Lalla Mimuna
Maghrebi folk supernaturalism · numen · Maghrebi folk supernaturalism traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Lalla Mimuna, 'the Blessed', is the gentle female spirit of the Gnawa liturgy, imagined as a humble, illiterate but deeply pious old woman whose very simplicity is a channel of grace. Where Malika is regal and Mira coquettish, Mimuna is motherly and tender; she takes her adepts in a soft, tearful, sometimes child-like trance and gives them baraka, blessing and protection rather than passion or fortune. She belongs to the black cohort of spirits linked to the sub-Saharan heritage of the Gnawa, and is counted among the Lallas summoned in the women's spirits of the night ceremony.
Domains
- blessing baraka
- protection
Powers
- bestows blessing and simple grace
Relations
- companion: Lalla MalikaNamed together among the Lallas of the pantheon.Abdelhafid Chlyeh, Les Gnaoua du Maroc, 1998, pp. 61–70 (secondary)
Sources
- Lalla Mimuna is a benevolent female spirit of the Gnawa pantheon, a 'blessed' motherly figure associated with baraka and simple piety.: Abdelhafid Chlyeh, Les Gnaoua du Maroc, 1998, pp. 61–70 (secondary); Deborah Kapchan, Traveling Spirit Masters, 2007, pp. 60–65 (secondary)