Begetter of the Earth, the Mediating Demiurge
Maasai · deity · creation age · Recorded classification
Classed as deity (a demiurge/mediating divinity). Sex given as male per the framing in Hollis's narratives, though the figure is sometimes an aspect of the genderless Enkai. Distinct from Enkai because he acts as intermediary and earth-begetter.
Domains
- the founding of the earth
- mediation between god and man
Powers
- calls down and instructs the first man upon the earth
- carries messages between Enkai and humankind
Relations
- mentor: First Man Who Lost the Word of LifeThe demiurge taught Le-eyo the formula 'man dies and returns, the moon dies and stays away'; Le-eyo misapplied it and death became permanent.A. C. Hollis, The Masai: Their Language and Folklore (1905), 'The Origin of Death' (primary)
Sources
- Naiteru-kop ('Begetter of the Earth') is a Maasai demiurge/mediator figure who brought the first man Le-eyo to earth and instructed him; sometimes identified with or subordinate to Enkai.: Hollis, A.C., 'The Masai: Their Language and Folklore' (1905) (secondary); Mol, F., 'Maa: A Dictionary of the Maasai Language and Folklore' (1978) (secondary)