Njeddo Dewal, Mother of Calamity
Fulɓe pastoral initiatory tradition · numen · Fulɓe pastoral initiatory tradition traditional religion; continuing · numen
Njeddo Dewal is the great malevolent sorceress of the Fulani initiatory cycle, the first and framing tale in the sequence that includes Kaïdara and The Radiance of the Great Star. Aroused by the supreme god Guéno as a scourge upon a corrupted people, she embodies destructive, devouring evil; her seven daughters, each beautiful as a female genie, entice suitors and drain their blood for their mother. The narrative dramatises the eternal struggle of good and evil, and her downfall at the hands of the wonder-child Bâgoumâwel carries the initiatory lesson of the pitfalls to be avoided on the path of self-conquest.
Domains
- sorcery and calamity
Powers
- to unleash plagues, drought and misfortune upon the land
- to lure and destroy young men through her seven beautiful daughters
Relations
- subordinate to: Geno, the Eternal One
- enemy: Bâgoumâwel, the Miraculous Child