Nommo

Amphibious hermaphroditic twin ancestors created by Amma; bringers of water, speech and order.

Parentage

• parent: Amma

Children

• Binou Sérou
• Dyongou Sérou
• The Eight Ancestors
• The Smith (Master of Fire)

Domains

• water
• speech word
• cosmic order

Powers

• Bring water, rain and life to the earth
• Teach speech, weaving and the crafts to humans
• Be sacrificed and resurrected to purify the world

Epithets

• the Masters of the Water latin · Nommo, masters of the water · cultThe primordial Nommo, perfect twin beings — masters of water and of the WordMarcel Griaule, Conversations with Ogotemmêli; Griaule & Dieterlen, Le Renard pâle (secondary)

Relations

• enemy: The Smith (Master of Fire)The Nommo hurl thunderbolts at the smith-ancestor who stole a coal of the Sun from the celestial smithy; the theft and the seventh Nommo’s death set them at enmity.Griaule, Conversations with Ogotemmêli (1948); Griaule & Dieterlen, Le renard pâle (1965) (secondary)
• sibling: LébéFull sibling — shares the same attested parentage (Amma) per the figures' cited genealogy.
• sibling: OgoFull sibling — shares the same attested parentage (Amma) per the figures' cited genealogy.

Sources

• existence: Griaule & Dieterlen, Le renard pâle (Paris, 1965) (secondary)
• role: Griaule, Conversations with Ogotemmêli (1965) (secondary)