Creation myth

My my long time friend and one time co-worker, Angel Brady, suggested that I do a sketch series on creation myths. I loved the idea, and I decided to go out and look for some I didn’t know anything about. The illustration is of the giant Mbombo, ruler of the watery earth, vomiting up the sun, moon, and stars. It’s part of the creation myth of the African  Bakuba:

“In the Bakuba account of demiurge, the Earth was originally nothing but water and darkness, ruled by the giant Mbombo. This giant, after feeling an intense pain in his stomach one day, vomited up the sun, moon, and stars. The heat and light from the sun evaporated the water covering Earth, creating clouds, and after time, the dry hills emerged from the water. Mbombo vomited once more. Many things were contained in this second vomiting—people (the first man and the first woman), animals (the leopard, the eagle, and the monkey Fumu), trees, the falling star, the anvil, the firmament, the razor, medicine, and lighting. The woman of the waters, Nchienge, lived in the East, and her son, Woto, became the first king of the Bakuba.” from Creation myth – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia at Tue Jul 20 2010 11:25:54 GMT-0400 (EST) on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_myth

Thanks, Angel, for the inspiration! I loved making it.