NDRIANANAHARY

Real Name: Ndriananahary

Identity/Class: African god

Occupation: Supreme god of the Razenes of Malagasy, god of the Underworld

Affiliations: The Council of God Kings, The Orishas

Enemies: Akhenaten

Known Relatives: Ataokoloinona, Rabefihaza (sons); Unkulunkua (wife), Buluku (presumed father), Gaea (presumed mother, alias Nana), Obatala (presumed brother), Odudua (presumed sister)

Aliases: None known

Base of Operations: Iku (African Underworld)

First Appearance: Marvel Universe: The End#2 (May, 2003)

Powers/Abilities: Ndriananahary possesses powers superior to most of the African gods except for perhaps Buluku and Nyambe. He has superhuman strength (possibly Class 95), stamina, resistance to harm and a long life enchantment. He also has undefined mystical skills that possibly parallel Pluto or Hela.

History: (African Myth)- Ndriananahary is the Supreme God of the Razane aborigines of the Malagasy of Madasgascar. He is credited with creating the earth, but he forgot to create a sun to light it. His son, Ataokoloinona, was the first Chief of the Razanes, but he vanished from earth. Ndriananahary lit a light to look for him, but it terrified mortal men who had never seen it before. He hung his light in the sky as the sun to look over mortals until his son could return. In return for the light, mortal man promised to look for Ataokoloinona for him and as mortal died, they returned home to Iku to report their progress.

Unfortunately, the sun stayed on and mortal man began suffering from the heat. The mortals who entered Iku complained about the heat as Ndriananahary sent rain to cool the earth. As mortals passing over mentioned how wet the earth was becoming, Ndriananahary created days and seasons so that mortals could share equal amounts of light, day, rain and weather.

(Marvel Universe: The End#2)- A group of Godheads met to discuss the actions of Akhenaten against humanity: Atar (Vedic/Persian), Horus (Egyptian), Hunab Ku (Mayan), Izanagi (Japanese), frican), Shou-Hsing (Chinese), Thor (Asgardian), Vishnu (Hindu), Zeus (Olympian), and Ndriananahary. They also discussed summoning Those of the Forgotten Realm. Horus, who was most familiar with Akhenaten used the Eye of Ra to spy on the powerful being, but Akhenaten detected them and attacked, destroying all present, except Thor and Zeus, who managed to flee.

(Marvel Universe: The End#4 (BTS))- Thanos gained the virtually unlimited power of the Heart of the Infinite and altered time so that Akhenaten never gained his power, effectively undoing his actions and restoring those he had destroyed. However, to those who could understand or even remember what had happened, these actions were seen as the replacement of one threat with another, perhaps even worse.

(Marvel Universe: The End#5-6)- The Godheads joined together with a multitude of heroes and villains from Earth and the rest of the universe to oppose Thanos, who had gained supreme power from the Heart of the Infinite. Thanos easily wiped out every single being in the universe, but later was convinced by Adam Warlock to sacrifice himself to restore the universe to its previous state.

Comments: Adapted by Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom

Ndrianahary also has parallels with Prometheus who bestowed fire on mortals and with Aiomum Kondi whose son Okonorote also departed heaven to live on Earth.

In most African myth, the sprits of the dead must walk for nine days to reach the underworld which is separated from heaven by a great desert. It is a layered region with a top portion for only the chosen and a bottom region for sinners. It might be assumed that Ndriananahary rules the heights while Damballah of the Loa rules the abyss. Similar levels exist in Mexican, Egyptian and Chinese myth.

Ndrianahary’s relationship with the other African Gods is a bit tenuous. Since his son Ataokoloinona is often called the first man and that Ndriananahary has a sun god and a moon-goddess as siblings, this would place him ambiguously as a son of Buluku, a brother of Odudua and Obatala and uncle to Nyambe and Lusa and Mawu, the parents of the Loa.

by Will U

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ndriananahary should not be confused with:


Last updated: 08/25/03

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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