Qui est Mbaba Mwana Waresa ?

Mbaba Mwana Waresa est une déesse zouloue de la pluie, de l'arc-en-ciel, de l'agriculture et de la bière. Fille du ciel, elle habite, dit-on, une hutte faite d'arcs-en-ciel dans les nuages. Elle passe pour avoir enseigné aux humains les semailles, les moissons et le brassage de la bière, ce qui lui vaut une grande affection dans les présentations modernes de la mythologie zouloue.

Pourquoi Mbaba Mwana Waresa est-elle associée à la bière ?

La bière de sorgho, umqombothi, occupe une place centrale dans la vie sociale et rituelle zouloue : on la brasse pour les mariages, les funérailles et les offrandes aux ancêtres. En attribuant son invention à Mbaba Mwana Waresa, la tradition relie cette boisson au don divin de l'agriculture et de la pluie, sans lesquelles ni grain ni brassage ne seraient possibles.

Quel récit raconte son mariage avec un mortel ?

Ne trouvant pas d'époux parmi les êtres célestes, Mbaba Mwana Waresa descend sur terre et remarque Thandiwe, un bouvier dont le chant l'émeut. Pour éprouver son coeur, elle lui envoie une fausse fiancée magnifiquement parée et se présente elle-même sous les traits d'une vieille femme. Thandiwe la reconnaît aussitôt, prouvant son amour, et elle l'emmène vivre dans sa demeure d'arcs-en-ciel.

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MBABA MWANA WARESA

ally

Fertility, rainbow, beer

☥ SpiritZoulou →Afrique Australe — Afrique du SudYouth

Gender: FeminineSign: Calebasse de bière

Mbaba Mwana Waresa is, in modern presentations of Zulu mythology, the goddess of rain, of the rainbow, of harvests and of beer. She is said to be the daughter of Umvelinqangi, the primordial sky, and is described as living in the clouds, in a round hut made of rainbow arches. A benefactor of humankind, she is credited with teaching them to sow, to harvest and to brew sorghum beer, the drink at the centre of Zulu social and ritual life, which earns her particular affection. The best-known narrative tells of her marriage: finding no husband among the celestial beings, she descends to earth and chooses a cattle-herder named Thandiwe; to test his heart, she sends him a false bride arrayed in all her finery while she herself appears in the guise of an old woman; Thandiwe recognises her, and she takes him to live in her celestial home. This figure is documented above all in contemporary compilations of African mythology; the classic ethnographies of the Zulu world describe, for their part, a celestial princess of rain and fertility, Nomkhubulwana or Inkosazana, with whom Mbaba Mwana Waresa is sometimes compared. Her name has been given to a trans-Neptunian object, (184314) Mbabamwanawaresa — a sign of the renown she has gained far beyond southern Africa.

Powers & Attributes

fertilityrainbowbeer

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 Mbaba Mwana Waresa?

Mbaba Mwana Waresa is a Zulu goddess of rain, of the rainbow, of agriculture and of beer. Daughter of the sky, she is said to dwell in a hut made of rainbows in the clouds. She is credited with teaching humankind sowing, harvesting and the brewing of beer, which earns her great affection in modern presentations of Zulu mythology.

Why is Mbaba Mwana Waresa associated with beer?

Sorghum beer, umqombothi, holds a central place in Zulu social and ritual life: it is brewed for weddings, funerals and offerings to the ancestors. By attributing its invention to Mbaba Mwana Waresa, tradition binds this drink to the divine gift of agriculture and of rain, without which neither grain nor brewing would be possible.

Which narrative tells of her marriage to a mortal?

Finding no husband among the celestial beings, Mbaba Mwana Waresa descends to earth and notices Thandiwe, a cattle-herder whose song moves her. To test his heart, she sends him a false bride magnificently arrayed and presents herself in the guise of an old woman. Thandiwe recognises her at once, proving his love, and she takes him to live in her home of rainbows.

Related spirits

INKOSAZANA UNKULUNKULU AMADLOZI

Sources and references

Patricia Ann Lynch, African Mythology A to Z (2004)
Eileen Jensen Krige, The Social System of the Zulus (1936)
Axel-Ivar Berglund, Zulu Thought-Patterns and Symbolism (1976)