The Lugbara live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. In Lugbara mythology, Adroa appeared in both good and evil aspects; he was the creator god and appeared on Earth as a human who was near death. He was depicted as a very tall white man with only one half of a body, missing one eye, one leg, etc. His children were called the Adroanzi.
The Adroanzi were nature gods of specific rivers, trees and other sacred wild areas. At night, they followed people and protected them from animals and bandits as long as they did not look over their shoulder to ensure that an Adroanzi was following; if the person did so, the Adroanzi promptly killed him or her. The humans they killed, they ate. They were also sometimes known as water snakes. Some Africans consider then gardeners.
[edit] References
- Middleton, J. (1960). Lugbara religion; ritual and authority among an East African people. London: Published for the International African Institute by the Oxford University Press. Reprinted 1999; ISBN 9780852552841.
