Que signifie le nom Umvelinqangi ?

Umvelinqangi se traduit par celui qui parut le premier ou le premier apparu. Ce nom designe, dans la cosmologie zouloue, la figure primordiale et celeste tenue pour source premiere de l'existence. Il figure aussi parmi les nombreux noms donnes a l'etre supreme dans la tradition zouloue.

Quel lien unit Umvelinqangi et Unkulunkulu ?

Selon plusieurs recits, Umvelinqangi, principe celeste, fait naitre le roseau primordial uhlanga d'ou emerge Unkulunkulu, le premier ancetre qui faconne l'humanite. Les auteurs distinguent souvent le ciel transcendant, Umvelinqangi, de l'ancetre terrestre, Unkulunkulu, mais la tradition orale les rapproche ou les identifie selon les versions.

Umvelinqangi est-il lie a des phenomenes naturels ?

Oui. La tradition ethnographique en fait le seigneur du ciel, associe au tonnerre et aux tremblements de terre, sous le nom d'Unsondo. Des lectures contemporaines privilegient toutefois une conception non personnifiee, celle d'une conscience divine ou source de tout ce qui existe, a laquelle on s'unit par la prostration meditative, ukukhothama.

Back to the Codex

UMVELINQANGI

ally

God

💨 AirZoulou →Zoulou — ZoulouElder

Gender: MasculineSign: ciel

Umvelinqangi, whose name translates as the one who appeared first or the first appeared, is a primordial figure of Zulu cosmology. In the ethnographic tradition, he is the lord of the sky, associated with thunder and earthquakes, and also bears the name of Unsondo. Several narratives present him as the first source of existence: he is said to have brought forth the primordial reed, uhlanga, from which life emerges, and notably Unkulunkulu, the first ancestor and shaper of humanity. The authors often distinguish Umvelinqangi, a celestial and transcendent principle, from Unkulunkulu, a figure closer to the earthly primordial ancestor, even if the oral tradition brings them together or conflates them according to the versions. The name Umvelinqangi, like its Xhosa equivalent uMvelinqandi, figures moreover among the many names given to the supreme being. Contemporary presentations, taken up by Wikipedia, insist rather on a non-personified reading, the divine consciousness or the most high, source of all that was, is and will be, reached through meditative prostration, ukukhothama. These interpretations, ancient or modern, bear witness to the richness of Zulu thought on the origin of the world.

Powers & Attributes

sky

Role in the ROHO universe

Weaver of the currents. UMVELINQANGI watches over the flow of the waters and the fluid memory that binds the worlds within the Mabioni. Bound to the Zulu pantheon.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of feathers, carved bone and crystal, engraved with symbols of sky, embodiment of the power of Umvelinqangi

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Umvelinqangi mean?

Umvelinqangi translates as the one who appeared first or the first appeared. This name designates, in Zulu cosmology, the primordial, celestial figure held to be the first source of existence. It also figures among the many names given to the supreme being in the Zulu tradition.

What link unites Umvelinqangi and Unkulunkulu?

According to several narratives, Umvelinqangi, a celestial principle, brings forth the primordial reed uhlanga from which emerges Unkulunkulu, the first ancestor who shapes humanity. The authors often distinguish the transcendent sky, Umvelinqangi, from the earthly ancestor, Unkulunkulu, but the oral tradition brings them together or identifies them according to the versions.

Is Umvelinqangi bound to natural phenomena?

Yes. The ethnographic tradition makes him the lord of the sky, associated with thunder and earthquakes, under the name of Unsondo. Contemporary readings nevertheless favour a non-personified conception, that of a divine consciousness or source of all that exists, with which one unites through meditative prostration, ukukhothama.

Related spirits

UKQILI IMILOZI ITONGO INTULO

Sources and references

Henry Callaway, The Religious System of the Amazulu, 1868-1870
Axel-Ivar Berglund, Zulu Thought-Patterns and Symbolism, 1976