Nzame

Nzame Fang (Gabon) A triad or trinity—a god with three aspects: Nzame, Mebere, and Nkwa. Nzame represented the transcendent aspect of the deity—the god of the heavens. Mebere and Nkwa represented the male and female aspects of creation respectively. It was Nzame who created the universe—heaven, Sun, Moon, stars, the Earth, animals, and plants—and blew life into it. When Nzame was finished, he showed Mebere and Nkwa his creation. They suggested that Earth needed a chief to rule over everything.

At first, they appointed three animals to serve jointly: the elephant because of his wisdom, the leopard because of his power and cunning, and the monkey because of his malice and suppleness. This did not satisfy Nzame, so the gods created a being in their own image to rule the world. Nzame gave him strength, Mebere gave him leadership, and Nkwa gave him beauty. They named him Fam, which means “power.” Fam’s power soon went to his head. He became arrogant, mistreated the animals, and decided he had no need to worship Nzame.

In punishment, Nzame called on thunder and lightning, which destroyed everything in the world. Only Fam survived, because he had been promised eternal life. Fam disappeared, but he was still alive somewhere, and he could emerge from hiding at any time to cause harm. Nzame, Mebere, and Nkwa created all the plants and animals of the Earth all over again. Nzame then created a new man in the image of the gods, but this time he made the man mortal. The new man, Sekume, was the ancestor of the Fang. Not wanting to leave Sekume alone on Earth, Nzame gave him permission to make a woman from a tree. Sekume and his wife, Mbongwe, lived happily and had many children.

Taken from African Mythology A to Z – Library Binding – May 1, 2010- Second Edition – Written by Patricia Ann Lynch (Author), Jeremy Roberts Dr (Editor) – Copyright © 2004, 2010 by Patricia Ann Lynch