THE VODU (AFRICAN GODS)
Dimension of Origin: Ife (Afe) ==History== The Vodu or Gods of Africa are a race of superhumanly powerful humanoid
beings worshipped by the native indigenous aborigine tribes of inland Africa.
Worship of the Vodu possibly began around 2900 BC when the ancient Afrikaans
first began showing signs of civilization. Unlike the majority of Earth's
pantheons of gods, they are still worshipped today, but they are not nearly as
active as they were in ancient times. The Vodu dwell in Ife (also called Afe or
Ala),
a small "pocket" dimension adjacent to Earth; an interdimensional
nexus between Ife and Earth exists somewhere near Mount Kilimanjaro in modern
Tanzania, considered a mystical location among its neighboring tribes. (Ife was also the name of the sacred
ancestral lands
of the Yoruba.) The human worshippers of the Vodu often had separate names for
their gods that varied by tribe and region; for example,
the Yoruba of Benin called the ancestor of the gods Buluku, whereas the tribes
of Mozambique called him Muluku. According to the ancient myths, Buluku mated with Nana and sired the first
generation of the African gods known as the Orishas, who then became the
ancestors of the later African gods. As a result, the tribes of Africa have
never had a truly defined pantheon. Separate aborigine tribes respected separate
deities, all of whom descended in some way from Buluku who was known by several
names. Several deities, like
Shango
the thunder-god and
Damballah,
the god of the dead, were respected and honored by several different tribes. The
gods of West Africa worshipped by the Dahomey, Fon and Yoruba tribes, became the
most recognizable deities to European and Asian invaders, who sometimes brought
their own gods and religious beliefs with them. At some point, Buluku departed
from Earth or decided to retreat from human affairs and named
Nyambe, one of the
Orishas, as his successor over the African gods.
By now, the Third Host of the Celestials occurred and Nyambe was approached by
Odin,
Chieftain of the Asgardian gods, to meet with the rulers of the other gods once
worshipped on Earth to discuss the threat of the Third Host of the Celestials.
The Celestials had threatened to seal off the portals of each of their godly
realms unless they promised to stop interfering in mortal affairs. Nyambe
swore to this pledge and even made a vow to Odin to
donate the necessary life energies to the Asgardians slain during the Fourth
Host of the Celestials. When
Thor
came to Ifa to petition a portion of the required life energies as part of
this vow, Nyambe saw that a debt had been paid to his realm and offered Thor
the necessary energies to restore the slain Asgardian gods to life.
With European exploration of Africa, several Afrikaans, particularly the
Yoruba and Dahomey, were taken as slaves in other lands, such as Rome, Egypt and
the West Indies. The captured Afrikaans called upon their gods for solace, but
due to their pact with the Celestials, they were unable to intervene on behalf
of their worshippers. Furthermore,
Sagbata,
the god of death and misfortune, made a pact with Chthon, one of the exiled
Elder Gods, for a spell to create legions of undead beings from the dead or
"zombies."
Legba,
the son of one of the Orishas, petitioned among his siblings to create a force
of good against the evil of Sagbata, thus creating the religion now known as
Vodu, combining elements from Catholicism and the Holy Roman Church. The chief
gods in the Voodoo religion became known as
the
Loa. Beliefs and tents in Voodoo subsequently spread through the West Indies,
Southern United States and the Pacific rim of South America where their
practitioners, both Afrikaan and European in origin, clashed with the native
gods of those regions, notably the
Mexican
and Incan gods.
One of the most powerful Voodoo priestesses in history was
Marie LaVeau. In modern years, a few of the African gods have made efforts to reconnect with
humanity or with the foreign gods of other pantheons. Shango teamed up with Thor
and several warrior-gods to battle the Demogorge, released by several
under-world gods, and even lived among mortals for a short time, becoming allies
with the costumed hero, Firestorm. Nyambe and the Council Elite (sometimes
referred to as Council of God-Kings) came together to discuss the threat of
Thanos, one of the Eternals, and judge Thor's worthiness to join their council
after the death of Odin. Nyambe also met with the council to examine the threat
Akhenaton posed to the gods of Earth, but he did so under the guide of Ndriananadhary,
the Malagasy god of the afterlife. Much like the Olympian and Asgardian gods, the Vodu are
represented on Earth by a number of costumed adventurers paying tribute to their
legacy. Brother Voodoo is the chosen representative of the Loa while Vixen of
the Justice League of America utilizes a mystical talisman passed down through
her ancestors from
Anansi,
the spider-god, who also extends his protection over
Spider-Man.
