Cagn
Encyclopedia
Cagn is the supreme god
of the Bushmen
of southern Africa
. He is the first being and the creator of the world. He is a trickster
god who can shape shift
, most often into the praying mantis.
who is able to shape shift into the form of any animal. He is most frequently represented as a praying mantis but also takes the form of a bull eland
, a louse
, a snake
, and a caterpillar
. His wife, Coti, is represented as a marmot
or a cape hyrax
and is known as the mother of bee
s. Their adopted daughter is represented as a porcupine
.
s. Again, Cagn was unhappy. He told Coti to clean the pot and add more blood from the eland, with fat from the heart. She churned it, and Cagn sprinkled the mixture on the ground. It turned into a large herd of eland. This was how Cagn gave meat to his people to hunt and eat. The Bushmen attribute the wildness of the eland to the fact that Cagn's sons killed it before it was ready to be hunted, spoiling it.
recounts a variation of the eland myth involving the meerkat
s. Cagn's daughter the porcupine married Kwammang-a, a meerkat. They had a son called Ichneumon (a mongoose
). Ichneumon was close to his grandfather Cagn. Cagn used to take honey
to feed his favourite, the eland. The people were curious as to what Cagn was doing with the honey, so they sent Ichneumon to spy on him and find out. When Ichneumon saw Cagn giving honey to the eland, he reported his discovery to his brothers, the meerkats. While Cagn was out gathering honey, the meerkats persuaded Ichneumon to show them where the eland was. They called the eland out of its hiding place and killed it.
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
of the Bushmen
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
of southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. He is the first being and the creator of the world. He is a trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
god who can shape shift
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
, most often into the praying mantis.
Shapeshifting
Cagn is a tricksterTrickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
who is able to shape shift into the form of any animal. He is most frequently represented as a praying mantis but also takes the form of a bull eland
Taurotragus
Taurotragus, commonly called Eland, is a genus of antelopes of the African savannah, containing two species: the Common Eland and the Giant Eland...
, a louse
Louse
Lice is the common name for over 3,000 species of wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera; three of which are classified as human disease agents...
, a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, and a caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
. His wife, Coti, is represented as a marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
or a cape hyrax
Cape Hyrax
The Rock Hyrax , or Cape Hyrax, is one of the four living species of the order Hyracoidea, and the only living species in the genus Procavia. Like all hyraxes, it is a medium-sized terrestrial mammal, superficially resembling a guinea pig with short ears and tail...
and is known as the mother of bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s. Their adopted daughter is represented as a porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
.
Eland myth
One of the first animals created by Cagn, and his favourite, was the eland. Cagn's wife Coti gave birth to the eland, and Cagn hid it near a secluded cliff to let it grow. One day his sons, Cogaz and Gewi, were out hunting. Not knowing their father's love for the eland, they killed it. Cagn was angry, and told Gewi to put the blood from the dead eland into a pot and churn it. Blood spattered from the pot onto the ground and turned into snakes. Cagn was displeased. Next, Gewi scattered the blood, and it turned into hartebeestHartebeest
The hartebeest is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus Alcelaphus....
s. Again, Cagn was unhappy. He told Coti to clean the pot and add more blood from the eland, with fat from the heart. She churned it, and Cagn sprinkled the mixture on the ground. It turned into a large herd of eland. This was how Cagn gave meat to his people to hunt and eat. The Bushmen attribute the wildness of the eland to the fact that Cagn's sons killed it before it was ready to be hunted, spoiling it.
Ichneumon variation
The scholar David Lewis-WilliamsDavid Lewis-Williams
James David Lewis-Williams is a South African scholar. He is professor emeritus of cognitive archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg....
recounts a variation of the eland myth involving the meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s. Cagn's daughter the porcupine married Kwammang-a, a meerkat. They had a son called Ichneumon (a mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
). Ichneumon was close to his grandfather Cagn. Cagn used to take honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
to feed his favourite, the eland. The people were curious as to what Cagn was doing with the honey, so they sent Ichneumon to spy on him and find out. When Ichneumon saw Cagn giving honey to the eland, he reported his discovery to his brothers, the meerkats. While Cagn was out gathering honey, the meerkats persuaded Ichneumon to show them where the eland was. They called the eland out of its hiding place and killed it.