Thanks to native Hausa, Luo, and Oromo speakers for helping with this project, especially John Oguto, Solomon Demissie, Wandera Salmon Owino, and the late Dr. Catherine Acholonu.
Genesis 1 describes when God began the work of creation. It uses the words tohu (formless or confused) and bohu (empty or void). The Hebrew phrase "formless and void" (Gen. 1: 2) is tohu wa-bohu and is of Nilotic origin. The word tohu in Isaiah 34:11 means "confused" so it appears that Genesis 1 refers to matter in a confused or chaotic state before God set things in order.
In ancient Nilotic mythology chaos preceded creation. This is reflected in the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and Nubians, and is still found among Nilo-Saharan peoples such as the Gikuyu, the Masai, and the Luo.
"There was no sunlight... the whole land was in darkness." (Gikuyu/Kenya)
"In the beginning there was only the swirling watery chaos." (Egyptian)
The Egyptians personified the watery chaos and called it Tehom. Tehom was the realm of the cosmic serpent who was south of Yebu (Elephantine Island), a shrine where the priests were said to hold back the chaos. In ancient mythology the serpent was trampled by the Ancient Immortal One.
Genesis 3:15 states that the Seed of the Woman will trample the serpent. This is understood to be a Messianic reference and Christians believe it applies to Jesus.The Ancient Man danced on the serpent, who still spewed poison from his eyes and hissed loudly in his anger, and he trampled down with his feet whatever head the serpent raised, subduing him calmly as if he were being worshipped with flowers. Kaliya, his umbrella of hoods shattered by the gay dance of death, his limbs broken, vomiting blood copiously from his mouths, remembered the Guru of all who move and are still, the Ancient Man, Narayana, and he surrendered to him in his heart.(Srimad Bhagavatam 10:6, from Andrew Wilson, Ed. World Scriptures, p. 449)
The watery chaos known to the priests of Elephantine Island is likely a reference to the Mega White Nile and the Sudd through which it flows. The White Nile spreads out as it flows through the lower elevation Sudd so what little land has been prepared for cultivation invariably floods. The Sudd is a nearly impenetrable swamp, full of crocodiles, that covers an area the size of Florida. It hampers navigation and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Malaria is a big problem here.
However, in NIlotic mythology the watery chaos was overthrown by divine Wisdom, personified as Tehut. Tehut defeats Tehom, just as in Genesis 1, the the Divine Word subdues the chaotic water at the beginning of creation. It is not surprising that the oldest known moral code is the Law of Tehut. It is attributed to Menes, the first ruler to unite the peoples of the Upper and Lower Nile.
The Nilotic Luo call the chaotic water of creation the Dog Nam and they think of any large water system, such as Mega Chad or Lake Victoria, as a place where God is present. The inhabitants of the area of Lake Victoria call the place Nalubaale. The last letter le is a form of Re, a reference to the Creator. Many African names for the Creator have this ending: Ndebele (Zimbabwe); Murle (Ethiopia); Male (Ethiopia); Lele and Wele (Central Africa).
The Oromo of the Horn of Africa call the waters of creation Hora Wolabu, a reference to Horus, the "son" of the Creator. The Oromo are the Horomo, people of Horus. The H is silent and therefore was dropped in English spelling. Horo is said to be the founding father of the Oromo. Horo had two sons. His first born son was named Borana and his younger son was named Barentu. Borana means "those who face east" and Barentu means "those who face west." In Luo, Horu' mo (horumo/orumo) means perfected, realized, finished, or completed.
The ancestors of the Oromo were cattle-herding Saharo-Nubians. They called the Creator Eebe and he was Waaq, meaning "God of the Heavens." The universe was held in balance by the love of a bull for a cow. The balance was maintained in the cradle of the bull's horns, and the bull stared forever at the cow tied to a pole in front of him. When the cow turned her eyes away from the bull, a physical shift resulted that caused natural disasters like floods.
