Lesser Sky-Spirit and Lord of the Dead
San · deity · mythic present; active in the world of the living · Recorded classification
Classed as deity (a lesser/ambivalent divine being). The figure is best attested among the northern San (Ju/'hoansi) as documented by Lorna Marshall and Megan Biesele, distinct from the malevolent Khoekhoe ǁGaunab though etymologically and conceptually related. ǁ = lateral click; ASCII '//Gauwa'. The prompt lists ǁGãuwa under San.
Domains
- the dead
- sickness and healing
- trance and ecstasy
Powers
- sends invisible arrows of sickness through the spirits of the dead
- is wrestled and driven off by trance-healers protecting the sick
Relations
- equated with: Lord of Darkness and DeathReciprocal of khoekhoe_gaunab.equated-with — Cognate Khoisan theonym: Khoekhoe //Gaunab and San //Gauwa share name and link to death/the dead. Valence diverges: //Gaunab is the fixed evil foe of Tsui-//Goab, San //Gauwa an ambivalent lesser sky-spirit.Theophilus Hahn, Tsuni-//Goam: The Supreme Being of the Khoi-Khoi (1881) (secondary); Isaac Schapera, The Khoisan Peoples of South Africa (1930), ch. on religion (secondary)
Sources
- ǁGãuwa is a lesser, ambivalent sky-being and lord of the dead in San (especially Ju/'hoansi) religion, associated with sickness sent via the spirits of the dead and opposed by trance-healers.: Marshall, L., 'Nyae Nyae !Kung Beliefs and Rites', Peabody Museum (1999) (secondary); Biesele, M., 'Women Like Meat' (1993) (secondary); Katz, R., 'Boiling Energy' (1982) (secondary)