Mythological Africans Podcast

Hello to all new subscribers and followers! Welcome! Please read this.Meanwhile, life is life-ing so this week’s episode features a short story reading and a light-hearted discussion of the magician archetype. Hope you enjoy!Can’t Get Enough? Miracles of Another Kind!Still Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends * Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

It’s April, friends, and we’ll spend the month focused on the Jungian archetype of the Magician. We’ll go over what Jung (and Jungian scholars in general) have to say about the Magician, set it in the African context, and then examine specific examples of the patterns of behavior, circumstances, images and ideas which allude to the Magician archetype as they show up in African myth, folklore and legend. We will necessarily touch on the topic of witchcraft in the African context but only peripherally and as relevant to the topic.In today’s episode, we’ll see how Nuer (Sudan) prophet, Ngundeng Bong, embodied the Magician archetype to catalyze change.“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, and inventor.References* The Collected Works of Carl Jung.* The Fate of Ngungdeng’s Dang.* Kelsey, Darren. "The Archetypal Magician." Storytelling and Collective Psychology: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life and the Work of Derren Brown. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. 21-40.* Evans-Pritchard, Edward Evan. The Nuer:: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People. Oxford University Press. 1940. p185.Can’t Get Enough?* Tenets of Kikuyu Witchcraft and ReligionStill Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the story of Tin Hinan, Founding Mother of the the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Friends!We close the series with a short reflection on what this might all mean for us as people living in today’s world of chaos and contradictions.Virtually everything depends on the human psyche and its functions. It should be worthy of all the attention we can give it, especially today, when everyone admits that the weal or woe of the future will be decided neither by the threat of wild animals, nor by natural catastrophes, nor by the danger of world-wide epidemics, but simply and solely by the psychic changes in (hu)man(s). It needs only an almost imperceptible disturbance of equilibrium in a few of our rulers’ heads to plunge the world into blood, fire, and radioactivity. - Carl Jung, God, the Devil, and the Human Soul.Hope you enjoy and see you next week!Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the story of Tin Hinan, Founding Mother of the the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Friends!New to Mythological Africans? Welcome! Read this.Meanwhile, we’re still talking about the images, symbols, and patterns of behavior or circumstances associated with rulership in African myth, folklore, legend, and history. This week, we linger in that sliver of space where the perception of “good” or “bad” rulership bends to the will of the beholder. Arraweelo of Somalia is a particularly contradictory ruler in African legend. In some accounts of her story, she is maligned as an exceptionally evil ruler who despised men. Yet other accounts present her as a ruler who fought for the good of her people, especially the women. We’ll hear two versions of her story and reflect on how their contradiction is a both a manifestation of the bipolarity of archetypes and an expression of wholeness.References* The Somali Queen: Queen Arraweelo by Farah Mohamed.* British Somaliland by Ralph E Drake-Brockman (pages 169 - 171).* Arraweelo: A Role Model For Somali Women by Ladan Affi.* A Tree for poverty : Somali Poetry and Prose by Margaret Lawrence (pages 126 - 131)Can’t Get EnoughStill Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the story of Tin Hinan, Founding Mother of the the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Friends,In this week’s episode, we examine the archetypal symbols, patterns and motifs from the story of Chief Shemwindo, a case of bad rulership from the legends of the Nyanga of the Democratic Republic of Congo. I also reflect on how this ties to the persistence of bad rulership on the continent in current times. The way I see it, bad rulership is not new to the African continent. What has been disrupted is the ability of the people to organize against it and when they succeed, to move on from it.References* Biebuyck, Daniel, and Kahombo C. Mateene, editors. “The Mwindo Epic.” The Mwindo Epic from the Banyanga, 1st ed., University of California Press, 2021, pp. 39–142. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1hm8jb6.5. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.