Dogon Creation Myth
The Dogon are an African tribe that live in Mali. Their creation stories are believed to go back thousands of years and some claim that they may be descended from the ancient Egyptians. What really sets the Dogon apart is that they believe in an “egg of the world” out in space which is now known to modern astronomers as “Sirius B.” How astrological maps depicting this star exist on ancient Dogon artifacts is baffling since the star was only discovered in 1970.
The creation myth of the Dogon begins with Amma the god who existed in the before time and created the world. The egg of the world or Sirius B is sometimes referred to as the original placenta, which may refer to Amma’s origins. Amma then creates the Earth and marries her, however the clitoris of the Earth is opposed to Amma’s penis. Therefore, it is only after Amma removes the Earth’s clitoris that they are able to conceive four sets of twins.
The twins are known as Nommo. One of the twins is referred to as O Nommo while another is Ogo. The Nommo have the shape of fish and require a watery environment to live but they also have arms and legs. Ogo removes himself from Amma’s womb before he is finished in order to take over creation. With no partner of his own he mates with the Earth, and that act of incest brings disorder and chaos in to the world. From the incestual union comes the first menstrual blood and the spirits of the underworld.
Amma sends O Nommo to Earth in an ark in order to quell the chaos of Ogo. Ogo realizes that O Nommo is stronger and demands Amma give him his placenta so he can be strong too. Instead Amma uses the placenta to create the sun. Then she turns Ogo into a fox but he continues to wreak havoc on the world. Amma then sacrifices O Nomma. His blood purifies the earth. Amma then cuts his body into pieces in order to create the stars, plants and animals.