Fanahy
The fanahy is a core concept in Malagasy spirituality, referring to the spirit or essence that determines an individual's character, behavior, and moral nature. Unlike the European concept of a singular soul, Malagasy tradition recognizes multiple spiritual components within a person, with fanahy being the moral and spiritual force that shapes personality. A person can have a "good fanahy" (generous, kind, socially harmonious) or a "bad fanahy" (stingy, angry, antisocial). When a person dies, the fanahy departs permanently from the body. If the deceased receives proper burial rites and famadih