* Mysterioum Coniunctionis by C.G. JungCan’t Get Enough?Still Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the story of Tin Hinan, Founding Mother of the the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hey FriendsWe’re on the fourth episode of the MA deep dive into Jungian archetypes in African myths, legend and folklore. We’re remaining focused on the rulership archetype for the month of March and the plan is to look at it from different angles. In this week’s episode (and to honor Women’s Day!) we’re going to talk about rulership in African mythology and folklore from the perspective of women.References* Franz, Marie-Luise von. The Feminine in Fairy Tales. United Kingdom, Shambhala, 1993.* Lewis, Jerome. Forest hunter-gatherers and their world: a study of the Mbendjele Yaka pygmies of Congo-Brazzaville and their secular and religious activities and representations. Diss. University of London, 2002, 175 - 176.* Schipper, Mineke. Source of all evil : African proverbs and sayings on women. Chicago, Bloomsbury Academic, 1991.* Korsah, Chantal. Yaa Asantewaa: Queen Mother of the Ashanti Confederacy* Ogwu, Matthew Chidozie, Moses Edwin Osawaru, and Rosemary Noredia Iroh. “Ethnobotany and collection of west African okra [Abelmoschus caillei (a. Chev.) Stevels] germplasm in some communities in Edo and Delta states, southern Nigeria.” Borneo Journal of Resource Science and Technology 6.1 (2016): 25-36.* Fraser, Douglas, and Herbert M. Cole, eds. African art and leadership. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1972.* Fisher, Angela. Africa Adorned. United Kingdom, Harvill Press, 1996.Can’t Get Enough?* Read this reflection on archetypes as living territory for transformation:* Read this X/Twitter Thread for some exceptional heroines from African myth, legend and history.* Check out the project page for The Runaway Princess and Other Stories (and references for Yennenga’s story)Still Can’t Get Enough?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the story of Tin Hinan, Founding Mother of the the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Friends!This week’s episode is a bit experimental. We tell a story. Not a folktale, legend or myth. Just a story about a Malinke boy who has a very interesting dream. Then, we talk about the dream and tease out some archetypal images, patterns and symbols which, in the context of West Africa’s Mande-speaking people, might allude to the rulership archetype. I hope you like it!References* Jung on Dreams: Part I - Definitions, Components, Functions and Features* Sundiata : an epic of old Mali by Djibril Tamsir Niane* The Epic of Son Jara by John W. Johnson* The Collected Works of Carl Jung* Dreams as Portals to the Soul: Dreamwork and Analysis Across Freudian, Jungian, Indigenous, and African Perspectives* McCall, Daniel F. “The Prevalence of Lions: Kings, Deities and Feline Symbolism in Africa and Elsewhere.” Paideuma, vol. 19/20, 1973, pp. 130–45. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40341534. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.* Manzon, Agnes Kedzierska. "Humans and Things: Mande" Fetishes" as Subjects." Anthropological Quarterly 86.4 (2013): 1119-1151.* Chidester, David. “Dreaming in the Contact Zone: Zulu Dreams, Visions, and Religion in Nineteenth-Century South Africa.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 76, no. 1, 2008, pp. 27–53. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40006024. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.* Four Characteristics of Archetypes: Autonomy, Affect, Activation, Agency* Jung and the Individuation Process* The Persona* The Shadow* The Anima and Animus* Our Inner Partner: The Anima and Animus* 12 Jungian Archetypes: The Foundation of PersonalityNeed a book of African Mythology and Folklore?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the foundation legend of the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Hi Friends!In week three of our Jungian archetypes meets African myth and folklore series, we start on the story of Sundiata (AKA Son Jara) Keita, arguably one of the major figures from African legends about good and courageous rulership. Sundiata is to the Manding people what Arthur of Camelot is to the British. We preface things with a bit more contextualization of rulership as an archetype and then take a quick look at Sundiata’s life to lay the foundation for our discussion.This is a big topic and I feel the weight of my own limited knowledge as I poke and prod at it. I ask for your understanding as we go along. I will try to be as thorough as I can be.I hope you enjoy!References* The Epic of Son Jara by John W. Johnson* The Collected Works of Carl Jung* Jung and the Individuation Process* The Persona* The Shadow* The Anima and Animus* Our Inner Partner: The Anima and Animus* 12 Jungian Archetypes: The Foundation of Personality Can’t Get Enough?Need a book of African Mythology and Folklore?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the foundation legend of the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

