Bâgoumâwel is the wonder-child of the Fulani initiatory cycle, described as an African counterpart of Little Thumb, young and old at once, who speaks before birth and names himself. He embodies the good in the tale's cosmic struggle, protecting his uncles and finally destroying the sorceress Njeddo Dewal through cunning and superior knowledge. As the hero of the initiatory reading, he models the wisdom, courage and self-mastery the postulant must attain.
Domains
wisdom and deliverance
Powers
to outwit and overcome the sorceress Njeddo Dewal
to know hidden and future things from before his birth