According to the Oromo, Waaq separated the impregnated body of water into two parts: the water above called Bishaan Gubbaathe and the water below called Bishaan Goodaa. Likewise, we read in Genesis how God separated the waters above from the waters below (Gen. 1:6-8).
In the Egyptian concept of creation, the first dry land was a mound emerging from the cosmic waters. The mound was called Tatjenen, and is related to Tjenu, the name of Menés' kingdom in the Upper Nile. Tjenu is likely related to Tehenu (Thnw), a people living in the northern Nile valley of Lybia and Sudan. Tehenu rulers wore pointed beards and were referred to as pale-skinned and red-headed, like the rulers of Edom, to whom they are likely related. They also were related to the Nehesi (Nhsj) of the Upper Nile, who according to Cheikh Anta Diop were black or dark-skinned. These red and black Nilotes appear to be a social moeity, as were the red and black Nubians.
The Nilotic Luo call the chaotic water of creation the Dog Nam and they think of any large water system, such as Mega Chad or Lake Victoria, as a place where God is present. The inhabitants of the area of Lake Victoria call the place Nalubaale. The last letter le is a form of Re, a reference to the Creator. Many African names for the Creator have this ending: Ndebele (Zimbabwe); Murle (Ethiopia); Male (Ethiopia); Lele and Wele (Central Africa).
The Oromo of the Horn of Africa call the waters of creation Hora Wolabu, a reference to Horus, the "son" of the Creator. The Oromo are the Horomo, people of Horus. The H is silent and therefore was dropped in English spelling. Horo is said to be the founding father of the Oromo. Horo had two sons. His first born son was named Borana and his younger son was named Barentu. Borana means "those who face east" and Barentu means "those who face west." In Luo, Horu' mo (horumo/orumo) means perfected, realized, finished, or completed.
The ancestors of the Oromo were cattle-herding Saharo-Nubians. They called the Creator Eebe and he was Waaq, meaning "God of the Heavens." The universe was held in balance by the love of a bull for a cow. The balance was maintained in the cradle of the bull's horns, and the bull stared forever at the cow tied to a pole in front of him. When the cow turned her eyes away from the bull, a physical shift resulted that caused natural disasters like floods.
According to the Oromo, Waaq separated the impregnated body of water into two parts: the water above called Bishaan Gubbaathe and the water below called Bishaan Goodaa. Likewise, we read in Genesis how God separated the waters above from the waters below (Gen. 1:6-8).
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| This serekh shows Horus as a falcon |
The waters above were viewed as the domain of the Creator. Having established order, the Creator sails his solar boat on the calm waters. The "Lord of All" declares, "I will sail aright in my barque; I am the Lord of the waters, crossing heaven." (Egyptian Coffin Texts, Spell 1,130) The solar boat imagery spread far and wide. In the image above of a bas-relief found at Angkor Wat in Cambodia Horus appears as a falcon perched on the mast of Ra's solar boat.
Horus was said to have the power to calm the winds and the waves. The Turin Canon describes the Predynastic rulers of Egypt as "the Followers of Horus" and these Pharaohs had a Horus name and an image of Horus at the top of their serekh.
The Ancient of Days is said to ride the waters above. Perhaps this is the meaning of Daniel's vision, described in Daniel 7:13-14:
I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
I am Horus, the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set, the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done. I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight. My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of ‘Red Cloak’. (Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by R.T. Rundle Clark, p. 216)
In the works of Plato and Aristotle the words horos or horismos refer to landmarks, boundaries and categorical limits. The word horos is a reference to the celestial archetype of Horus who marked the cosmic boundaries and established the "kinds" (essences).
He guarded the four directional points and was Lord over the currents and the winds. This was said to be the case with Jesus, the Son of God, according to the testimonies of Mark (4:35-41), Luke (8:22-25) and Matthew (8:23-27). All three describe a situation in which veteran fisherman are terrified and cry out to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Mark states that Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the waves, saying simply, "Quiet! Be still!" Then all became calm. Jesus then said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
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