Flesh
Flesh, in Dinka ring, is the pre-eminent clan-divinity of the masters of the fishing spear. Unlike the free-divinities of the sky, Flesh is bound to particular human lineages: it was given by the culture hero Aiwel Longar to the men who became the first spear-masters, and it is transmitted through their descendants, in whose bodies it is said to dwell. Its presence and activity are recognised when the flesh of a priest quivers or rises during invocation, and it is the source of the life-giving, truth-speaking power that makes the spear-masters' prayers effective. In Dinka thought Flesh, like the other clan-divinities, is a particular manifestation of the one Divinity (Nhialic) as encountered by a specific group of people, embodying the ideal and enduring values of descent.
Domains
- life force
- priesthood
Powers
- to give and sustain life in the spear-master clans
- to manifest by making the priest's flesh quiver
Relations
- subordinate to: NhialicAs a clan-divinity, Flesh is understood as a particular refraction of the single Divinity (Nhialic) present among men.Lienhardt, R. Godfrey, Divinity and Experience: The Religion of the Dinka (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961), pp. 28-32, 136-141. (secondary)
Sources
- Flesh (Dinka ring) is the named life-giving clan-divinity of the Dinka masters of the fishing spear, conferred by Aiwel Longar and dwelling hereditarily in the bodies of the priestly lineages.: Lienhardt, R. Godfrey, Divinity and Experience: The Religion of the Dinka (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961), pp. 136-141, 171-184. (secondary); Deng, Francis Mading, Dinka Cosmology (London: Ithaca Press, 1980). (secondary)