Malagasy mythology

Malagasy mythology is rooted in oral history and has been transmitted by storytelling (angano, "story"), notably the Andriambahoaka epic, including the Ibonia cycle. At least 6% of Madagascar are adherents of the religion, which is known as Fomba Gasy, and surveys show it is likely at least half practice some aspects of it. Adherence to Fomba Gasy is high amongst the Sakalava people (up to 80%), as they are reluctant to convert to faiths of foreign origin.[1]

Traditional mythology in Madagascar tells of a creator deity referred to as Zanahary, and the division of Heaven and Earth between Zanahary and his son, Andrianerinerina, a rebellious hero and frequent theme of their worship as the son of God,[2] or between Zanahary and earth deities such as Ratovantany which crafted human bodies from clay; in these myths Zanahary gave life to humans, and their souls return to him on the sky or on the sun while their bodies return to the earth deities.[3] In contrast to Andrianerinerina, the word Andriamanitra (the Merina term for "Fragrant Lord") is used to refer to revered ancestors.[4] Malagasy cultures were generally polytheistic, and worshiped a variety of entities that straddled the line between god and revered ancestor.[5][6]

  1. ^ "The Possessed and the Dispossessed". publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  2. ^ Ottino, Paul (1983). "Ancient Malagasy Dynastic Succession; The Merina Example". History in Africa. 10: 247–292. doi:10.2307/3171698. JSTOR 3171698. S2CID 161413103.
  3. ^ https://www.scilt.org.uk/portals/24/passeport2/educationscotland/Images/MadagascarCreationMyth_tcm4-730169.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ "Malagasy Dictionary and Madagascar Encyclopedia : Andriamanitra".
  5. ^ Lee Haring (2007). Stars and Keys: Folktales and Creolization in the Indian Ocean, Indiana University Press.[page needed]
  6. ^ Virginia Thompson, Richard Adloff (1965). The Malagasy Republic: Madagascar Today, Stanford University Press.[page needed]