5 African goddesses with interesting histories

Africans have always believed in supernatural beings even before Christianity was brought to the continent.

These supernatural beings include both gods and goddesses and they always came with interesting tales. Here are five African goddesses with quite an interesting history.

Queen Modjadji or the Rain Queen is a popular goddess in South Africa. Also referred to as the goddess of rain, Modjadji was said to have lived in the body of the queen of Balobedu.

Modjadji’s history is quite interesting as it is said she was born after a man impregnated his daughter after he was instructed in a vision to do so as that would give their child rain-making skills. And that is how Modjadji was born and she grew up to become the first rain queen.

Ala is another powerful African goddess, precisely from Igboland that had powers over the earth in terms of fertility, creativity, land, and morality. Ala, whose name means ‘earth’ is the wife of Amadioha, the god of the sky.

It was said that on days when Ala is angry, she will convince her husband to deny rain to the people, and can also cause other natural disasters.

Oya is an African goddess, prominent in the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. Oya is the wife of Sango, the god of storms, vengeance, social order, and protection. Just like her husband, Oya controls winds, thunder, and fire.

It is said that Oya can turn a gentle breeze into a hurricane in a short amount of time. Some reports say Oya would travel with her husband when he goes out for vengeance. Oya is also popularly known as the guardian of the gates of death, as she helps the dead in their transition from life.

Inkosazana is a popular goddess in Zulu. She is popular for being a shapeshifter, although she often appears as a mermaid and mostly stays in the water. Apart from appearing as a mermaid, Inkosazana also appears in the shape of animals and even plants.

Inkosazana is the goddess of fertility and she often speaks to the divine healers or the isangoma of the Zulu people.

Oshun is another African goddess with an interesting history. She always has a mirror to admire her beauty and is revered by many for her abilities to heal the sick, foster prosperity, and bring fertility. One myth says she was one of the only females out of 17 gods sent by Olodumare to populate the world.

However, the male gods could not achieve this without Oshun and after they failed, they had to go back to beg her for help. Oshun agreed and came to earth with her sweet and powerful waters, bringing life back to Earth. It is believed that humanity would not exist if Oshun, the goddess of life and fertility, had not acted.