First, another myth.
Mawu is the female portion of the Creator god in the mythology of the Fon, in West Africa. Her son is Legba, and in the beginning, Legba was her loyal servant. Legba would do as she demanded, and what he did was good, she took all that praise, and when what he did was evil, he took all the blame, even from her. Legba was not amused, but Mawu felt it was important for the ruler to be held as good and the servants as evil.
Legba warned her that there were theives that would steal her yams. She assembled guards around them, and said that anyone who stole them should be put to death. Legba stole her sandals, and slipped in at night, stealing all the yams. The next day, she tried to match the footprint, and *gasp* they were her own. So she humphs, and seperates herself from the world- by ten feet. Legba conspires with an old woman, who tosses her dishwater on Mawu nightly, untill Mawu ascends into Heaven, to maintain her purity.
There are some obvious connections here, but the ones that draw me are a bit less obvious. If Legba was truly Mawu's servant, than his guilt was her own. When he stole those yams, it was still Mawu's guilt. She seperated herself from that guilt.
Now Satan is the great accuser. He finds guilt and strips away the covers, and shames the victims. What guilt does YHWH hide?