We are still at the very beginning of our year-long exploration of Jungian archetypes as expressed in African mythology and folklore. In the first episode from last week, we defined some foundational concepts we will encounter over and over as we move along. These include the collective unconscious as well as archetypes and stereotypes. We also talked a bit about why we are looking at African myths and folklore through this lens and then laid out a tentative plan for the year.We have a lot of ground to cover, friends, and it is important that we properly learn the contours of the psychic terrain we will be traveling. So, in this episode of the Mythological Africans podcast, we will focus on Jung’s four main archetypes (the Self, the Persona, the Shadow and the Anima/Animus complex), probe (lightly) at personhood in some African contexts, and then outline a few more concepts that will help us along the way.References:* The Collected Works of Carl Jung* Pearson, Carol . Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World (p. 182). HarperOne. Kindle Edition.* Oyeshile, Olatunji A. “Towards an African concept of a person: Person in Yoruba, Akan and Igbo thoughts.” Fiorita: Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies 34 (2002): 1-2.* Ndlovu, Sanelisiwe Primrose. “A critical exploration of the ideas of person and community in traditional Zulu thought.” (2021).* Brooke, Roger. “Ubuntu and the individuation process: Toward a multicultural analytical psychology.” Psychological Perspectives 51.1 (2008): 36-53.* Jung and the Individuation Process* The Persona* The Shadow* The Anima and Animus* Our Inner Partner: The Anima and AnimusNeed a book of African Mythology and Folklore?The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the foundation legend of the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe

Black/African people spend an incredible amount of energy, time and resources on countering negative stereotypes. Stereotypes are oversimplified, rigid, and, too often, biased perceptions people have of others. Black/African people have been locked in an all-out war against negative stereotypes for longer than is reasonable. The culture wars that perennially rage on social media could be called the Battles of the Stereotypes. But there is another framework which is similar to yet offers so much more than stereotypes: archetypes. The word “archetype” comes from the Greek word “archetypos” which means “original pattern”. It was initially used by philosophers from antiquity to describe the role of God or the Divine as the primordial pattern from which existence emerges. Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung was the first person to systematically apply the concept of archetypes to human psychology . In Jung’s theories, archetypes are patterns of behavior, circumstances, images and ideas which occur repeatedly in the unconscious thoughts of a given collective of people and so are expressed in oral traditions, literature, art, ritual, philosophy, and other domains of human communication and relationship. Jung proposed that an observer might arrive at some insight into what motivates and animates a given group of people by observing the expression and evolution of the archetypes in their cultural expressions. In 2026, the MA podcast will focus on applying Jung’s theory of archetypes to African mythology and folklore to see what emerges. In this introductory episode, we’ll define the term, explain some of its features, and explore why it is a more suitable framework for understanding a given group of people than stereotypes. We’ll also lay out the year’s plan with a focus on the specific archetypes we will encounter each month.References (including two of Jung’s books you want to keep close by for the rest of the year!)* Carl G. Jung. “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.” Routledge, 1968.* Jung, Carl G. “Man and his symbols.” Anchor Press, 1964. * Hogenson, George B. “The controversy around the concept of archetypes.” Journal of Analytical Psychology 64.5 (2019): 682-700.* Jungian Archetypes and the Hidden Architecture of the Psyche* 12 Jungian Archetypes: The Foundation of Personality Need a book of African Mythology and Folklore?The Watkins Book of African Folklore (…or The Mythological Africans Book) is out!The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends (including the foundation legend of the Tuareg!)* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody! Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe