Hi, I’m Mike Rugnetta, this is Crashcourse
Mythology and today we’re talking about a hero myth from Africa. It’s got everything
– water serpents, a brag aby, banana beer, a murder scepter, and the
worst dad in the world. Even worse than Saturn – who ate his children! Join Thoth and I
for a look at the Epic of Mwindo. [Intro]
The Mwindo story comes from the Nyanga people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Like
all myths, the story has changed from telling to telling. But in every version, Mwindo rises
from an auspicious birth to become chief of his people, facing danger and defeating villains
along the way. The version we’ll discuss comes from a storyteller of the oral tradition:
Candi Rureke. Before we get too far, a quick note on our
favorite meta-topic: pronunciation. I briefly wanna confront not only … the difficulty
I’m gonna have nailing some of these pronunciations, but what might be indicated by the relative
absence, on the internet at least, of pronunciation guides for stories from this part of the world. We asked you, our audience, to help with pronunciation
for this episode, and others yet to come. It was A HUGE HELP, but still if I say something
that sounds wrong, please write a comment, but also go to forvo.com and record the correct
pronunciation so it’s out there in the world for everyone! Ok - enough talk-talk … on with the show.
Mwindo’s story begins before he’s even born. His father, Shemwindo, the chief of
Tubondo has seven wives and swears that he will kill any woman who bears him a son. He
wants daughters who will bring dowry money. This is bad news for Mwindo’s mom – because
he’s a boy! But, luckily they have some help, since Nyanga
children receive guidance and protection from their aunts, and Mwindo’s Aunt Iyangura
is pretty rad. Iyangura isn’t only strong, beautiful, and clever, she’s also married
to Mukiti, the water serpent, who also has special influence over bats and spiders.
You might remember the tale of baby Hermes, who could walk and talk and make mischief
the moment he was born. Well, Mwindo one ups him. He helps his mother collect firewood
and food... while he’s still in the womb! He’s born by leaping out of his mother’s
middle, making all the midwives and obstetricians yell: “What kind of child is that?”[1]
Mwindo is born holding an axe, a magical bag, a magic rope and most importantly: a magic
conga scepter–it’s kind of like a fly-swatter–made of an antelope tail.
Shemwindo isn’t happy that Mwindo is a boy. First he goes to Mwindo’s house and throws
spear after spear into the walls, trying to kill his only son. When Mwindo emerges unscathed,
Shemwindo grabs him and buries him alive. But Mwindo, who can speak even though he’s
a baby, curses his father the whole way down, and then just claws his way out of the grave.
Finally, Shemwindo grabs Mwindo and sews him up into a drum which he throws into a lake!
The sky rumbles and it rains for seven days, and the whole village suffers a famine. Methinks
this does not bode well for Shemwindo. Sitting underwater, still sewn into a drum,
and definitely not drowning, Mwindo decides it’s time to beat a hasty retreat. He starts
to roll the drum up the river to find aunt Iyangura (remember, she lives with the water
serpent). Along the way, he defeats a bunch of water creatures by singing to them, and
spends his time boasting, calling himself “Little one Just Born He Walked.” When
he reaches his aunt, she slices him out of the drum.
Iyangura serves many roles in Mwindo’s story. She’s a strong mother figure, and advice
giving goddess, a role you’ll remember from Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero’s
journey featured in episode twenty-five. Iyangura also sets Mwindo on his quest. She tells him
that even though Shemwindo is the worst dad in the world, Mwindo can’t get revenge on
his own. “The lonely path is never a pleasant one to travel,” she tells him.[2] That’s
why I’m glad we’re in this together, Thoth. Huh? Oh - yeah, also you guys are cool!
Mwindo listens to Iyangura, but can’t help himself from messing with his dad. So he begins
singing a long, magical song that calls all his father’s possessions in Tubondo to come,
and be his. Mwindo might have felt clever for stealing
his dad’s stuff, but it doesn’t work out that well because Mwindo’s followers are
gluttons, who gorge themselves on newly arrived food and get sick.. Mwindo can’t believe
this – he’s about to lead all these greedy guts into battle – so he calls on Nkuba,
the god of lightning, to help him. Nkuba destroys Tubondo with seven lightning
flashes, turning the village and its residents to dust, which is maybe a bit drastic. But,
Shemwindo finally gets the message: messing with Mwindo is a bad idea. He flees to an
underground lair. But Mwindo doesn’t let his dad get away
that easy. First, he brings all of his uncles who died in Tubondo back to life and commands
them to forge him baby-armor. Mwindo sets out... and follows his father’s trail to
the underworld. We’re gonna follow with him in the Thoughtbubble.
Underground, Mwindo meets Kahindo. She’s a goddess of good fortune, but her dad is
Muisa, god of the underworld. Kahindo tells Mwindo that Muisa is protecting Shemwindo.
But luckily, she hates her dad so much... she agrees to tell Mwindo–step by step–what
he has to do defeat Muisa, and find his pops. First, she says, my dad’s gonna offer you
banana beer, but don’t drink that banana beer, because it’s actually pee. Gross.
