Tradition / Region: Dogon Mythology, Malian Mythology
Alternate Names: Nummo
Category: Mermaid
The Myth
In the beginning, the sky god Amma created the first living being: Nommo.
Nommo was not like humankind. He was amphibious and radiant, formed with both male and female nature within him. He belonged to the waters and carried within himself the life of the world.
After his creation, Nommo transformed and multiplied, becoming four pairs of twin beings. These were the Nommos, the first ancestors.
But one of the twins rebelled. This being sought to break free from the harmony Amma had established and brought disorder into the universe.
To restore balance, Amma made a sacrifice. One of the Nommos was offered up. His body was dismembered and scattered across the world. Wherever a piece of him fell upon the earth, sacred places were established. These became shrines, marking the spots where the life of Nommo touched the land.
Yet Nommo was not destroyed.
He descended from the sky in a great vessel, accompanied by fire and thunder. When he reached the earth, he created water and entered it, for he could not live without it. The waters became his dwelling.
Nommo then divided himself again, giving his own body to humankind as sustenance. The world drank of him, and in doing so, received life. He gave human beings their vital force and the principles by which they live.
From him came order, knowledge, and sacred authority. From him also came the first Hogon, the spiritual leader of the Dogon.
Thus Nommo remains the ancestor of humanity, the master of water, the one whose body became the nourishment of the world.
Gallery
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Nommo. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nommo
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Nommo