LEBE
allyFertility, rebirth
Lébé is a central figure of Dogon religion, in Mali. According to the myth, Lébé Séru, the first ancestor, dead and then resurrected in the form of a serpent, guided the Dogon from the Mandé to the Bandiagara escarpment. With the sky god Amma and the water-bound Nommo, he forms one of the poles of the Dogon religious universe — that of the earth. Lébé embodies the forces of the earth and of vegetation, the cycle of death and regeneration, and the agricultural fertility reborn with each season. His cult, a secret institution, is presided over by the Hogon, priest and keeper of the Lébé altars present in every village, where the soil of the land of origin is mingled with that of the new territory. Every sixty years, the festival of the Sigui commemorates this founding ancestor.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
A fragment of Onionkupón's Breath, bound to one of the five elements of the cosmic balance.
Sacred Mask
A mask carved of ancient energy — a symbol of the cosmic force proper to its pantheon.
Era
3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers
Spiritual Lesson
To understand the nature of one's own balance and the wisdom hidden behind every trial.
Words of the Spirit
“What is rooted does not fear the storm.”
Frequently asked questions
Who is Lébé among the Dogon?
The first mythic ancestor, dead and then resurrected in the form of a serpent, become spirit of the earth and of fertility.
What role does the Hogon play in the cult of Lébé?
The Hogon is the priest of the cult and the keeper of Lébé's altar. Tradition says that the serpent Lébé visits him at night to regenerate him.
When is Lébé honoured?
Through the agricultural seasons, and above all at the festival of the Sigui, celebrated roughly every sixty years.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Culte du lébé, Wikipédia (fr)
- Lebe (Dogon), Wikipedia (en)
- Travaux ethnographiques sur la religion dogon (Griaule, Calame-Griaule)