Brother of the Ancestress

Brother (and in variants brother-husband) of the ancestress Afek; an underworld-founding figure of the Telefol myth-cycle, rendered deity (primordial-ancestor tier). Vital status deceased: in myth he is slain and becomes lord/maker of the land of the dead. His decay is the origin of cult valuables, a classic 'dema'-type fertility-from-death motif of southern New Guinea.

Domains

• land of the dead
• wealth and valuables

Powers

• PREPARE the land of the dead in the west

Relations

• sibling: Ancestress-Creatress

Sources

• Jorgensen, D. (1981). Taro and Arrows: Order, Entropy and Religion among the Telefolmin. PhD thesis, University of British Columbia.
• Craig, B. & Hyndman, D. (eds.) (1990). Children of Afek. Oceania Monograph 40, University of Sydney.