The beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Madagascar are fairly obscure even to mainstream researchers, but they convey a long history of migrations across the Indian Ocean, memories of megafauna and gods at once similar to those of Philippine, Malaysian and Polynesian religions yet also their own things.
In the beginning, Zanahary (either the sun or the sky) created the world, only to realize later that Earth God Ratovantany now existed as well. Ratovantany had sculpted many creatures out of clay out of loneliness, and despaired that his sculptures were lifeless. Zanahary took pity on Ratovantany and breathed life into the creatures, which included humanity. But soon, a dilemma occurred when the creatures died, as either god claimed ownership of the beings. A deal was made however, in which Zanahary would claim the souls of the dead, while their bodies would be returned to Ratovantany.
There are many other gods, but the worship of the ancestors and observing cultural taboos is also very important, and connects the peoples of Madagascar to their Pacific Islander relatives.
A source
for beginners.
Tropes found in Malagasy mythology include:
- Ambiguous Gender: Though Zanahary is often perceived as male, they can also be seen as genderless.
- Ancestor Veneration: Malagasy people hold that, so long as they are remembered, the souls of the deceased retain a strong influence on the lives of the living. While most of the Malagasy ethnic groups take this as a good sign (ancestors can and will be cajoled into increasing their relatives' luck), some (such as the Bara) believe that attracting a dead soul's attention in any way is a recipe for disaster.
- Heaven Above: Zanahary is the god of the sky. When people die, their souls go to him.
- Lunacy: Andriambahomanana, the God of the Moon and folk hero.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Depending on which version of the myth you read, humans either were among the original creatures, descend from a son of Zanahary who decided to become mortal, or descend from one of two brothers who left the forest to cultivate the land (the brother who stayed in the forest became the ancestor of the indri lemurs).
- Nature Spirit/Genius Loci: Many places in Madagascar are believed to hold power (either as themselves or as a conduit to the gods), and many of said places have taboos designed specifically to avoid offending the resident powers.
- Top God: Zanahary, the sky god.
- Trickster God: Kotofetsy and Mahakà, a true
Chaotic Neutral duo that might target each other as well as anyone else.
