that solar eclipses are caused when the Earth passes through the Moon's shadow?

Did you know that most of the Earth's clouds and weather are found in lowest level of the Earth’s atmosphere?

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Quaternary

xQuaternary : The Quaternary is the geologic time period comprising about the last 1.65 million years.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Scientists Find Signs of “Snowball Earth” Amidst Early Animal Evolution

Geologists have found evidence that sea ice extended to the equator 716.5 million years ago, bringing new precision to a "snowball Earth" event long suspected to have taken place around that time. Funded...Read more

Shop Windows to the Universe

We now offer the Cool It! card game in our Science Store. Cool It! is the new card game from UCS that teaches kids about the choices we have when it comes to climate change.

Science Blogs

Perspectives on Earth and Space Science Education

Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists

Star Stuff: science news from an astronomer's perspective

Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment

Citizen Science Buzz

Generous sponsorship of Windows to the Universe is provided by the Hewlett Foundation, the American Geological Institute, the American Geophysical Union, the National Science Foundation, NASA, NCAR, and the CISM and CMMAP projects.

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://windows2universe.org/ from the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA). The Website was developed in part with the support of UCAR and NCAR, where it resided from 2000 - 2010. © 2011 National Earth Science Teachers Association. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of NESTA. All Rights Reserved. See our copyright and licenses page for information about how you can use our materials.Site policies and disclaimer.

RSS Feeds