Swazis Worship One-Legged God

 Swaziland considers herself a Christian country. After banning the study of other religions in schools, and with the king holding a yearly sermon at one of his palaces, it sure seems like the kingdom is serious about the Christian faith what you may or may not know, however, is that Swaziland has its own god, and he’s not exactly the same as Jesus. Jesus said he was the only way, the truth and the light, but what of Mlentengamunye, the one-legged one from the humble hills of Swaziland?

One Leg Is Better Than Two?

Just as Jesus is the way to the Father, so is Mlentengamunye the way to ‘the One Who Appeared First’, known in siSwati as Mvelinchanti. Mvelichanti is too exalted to be approached by humans, and so Mlentengmunye’s responsibilty is to serve as messenger between God and man. Ancestors and other divine beings are also enlisted in this endeavour but the one-legged one is highly regarded for his unique abilities.

Not only does Mlentengamunye hop on to the creator with messages from humanity, he also passes messages from the creator to humanity. He is believed to ascend in a cloud on the mountains and supposedly, his leg appears hanging above the mountains while the cloud conceals the rest of his body. Whenever Mlentengamunye is said to have appeared, celebration was the order of the day. Everyone would draw closer to the mountain where they claim they saw him and various offerings of meat, drinks and food would be presented to him. Meat would be burned in the hope that he would enjoy the lovely smell from up in the skies. Some of the meat is eaten by the revellers while the bones are burned. If it starts to rain right after the people have presented their offering on the mountain, it’s consider a good omen, indicating that the offerings were successful.

Amputee Diety

Not all his so-called appearances are met with excitement. There are times when they signify the coming of a natural disaster. In such cases, the people go to the mountaintop with offerings to accompany their request to be spared from the elements. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also something done by mothers, where they bury their children neck-deep in a sandy riverbed, deserting them while crying before returning to lift them out. As the kids cry out, it is believed that Mvelichanti hears the noise, prompting him to put an end to the disaster on Earth.

In ‘The Swazi Traditional Concept of God’ by L. Vilakazi, we read; “Unlike in most African countries, missionaries did not come to Swaziland on their own initiative, they were invited by the Swazi authorities and received enthusiastic welcome when they arrived. All this was because of Sobhuza’s dream.” The late King Sobhuza, also known as Somhlolo, dreamt of “strange people emerging from the sea, carrying two objects, an umculu (book) and an indilinga (coin), this dream led to missionaries being invited into the kingdom.

How fascinating is the story of the one-legged god of Swaziland? Do you think there’s room for him in the Christian faith? Would you be open to exploring the Swazi Traditional Religion? Make a confession in the comments below; be tolerant of other people’s beliefs and FOLLOW FOR EVERYTHING SWAZILAND!