Drawing by Shefa salem

The Rain Animal

The Rain Shaman is the most important person in prehistoric society; deprivation of rain means deprivation of life itself. Anyone who demonstrates their power and ability to bring rain earns respect and status. Most of the world’s rock art is nothing but the depiction of visions related to rain-making.

For the shaman, there are two types of rain: female rain, whose animal is the cow—a gentle rain that does not uproot or destroy anything, and male rain, whose animal is the bull—a violent, thunderous rain that destroys everything. However, snakes, elephants, and giraffes are also considered rain animals in many parts of the world. Snakes might take on the role of water animals during completely arid periods.

Another type consists of forms with strange faces and fluid, irregular bodies associated with rain. These animals are usually adorned with dots, lines, or marks resembling water-related scratches. Within the shamanic framework, these animals are linked to the shaman’s trance during their journey. In many rock art murals, figures appear that are half-human, half-animal, with fluid and strange bodies; these are also connected to rain animals.

When examining the subject of the rain animal in rock art, we must not differentiate between the world of reality and the world of imagination, or between truth and mood. The imaginary animals seen by the shaman live in the water hole (al-qalta). The shaman must seize one of them upon returning from trance and drag it across the largest possible expanse of arid land. Afterward, the animal is slaughtered, and when its blood flows upon the earth, rain falls.

• To learn more about this subject, you may refer to our book: “Land of the Garamantes: Suknah – A Journey of Passage to the Beginning.”