Second, my dad’s gonna offer you banana paste, but don’t eat that banana paste,
because it’s actually poo. Even grosser. Then, after you don’t eat his snacks, he’ll
ask you to pass his tests...and at that point, you’re on your own.
Mwindo tracks down Muisa, and it’s exactly as Kahindo said, and Muisa gives him a test:
cultivate a new, actual banana grove in the underworld. Mwindo uses a magic billhook that
tills the field and plants the seeds and harvests the bananas all by itself.
Muisa unwinds his magical cowrie belt and gives it an order: fly and kill Mwindo. The
belt zips off, finds Mwindo and kills him. End of story, thanks for watching. MIKE TAKES
OUT HIS PHONE Thanks Thought Bubble. Usual for lunch, Thoth? Shrimp? Crab cakes?
Just kidding. Back to the Thought Bubble. As soon as Mwindo falls, his magic scepter
brings him back to life. I told you that thing was important. Mwindo grabs the scepter and
sends it to go kill Muisa. The scepter flies to Muisa and kills the god of the underworld!
And then...brings him back to life. That magical autonomous murder-and-rebirth scepter REALLY
has a mind of its own. Thanks for real Thoughtbubble. After the Battle
of Enchanted Accessories™, Mwindo completes more of Muisa’s tests, Muisa makes some
more assassination attempts. Eventually, Mwindo gets fed up with all the
testing and belt attacking and confronts Muisa directly. “Give me my dad. I know you’re
hiding him.” Muisa refuses, and Mwindo kills him once and for all, and keeps tracking.
Shemwindo’s tracks eventually end in the home of Sheburu-wngu – the god of all creation.
Mwindo demands to know where his dad is, but Sheburungu says that if Mwindo wants his help,
he’ll have to best him in a game of wiki. In this game, the players take turns editing
the entries for celebrities to include funny false details and the edit that lasts the
longest...OK JUST KIDDING BUT I KINDA HAD TO RIGHT?
Seriously tho, in this case, a game of “wiki” means guessing the number of black seeds held
in your opponent's hand. Mwindo agrees, and the baby and the god start to play.
At first, Sheburungu beats Mwindo over and over again, winning everything Mwindo owns
except his magic scepter. With his back to the wall, Mwindo bets his scepter and begins
to win. Wager after wager, guess after guess, Mwindo cleans Sheburungu’s clock until he
wins all of Sheburungu's possessions. Including, probably, his newly cleaned clock.
But Mwindo tells Sheburungu: I don’t want your things, I don’t want creation, I just
want you to hand over my dad. Sheburungu has to agree, and so Mwindo returns to Tubondo
with a captured Shemwindo. This is Mwindo’s turning point, when the boastful baby gets
the chance to face his father. Instead of killing him, Mwindo is magnanimous, and pardons
Shemwindo for his past mistakes. Flush with mercy, he even brings Muisa back
to life - who offers his daughter Kahindo’s hand in marriage. Mwindo refuses, saying he
wants to marry in Tubondo. This is going to be a little tough, since Nkuba lightning zapped
everyone in Tubondo. So Mwindo revives them too, bringing the whole village back to life.
Finally, Shemwindo admits to the village that he was wrong to try to kill Mwindo and that
he’s sorry about that whole drowning in a drum thing: “So may the male offspring
be spared,” he said, “for he has shown me the way in which the sky becomes daylight
and has given me the joy of witnessing again the warmth of the people and of all the things
here in Tubondo.” Mwindo replies: “I will not hold a grudge against my father … What
my father did against me and what I did against my father, all that is already over.”
Mwindo’s story doesn’t end here, though – in his subsequent adventures he learns,
often the hard way, how to be a compassionate, and respectful ruler. Mwindo thus returns
to his people, wiser and fit to rule. He pronounces a blessing that establishes rules by which
to live: May you grow many foods and many crops
May you live in good houses May you moreover live in a beautiful village.
Don’t quarrel with one another. Don’t pursue another’s space
Don’t mock the invalid passing in the village. And he who seduces another’s wife will be
killed Accept the chief. Fear him. May he also fear
you. May you agree with one another, all together,
No enmity in the land nor too much hate. May you bring forth tall and short children
– In so doing you will bring them forth for
the chief. So Mwindo has really grown up. His hero’s
journey took him from braggy baby to a just ruler, fairly governing his people.
At its heart, the Mwindo story is a Freudian-style conflict of a boy maturing to take his father’s
place. Take out the magical murder scepter and the other supernatural parts and maybe
some of the more draconian rules, and it’s also a model for an individual’s journey
from boastful child to wise ruler. And it teaches us why we should never ever take banana
paste from a stranger. Mwindo shows us how an individual must mature
to become truly heroic, and also fulfills an etiological role for the Nyanga people:
he re-establishes their village. He provides the model of forgiveness and shows how a chief
must be powerful and also favored by the gods. He demonstrates that even with auspicious
beginnings and divine help, heroes are flawed and only achieve success if they learn and
grow. Thanks for watching. See you next time. ________________
[1] Quoted in Thury & Devinney p. 354. [2] Quoted in Thury & Devinney p. 362.
