Nhialic (Acek, jok, NyAlich, In the Above) Dinka (Sudan) The Supreme God, who was associated with the heavens. Nhialic created the Earth and established the order of the universe. He was closely linked with Deng, the god of rain and fertility. In some regions, Deng was regarded as the Supreme Being and Nhialic was not mentioned; in other regions, they were considered the same spirit. According to myth, Nhialic created the first man (Garang) and woman (Abuk) out of clay. He made them quite tiny and placed them in a pot, which he then covered. When he uncovered the pot, Garang and Abuk were fully grown. In the beginning, Earth and the sky were close to each other and were connected by a rope. (See also link between heaven and Earth.) People who wanted to reach Nhialic could climb up the rope to the heavens. Nhialic told the first woman and man, Abuk and Garang, that they could plant and grind just one grain of millet a day for their food; this would be enough for them. One day, however, Abuk decided to plant more than one grain. When she took a long-handled hoe and began to prepare the soil, she accidentally hit Nhialic. Offended by this treatment, Nhialic withdrew far from Earth. He sent a bird to sever the rope that linked heaven and Earth, so that humans could no longer reach him. Before that time, there was no death. Since then, humans have had to work hard for food, and illness and death came into the world. (See also death, origin of.)

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