>>44237752
Some tribes believed that dance and celebration were innately spiritual acts, likely attributing what we know as positive psychology to magic. Festivals were specifically held to lend the power of the tribes people to the local shaman so that he might perform magic for the community's benefit.

Also there are beliefs in small tribes in the sub sahara that believe hyenas are in fact beast man hybrids, like werewolves, and that their bestial form is derived from magic and that rather than a curse they are in effect wizards. They also believe blacksmiths are wizards. So in effect they believe blacksmiths are wizards are werehyenas all interchangably. Also there are superstitions of a whole town populated by hyenamen in disguise. So a town of wizards. So a town of blacksmiths.

>>44238589
Some bantu tribes believed that shapeshifting monsters like werehyenas inherently have the soul of the creature they shift into.

And that eventually their natural compulsions come out so one day they begin to eat people,

Many africans distinguished between ordinary predators and the really smart ones. Very clever maneaters were considered shapeshifting spirits with the intelligence of men.

One tribe in Tananzia claimed that a handsome youth who was not of their village came to court a young girl. He seduced her and took her to the bush to make love, then came horrible screaming and silence. The villagers later found her mutilated corpse that night up in a tree hanging by her intestines and bone. They set up many traps which were evaded, almost like the predator was mocking them. Multiple hunters went into the bush to confront the creature and were devoured. So they all consulted the village witch doctor who cast a spell on an arrow. Later on a hunter noticed a leopard stalking him from the trees, he turned and shot it in the shoulder with the magical arrow. The leopard screamed like a human and fled. Later that day the mysterious youth came into the village with an arrow wound in the shoulder claiming to have been attacked. The villagers slew him and burned his corpse far away in the bush so he couldn't come back as one of the undead.

Many west african tribes considered blacksmith s to have powers because they spent their time alone at a hot forge taking raw nature and turning it into something useful for humans. The Yoruba have a story about a mortal blacksmith who saved a goddess from the wrath of the thunder god in a great battle. The epic of Sundiata is a conflict between a freeman and a blacksmith who became too big for his britches.

>>44237752
Evil fetishes require evil deeds/sacrifices

Neutral fetishes require individual feats, like taking up and down a treacherous jungle mountain alone

Good fetishes require communal effort, a large group of people pure of heart has to perform a ceremony to bless it with heart felt effort

>>44239913
>Good fetishes require communal effort, a large group of people pure of heart has to perform a ceremony to bless it with heart felt effort
So...spirit bomb?

>>44237752
>not!Africa setting
>notnotafrica
Well as an exactly Africa setting it easy, there is no magic. If it was a !Africa setting it might have been more difficult.

>>44237752
>compel
>not trick/trap
you dun goofed

>>44243928 Those aren't necessarily separate.

>>44246293
I can see it now.

>"who disturbs the mistress of the river?!"
>"you wish for me to aid you in thine quest?"
>"halt, I don't want your treasures or pathetic acts of supplication"
>"it's gets...lonely here"

*shows off legs*

>"what if you gave me some...pleasurable company instead?"

Before you scream magical realm that's a plausible thing from folklore. The Rwandans have a legend about the thunder god healing a sick baby girl in return for her hand in marriage when she turned 16, her parents try stop it by keeping her indoors whenever it rains. She gets curious while they're out visiting relatives and a tempest of thunder and lightning sweeps her up into the heavens and his arms. He was hot and pretty alright so she agreed to be his wife. Her parents grieved so much she asked to visit them on earth, on the road she was attacked by a bush demon who ate her servants so her husband annihilated it with his power. He reconciled with her parents and happily ever after.

The Mandinka say that a bard wanted a new instrument unlike the ones already known. He asked a river spirit for help and the spirit asked for the love of his sister. The bard was kind of a dick and led her to the river where the spirit grabbed hold of her and kissed her. In exchange the spirit handed the bard a Kora (sort of like a harp). Mastery of this instrument required intense spiritual power. After all words and music have power of their own. (The world was created with speech in Mandinka lore) Its thought that every kora is home to a spirit.

Oh yeah and in Yoruba tales they say a hunter came across a goddess in the forest. He was afraid but she loved him at first sight and embraced him. They spent ages making love in the home she magically created for them, talking, dancing, and generally making merry.

Eventually she had to return to her duties as a deity but she swore that he would never be in danger when he was in those woods, or anyone else.

Have tried asking /x/?

>I decided that while normal humans can do magic they require a fetish to do so.

Would foot fetish suffice?

>>44242669
I'm sure your pedantic antics will one day win you friends.

>>44237752
You could say that the fetish draws the spirit's attention, so that whenever you shake the bag and jump around three times or whatever he goes over to where you are and does as you ask him to.

Giggity

>>44237752
>Now I'm just pondering how you convince or compel a lesser god to live inside of a small idol, bag, animal bone, sword, bundle of feathers, etc.
They need a physical anchor in order to interact with the physical world. They grant the keeper of the fetish a fraction of their power as an incentive to keep and protect the fetish from loss or harm. The exact potency of the fetish is based on how sincerely the keeper believes that it is appropriate for the spirit it houses. For instance, if they believe that the god is a tiny blacksmith who forges the stingers of scorpions, they would believe that an equally tiny hammer would represent his portfolio.

Without a physical anchor, they are utterly powerless.

Don't forget throwing knives

>>44239913
Sounds too Captain Planet

>>44237752
If we go into shrunken head territory, spirits could live in fetishes because they *started* their, and the fetish was made out of them.

>>44251993
Not OP, but i like that.

>>44237752
The good gods are all but blind to the world for evil tricked them long ago and stole away there eyes, but through the construct of a fetish they can see through its eyes.
Grateful for this they grant the user of the fetish with (what ever power /spell)

>>44256510
In Sundiata the BBEG used the severed heads of defeated kings as fetishes along with weird looking owls, and a cauldron with an enormous black snake inside.

>>44237752
God damnit OP, do we really need another fucking fetish thread?