Home›West African Deities›Theology›Henotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesBrowse ByHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesThis page groups deities by the theological framework used to describe their nature, since traditions disagree about whether a god is a distinct being, an aspect of a single divine reality, or something else again. Wikipedia describes theology as "the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity and the history behind religion." Browsing this way lets a visitor compare how differently two traditions can explain what a deity actually is.FactsLearn MoreHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedA regional cover term, not a pantheon. This group holds deities from several unrelated West African religions with different languages, different cosmologies and no shared priesthood. What they broadly share is a structure rather than a roll of gods: a remote high god above a working array of lesser deities, ancestors and nature spirits. The Yoruba orisa are treated as their own group. 2Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedThe Akan of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, whose high god is Nyame 3Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedThe Dogon of Mali, whose religion reached wide notice through Marcel Griaule and has since been substantially re-examined in the field 4Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedThe Fon and Ewe of Benin and Togo, whose vodun are the source of the Haitian lwa 5StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedWest African religion names a region, not a religion. The traditions grouped here are distinct and the resemblance among them is structural; treating them as one system is a convenience of comparison and not a finding. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedDeities 1AttestationVeneration TodayWell-attestedThese are living religions of the region, practised alongside and often within Christianity and Islam. 2Learn MoreThe gods of West Africa This group gathers deities of West African traditional religions beyond the Yoruba orishas treated separately, including figures from Akan, Fon (Vodun), Dogon and neighbouring traditions. These are living religions of the region, typically framing a remote high god above a working array of lesser deities, ancestors and nature spirits. The browser will find high gods such as the Akan Nyame and the Fon Mawu-Lisa, along with the vodun and lesser powers served in daily practice. Many of these traditions are the African sources of diaspora religions elsewhere in the atlas, and the entries note those connections where they are documented.Henotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesFilter Results9 entriesChild OfAllAsaase Yaa (1)Nyame (1)HistoricityAllNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being (9)ArchetypeAllThe Caregiver (1)The Jester (1)The Lover (1)Veneration StatusAllActively venerated in a living tradition (9)Worshipped InAllAkan Religion (3)Dogon Religion (2)Haitian Vodou (1)Odinani (3)Domain / FunctionAllAgriculture and harvest (1)Ancestors (1)Commerce and wealth (1)Cosmic order and truth (2)Creation and cosmogony (3)Earth (2)Fertility and generation (2)Healing and medicine (1)Justice, law and oaths (2)Rivers, lakes and springs (1)Sea and ocean (1)Sky (3)Storm and thunder (1)Trickster (1)GenderAllCollective / plural, not a single figure (1)Female (3)Male (5)PantheonAllWest African (9)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 9AlaHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesAmadiohaHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesAmmaHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesAnanse (Anansi)Henotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesAsaase YaaHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesChukwuHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesMami WataHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesNommoHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesNyameHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinitiesConnectionsBelongs to TraditionAkan Religion, Religions Well-attested West African deities: the Akan figures, headed by the sky-god Nyame and the earth-goddess Asaase Yaa, named in the group article.Source An Essay on African Philosophical Thought: The Akan Conceptual SchemeKwame Gyekyetier 1Dogon Religion, Religions Well-attested West African deities: the Dogon figures, headed by the creator Amma and the primordial Nommo, named in the group article.Source Dogon Restudied: A Field Evaluation of the Work of Marcel GriauleWalter E. A. van Beektier 1Vodun (West African), Religions Well-attested West African deities: the Fon Vodun figures, served under the paired creator Mawu-Lisa, named in the group article.Source Dahomey: An Ancient West African KingdomMelville J. Herskovitstier 1Sources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. West African ReligionsView the Source3. An Essay on African Philosophical Thought: The Akan Conceptual Schemetier 1Kwame Gyekye, Cambridge University Press, 1987ch. 5View the Source4. Dogon Restudied: A Field Evaluation of the Work of Marcel Griauletier 1Walter E. A. van Beek, Current Anthropology 32(2), 1991pp. 139-167View the Source5. Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727-1892tier 1Robin Law, Ohio University Press, 2004ch. 1View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Dahomey: An Ancient West African Kingdomtier 1Melville J. Herskovits, J. J. Augustin (New York), 1938View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.