The Santerians, a Hell's Kitchen vigilante group, also
pay tribute
to their memory. Relations with Other Pantheons: The disputes the
Vodu have had with the Coatli and the Incan Gods have already been documented,
but Nyambe has had greater exposure with the gods of other pantheons through the
Council
Elite. The connections with the
Gods
of Egypt are undefined; some Egyptian gods, notably
Mihos,
were sometimes imbued with African characteristics.
==Characteristics==
Body Type: Humanoid
==Powers==
Avg. Strength Level: All
African gods are superhumanly strong with the average male being able to lift
(press) about 30 tons under optimal conditions and the average female being able
to lift (press) about 25 tons under optimal conditions. ==Miscellaneous==
Type of Government: Tribal ==Trivia== ==References== ==External Links==
Habitat: Tropical
Gravity: Earth-like
Atmosphere: Earth-like
Population: 500-800 (estimated)
Other Associated Dimensions: The Vodu preside in the other-dimensional
land of Ife, also known as Afe, possibly having relocated there at some point in the Earth's past.
Resembling a realm similar to but not identical to Asgard
or Olympus,
it is also linked to the other-dimensional realm of Iku, the realm of the dead
dominated by Damballah,
the god of the dead and one of the Loa,
although Nyambe, in his role as the Malagasy god, Ndriananadhary, reserved a
part of heaven for the selected spirits of the honored dead. The realm of the African gods is also filled with other beings
such as dragons, demons subservient to the gods and a race of beings similar to but
not identical to the elves of Alfheim
and Momur.
The precise origin of the Vodu, like that of all of Earth's pantheons of gods, is shrouded in
legend. It is unknown if they originated on Earth or from some other dimension. The earliest
known African god was Buluku (or Bouclou), known as Olorun to the Yoruba, who took the earth-goddess, Nana, as
his wife. It is believed that Nana was actually Gaea, the
primordial earth-mother who had survived the destruction of the Elder Gods of
Earth by infusing her life into the life-giving essence of the Earth. Many of
the Elder Gods had degenerated into demonic status and were destroyed by Atum or
had fled Earth for other planes of existence. Atum had been born from Gaea by
mating with the sentient biosphere of the Earth known as the Demiurge. Atum
later departed the earth after shedding the excess demonic energies of the Elder
Gods he had slain; some of these energies becoming demonic beings like Mephisto,
Satannish, Sutur and possibly Mikaboshi,
who became the eternal enemy of the Japanese
gods. Whether Buluku was another form of the Demiurge or of Atum himself is unrevealed.
Avg. Height: 6' 0"
Eyes: Two
Hair: Normal
Skin: Normal
Limbs: Two
Fingers: Five with opposable thumb
Toes: Five
Special Adaptations: The
African gods are exceptionally long-lived, but they are not immortal
like the Olympian gods; they age very slowly upon reaching adulthood, but they
are not invulnerable to death. They are physically more durable than human
beings; their skin, bone and tissue being three times more durable and dense
than similar tissue in human beings.
Known Powers: The African
gods possess superhuman strength, stamina
Known Abilities: The African gods are tribal in nature and are excellent
hunters, warriors and trackers, much more adept in spears and poison darts than
in swords and archery.
Level Of Technology: Magic
Cultural Traits: The African Gods were worshipped as gods in throughout
the African continent and
Madagascar, later spreading to the Southern Continental United States, West Indies,
Gulf Coast and the Eastern rim of South America. Most of their cultural patterns
reflect those of their worshippers, possibly due to living with their
worshippers on Earth in ancient times before they departed Earth.
Names of Representatives:
Ananse,
Anaya,
Asase Ya,
Avlekete,
Ayaba,
Damballah,
Erzulie,
Eschu,
Faa,
Gou,
Kibuka,
Legba,
Loco,
Lusa,
Maou,
Mawu,
Mukasa,
Nana,
Ndriananahary,
Nyambe,
Ogun,
Olokun,
Orishako,
Sagbata,
Shango,
Zaca,
et al.