Nzazi: The Thunder Spirit of the Kongo
Nzazi is the powerful spirit of thunder and lightning in Kongo mythology, a fearsome being who lives in the sky and hurls bolts of fire at those who break the sacred laws. According to tradition, Nzazi was once a man who climbed too high in his ambitions and was transformed into a sky spirit as punishment. Now he patrols the heavens during storms, his flashing eyes creating lightning and his voice creating thunder. When a tree is struck by lightning, the Kongo say Nzazi has visited judgment upon someone hiding beneath it. But Nzazi is also a purifier — lightning strikes burn away impurities an