Dil Na'od
Encyclopedia
Dil Na'od was the last negus
of Axum before the Zagwe dynasty
of Ethiopia
. He lived in either the 9th or 10th century. Dil Na'od was the younger son of Ged'a Jan (or Degna Djan
), and succeeded his older brother 'Anbasa Wedem as negus. According to Wallis Budge, "The reign of Delna'ad was short, perhaps about ten years." However James Bruce
has recorded another tradition, that Dil Na'od was an infant when Gudit
slaughtered the princes imprisoned at Debre Damo
, his relatives, and forced some of his nobles to take him out of his kingdom to save his life.
Dil Na'od is recorded as both campaigning in the Ethiopian highlands
south of Axum
, and sending missionaries into that region. With Abuna
Salama I, he helped to build the church of Debre Igziabher overlooking Lake Hayq
.
According to one tradition, he was defeated by Mara Takla Haymanot
, a prince from Lasta province, who married Dil Na'od's daughter, Masaba Warq. According to tradition, a son of Dil Na'od was carried to Amhara
(possibly to present day Ambassel
, near Lake Hayq), where he was harbored until his descendants overthrew the Zagwe, and re-established the Solomonic dynasty
.
Negus
Negus is a title in Ge'ez, Tigrinya, Tigre and Amharic, used for a king and at times also a vassal ruler in pre-1974 Ethiopia and pre-1890 Eritrea. It is subsequently used to translate the word "king" in Biblical and other literature...
of Axum before the Zagwe dynasty
Zagwe dynasty
The Zagwe dynasty was an historical kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. It ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 1137 to 1270, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of Yekuno Amlak...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He lived in either the 9th or 10th century. Dil Na'od was the younger son of Ged'a Jan (or Degna Djan
Degna Djan
Degna Djan was an Emperor of Aksum . Paul B. Henze states that his throne name was "'Anbasa Wedem", which tradition states was his oldest son's name. His younger son was Dil Na'od....
), and succeeded his older brother 'Anbasa Wedem as negus. According to Wallis Budge, "The reign of Delna'ad was short, perhaps about ten years." However James Bruce
James Bruce
James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile.-Youth:...
has recorded another tradition, that Dil Na'od was an infant when Gudit
Gudit
Gudit is a semi-legendary, non-Christian, Beta Israel, queen who laid waste to Axum and its countryside, destroyed churches and monuments, and attempted to exterminate the members of the ruling Axumite dynasty...
slaughtered the princes imprisoned at Debre Damo
Debre Damo
Debre Damo is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 meters in dimension. With a latitude and longitude of , it sits at an elevation of 2216 meters above sea level...
, his relatives, and forced some of his nobles to take him out of his kingdom to save his life.
Dil Na'od is recorded as both campaigning in the Ethiopian highlands
Ethiopian Highlands
The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea , and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa...
south of Axum
Axum
Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
, and sending missionaries into that region. With Abuna
Abuna
Also see Leaders of ChristianityAbun is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church...
Salama I, he helped to build the church of Debre Igziabher overlooking Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq or Lake Haik is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region . The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake....
.
According to one tradition, he was defeated by Mara Takla Haymanot
Mara Takla Haymanot
Mara Takla Haymanot was Nəgusä nägäst of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Zagwe dynasty. Some King Lists give his name simply as "Mararah", and other King Lists as "Takla Haymanot"....
, a prince from Lasta province, who married Dil Na'od's daughter, Masaba Warq. According to tradition, a son of Dil Na'od was carried to Amhara
Amhara province
Amhara was the name of a medieval province of Ethiopia, located in present day Amhara Region, and the pre-1996 province of Wollo...
(possibly to present day Ambassel
Ambassel
Ambassel is one of the 105 woredas of the Amhara Region in Ethiopia, and an amba, or mountain fortress, located in the woreda; the woreda is named for this feature...
, near Lake Hayq), where he was harbored until his descendants overthrew the Zagwe, and re-established the Solomonic dynasty
Solomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty is the Imperial House of Abyssinia. Its members claim lineal descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the latter of whom tradition asserts gave birth to the first King Menelik I after her Biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem .-Overview:The dynasty, a...
.