Sundjata Beliefs

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Certification: This is to certify that the following essay is my own work and that I have not received any unauthorized assistance with it. Signed Matthew Smith 9/14/15

The Influence of Beliefs on the Epic of Sundjata

The epic of Sundjata is an African oral legend that has been greatly influenced by traditional beliefs of magic and spiritualism. King Maghan, the king of Mali, was depicted as a strong believer in prophecies and talking with spirits. A great prophecy was told to King Maghan of the coming birth of his son, Sundjata, and his eventual rise to great power. King Maghan accepted this prophecy as truth. Agatucci stated “rulers like Maghan had adapted the religion of Islam, but the new faith…had not altered their belief in the world of spirits.” Bentley et al. adds that “they continued to observe traditional religious customs…, for example, the native religious specialists practiced magic and kept idols…” Spiritualism reigned supreme in this culture. …show more content…
O’Bryan summarizes the epic as “Sundjata, who is often attributed with magical powers, prophetically made an extraordinary journey in becoming King of Mali including defeating a King who is attributed with dark magic.” In the epic a magical curse is said to have been cast out of jealousy and caused Sundjata’s lameness. It is also told that Sundjata corrects his lameness with the use of a magically powerful tree branch. During Sundjata’s exile in Mema, Soumaoro Kanté gained control over the kingdom of Mali through great sorcery. Sundjata ultimately defeats Soumaoro Kanté by learning what gives Soumaoro Kanté his magical powers and using it against him. As an ever changing, oral legend the unanswerable question is asked, how much of this epic was fictitiously created due to the influence of magical and spiritual

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