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Deity

Olapa

Maasai Deities
Olapa Bruised Moon

Olapa is the goddess of the moon in Maasai mythology, married to Enkai, the sun and supreme creator. Tradition describes Olapa as short-tempered: in one telling she wounded Enkai during a quarrel between them, and he struck back and took one of her eyes, which Maasai storytelling gives as the reason the moon appears the way it does, especially when full.

Facts
Attestation
Veneration Today
Historically attested; no continuous cult 1
Historicity
Not a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1
Function
Domain / Function
Moon 1
Identity
Gender
Female 2
Belief
Theology
Polytheistic: many gods 1
Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. Olapa, Structured Record (Wikidata Q)
WikidataWikidata property P21 (sex or gender)View the Source
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