Degei
Encyclopedia
In Fijian mythology, Degei , enshrined as a serpent, is the supreme god of Fiji. He is the creator of the (Fijian) world, of fruits, and of men. He judges newly-dead souls after they pass through one of two caves: Cibaciba or Drakulu
. A few he sends to paradise, Burotu
. Most others are thrown into a lake
, where they will eventually sink to the bottom (Murimuria
) to be appropriately rewarded or punished.
He is said to have at first moved about freely, but then in the form of a snake to have grown into the earth with his ringed tail. Since then he has become the god of earthquakes, storms, and the seasons. Whenever Ndengei shakes himself fertilising rain will fall, delicious fruits hang on the trees, and the yam fields yield an excellent crop. But Ndengei is also a god of wrath who declares himself in terrible fashion. He punishes and chastens his people by destroying the crops or by floods; he could indeed easily wipe out mankind from the earth, for since he has lived in the bowels of the earth he has been tormented with so insatiable hunger that he would like to take in and swallow the whole world.
Degei hatched an egg from which the first humans came to Earth
. He is prominent in the kalou-vu, the Fijian pantheon.
Friedrich Ratzel
in The History of Mankind reported in 1896 a religious practice enjoined by Degei that involved tatooing women on the lower part of the body and the thigh, the corner of the mouth, and the finger.
Cibaciba and Drakulu
In Fijian mythology , Cibaciba and Drakulu are the two cave entrances to the underworld ....
. A few he sends to paradise, Burotu
Burotu
In the Melanesian mythology of Fiji, Burotu is the paradise-underworld. Newly dead souls are judged by Degei, and a few go to Burotu. The rest go to Murimuria.-See also:*Bulu, said to be the name for the Fijian 'land of death'....
. Most others are thrown into a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, where they will eventually sink to the bottom (Murimuria
Murimuria
In Fijian mythology, Murimuria is part of the underworld. After a soul dies, it is judged by Degei. A few go to Burotu, and the rest are thrown into a lake. They eventually sink to the bottom, Murimuria, and are rewarded and punished appropriately....
) to be appropriately rewarded or punished.
He is said to have at first moved about freely, but then in the form of a snake to have grown into the earth with his ringed tail. Since then he has become the god of earthquakes, storms, and the seasons. Whenever Ndengei shakes himself fertilising rain will fall, delicious fruits hang on the trees, and the yam fields yield an excellent crop. But Ndengei is also a god of wrath who declares himself in terrible fashion. He punishes and chastens his people by destroying the crops or by floods; he could indeed easily wipe out mankind from the earth, for since he has lived in the bowels of the earth he has been tormented with so insatiable hunger that he would like to take in and swallow the whole world.
Degei hatched an egg from which the first humans came to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. He is prominent in the kalou-vu, the Fijian pantheon.
Friedrich Ratzel
Friedrich Ratzel
Friedrich Ratzel was a German geographer and ethnographer, notable for first using the term Lebensraum in the sense that the National Socialists later would.-Life:...
in The History of Mankind reported in 1896 a religious practice enjoined by Degei that involved tatooing women on the lower part of the body and the thigh, the corner of the mouth, and the finger.