the Hyena
Hausa · deity · living Bori tradition; pre Islamic bush spirit roots · deity
Spirit-class figure entered as a deity (wild/bush iska). 'Kure'/'kura' = hyena. Hausa lore treats hyenas as witches in disguise, marking Kure's pre-Islamic bush-spirit pedigree. Sources: Besmer (1983); Tremearne (1914).
Domains
- wild bush predation
- witchcraft sorcery
Powers
- to range the night bush in the shape of a hyena
Sources
- Fremont E. Besmer, Horses, Musicians, and Gods (1983)
- Wikipedia, 'Hausa animism', on bush (daji) spirits and hyena symbolism
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