Walumbe, Death, Who Hid in the Earth
In a Ugandan legend, Death followed the first woman to Earth. When a god tried to catch him, he escaped into deep pits in the ground, and still lives there.
What was reported
In the creation story of the Baganda people of Uganda, Kintu, the first man, married Nambi, daughter of Ggulu, the god of the sky. Ggulu warned them to leave heaven quickly, before Nambi's brother Walumbe, Death, could follow. But Nambi went back for grain she'd forgotten, and Walumbe came with them to Earth and began taking their children.
Another brother, Kayikuzi, was sent to catch him. Walumbe fled into the ground, digging deep holes to hide. The story says he lives there still, and the place is identified with a field of deep pits at Ttanda, in central Uganda, which people visit with respect.
Explanations offered
The legend explains why people die, like other origin stories around the world. The Ttanda pits are thought to be old excavations, perhaps from mining. The site is a cultural landmark for the Baganda.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Ttanda, Mityana, Uganda
- Witnesses
- The Baganda people
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Uganda