Maiden
What you need to sow
Begin by making it and handing it over. Do not plan to run it forever.
Fon / Dahomey, West African
Nana Buluku
The Grandmother Who Made and Withdrew
Dahomey (Benin) and the African diaspora; living tradition
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Her story
Historical context
goddess · Dahomey (Benin) and the African diaspora; living tradition
Nana Buluku is the Fon creator: she brought forth Mawu the moon and Lisa the sun, gave the world into their hands, and stepped back. She is rarely petitioned directly — the working gods are her children.
Mythology & traditions
Her withdrawal is not neglect but the completion of the job. Everything after her is delegated authority, which is why Vodun has so many active spirits and one very quiet source. She survived the Middle Passage in the names carried to Brazil, Cuba and Haiti.
Domains
- Creation
- Ancestry
- Delegation
- Origins
- Wise withdrawal
Symbols
- Calabash
- Paired sun and moon
- Clay pots
- Cowries
- Old cloth
In the oracle
Her guidance
Mother
What you need to grow
Nurture your successors. What you tend should be able to work without you.
Crone
What you need to know
Stepping back is not abandonment. The thing is finished; let the children run it.