Great Bow of the Sky

Anchor of the 'creator withdraws to the sky' cycle for the Chewa/Nyanja of Malawi. A high-god / sky-creator (deity). The same supreme being is named Mulungu, Mphambe (lightning), Leza and Namalenga in different contexts. Werner records the footprints of the first man and the animals as impressed on the rock at Kapirimtiya west of Lake Nyasa.

Domains

• sky creation
• rain
• rainbow

Powers

• descend to earth on a spider's thread
• send and withhold the rains
• Span the sky as the great bow (rainbow)

Epithets

• Chiuta

Sources

• Wendland, E. (1992). 'Yahweh — The Case for Chauta "Great-[God]-of-the-Bow".' The Bible Translator 43(4).
• Werner, A. (1933). Myths and Legends of the Bantu. London: George G. Harrap, ch. III.
• Schoffeleers, J. M. & Roscoe, A. (1985). Land of Fire: Oral Literature from Malawi. Limbe: Popular Publications.