Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4rdrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-14T04:29:29.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The mythic narratives of Candomblé Nagô and what they imply about its Supreme Being

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2024

José Eduardo Porcher*
Affiliation:
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Abstract

In this article, I explore the mythic narratives of the Yoruba-derived tradition of Candomblé Nagô to discern the attributes of its Supreme Being. I introduce Candomblé, offering an overview of its central beliefs and practices, and then present theological perspectives on the Supreme Being in African Traditional Religion as a basis for comparison with the myths I will examine. I consider the primary creation myths of Candomblé, emphasizing references to the tradition's Supreme Being and, analysing these myths, I argue that Candomblé's Supreme Being, as depicted in these narratives, amounts to a limited god. This portrayal accounts for the absence of a problem of evil within the tradition. It suggests the moral ambivalence of Candomblé's Supreme Being and other high deities, as well as the world itself. This exploration sheds light on a lesser-explored tradition and its unique approach to philosophical dilemmas, distinct from the predominantly theistic framework of most philosophy of religion, and evinces that philosophizing through immersion in myths should involve appreciating the complexities and richness inherent in these forms of life, free from the imposition of external assumptions or biases.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agada, A (2023) God's existence and the problem of evil in African philosophy of religion. In Imafidon, E, Tshivhase, M and Freter, B (eds), Handbook of African Philosophy. Cham: Springer, pp. 555574.10.1007/978-3-031-25149-8_31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agada, A and Attoe, AD (2023) Shifting perspectives in African philosophy of religion. Religious Studies 59, 291293.10.1017/S0034412522000622CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akintoye, SA (2010) A History of the Yoruba People. Dakar: Amalion.Google Scholar
Aróstegui, NB (1994) Los orichas em Cuba, 2nd edn. La Habana: Unión.Google Scholar
Augras, M (1983/2008) O duplo e a metamorfose: a identidade mítica em comunidades Nagô. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes.Google Scholar
Awolalu, JỌ and Dọpamu, A (1979) West African Traditional Religion. Ibadan: Onibonoje Press.Google Scholar
Balogun, OA (2009) The nature of evil and human wickedness in traditional African thought: further reflections on the philosophical problem of evil. Lumina 20, 120.Google Scholar
Bastide, R (1945) Imagens do nordeste místico em branco e preto. Rio de Janeiro: O Cruzeiro.Google Scholar
Beier, U (1980) Yoruba Myths. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Beniste, J (2006) Mitos Yorubás: o outro lado do conhecimento. Rio de Janeiro: Bertrand Brasil.Google Scholar
Bergad, L (2007) The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bewaji, J (1998) Olodumare: God in Yoruba belief and the theistic problem of evil. African Studies Quarterly 2, 117.Google Scholar
Bishop, J (1998) Can there be alternative concepts of God? Noûs 32, 174188.10.1111/0029-4624.00095CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burley, M (2020) Narrative philosophy of religion: apologetic and pluralistic orientations. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 88, 521.10.1007/s11153-019-09730-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burley, M (2022) African religions, mythic narratives, and conceptual enrichment in the philosophy of religion. Religious Studies 58, 117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burton, RF (1864) A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome. London: Tinsley Brothers.Google Scholar
Carneiro, E (1948/2019) Candomblés da Bahia. São Paulo: Martins Fontes.Google Scholar
Courlander, H (1973) Tales of Yoruba Gods and Heroes. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett.Google Scholar
Elbein dos Santos, J (1976/2012) Os Nàgô e a morte: pàde, àsèsè e o culto ègun na Bahia. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes.Google Scholar
Engler, S and Brito, Ê (2016) Afro-Brazilian and indigenous-influenced religions. In Schmidt, BE and Engler, S (eds), Handbook of Contemporary Religions in Brazil. Leiden: Brill, pp. 142169.Google Scholar
Engler, S and Isaia, AC (2016) Kardecism. In Schmidt, BE and Engler, S (eds), Handbook of Contemporary Religions in Brazil. Leiden: Brill, pp. 186203.Google Scholar
Fayemi, AK (2012) Philosophical problem of evil: response to E. O. Oduwole. Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy 4, 115.Google Scholar
Frobenius, L (1949) Mythologie de l'Atlantide. Paris: Payot.Google Scholar
Gbadegesin, S (2013) African religions. In Taliaferro, C, Harrison, VS and Goetz, S (eds), The Routledge Companion to Theism. London: Routledge, pp. 102113.Google Scholar
Goldman, M (2007) How to learn in an Afro-Brazilian spirit possession religion: ontology and multiplicity in Candomblé. In Berliner, D and Sarró, R (eds), Learning Religion: Anthropological Approaches. New York: Berghahn Books, pp. 103119.Google Scholar
Hickson, M (2013) A brief history of problems of evil. In McBrayer, JP and Howard-Snyder, D (eds), The Blackwell Companion to the Problem of Evil. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 318.Google Scholar
Idowu, EB (1962) Olódùmarè: God in Yoruba Belief. London: Longmans.Google Scholar
Kato, BH (1975) Theological Pitfalls in Africa. Kisumu: Evangel.Google Scholar
Majeed, H (2022) Evil, death, and some African conceptions of God. Filosofia Theoretica 11, 5370.Google Scholar
Mbiti, J (1970) Concepts of God in Africa. London: SPCK.Google Scholar
Miranda Rocha, A (1994) Os Candomblés antigos do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Topbooks.Google Scholar
Nagasawa, Y (2008) A new defence of Anselmian theism. The Philosophical Quarterly 58, 577596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oduwole, EO (2007) The dialectics of ire (goodness) and ibi (evilness): an African understanding of the philosophical problem of evil. Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy 31, 113.Google Scholar
Ogunnaike, A (2020) What's really behind the mask: a reexamination of syncretism in Brazilian Candomblé. Journal of Africana Religions 8, 146171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oladipo, O (2004) Religion in African culture: some conceptual issues. In Wiredu, K (ed.), A Companion to African Philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell, pp. 355363.Google Scholar
p'Bitek, O (1971) African Religions in Western Scholarship. Nairobi: Literature Bureau.Google Scholar
Prandi, R (2001) Mitologia dos orixás. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.Google Scholar
Ray, BC (1976) African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Rowe, W (1979) The problem of evil and some varieties of atheism. American Philosophical Quarterly 16, 335341.Google Scholar
Schilbrack, K (2002) Introduction: on the use of philosophy in the study of myths. In Schilbrack, K (ed.), Thinking Through Myths: Philosophical Perspectives. London: Routledge, pp. 117.Google Scholar
Schmidt, BE (2016) Spirits and Trance in Brazil: An Anthropology of Religious Experience. London: Bloomsbury.Google Scholar
Verger, PF (1985/2019) Lendas africanas dos orixás. Salvador: Fundação Pierre Verger.Google Scholar
Vogel, A, Mello, MAS and Barros, JFP (1993) A Galinha d'Angola: iniciação e identidade na cultura Afro-Brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Pallas.Google Scholar
Wiredu, K (1998) Toward decolonizing African philosophy and religion. African Studies Quarterly 1, 1746.Google Scholar