Our first featured dragon is Aido Hwedo, from stories of the Fon people in Dahomey, Africa. Aido Hwedo is also known as Oshunmare, Oxumare, and Oshunmaire, and is of both genders. For this reason, in our book we plan to call Aido Hwedo either "it" or possibly "they" (since although it's not human, it is very intelligent). When the Creator feared that the earth with all its creatures would be too heavy and would collapse, Aido Hwedo bravely volunteered to allow the earth to sit on its coils while it holds its tail in its mouth. As such, the image of Aido Hwedo is that of an ouroboros, a giant dragon or snake with its tail in its mouth. Many world cultures have this image. Below we have posted a sneak preview of our illustration of Aido Hwedo done by illustrator and co-author Rachel:
Rachel's drawing of Aido Hwedo takes its inspiration from many animals, including a python (an example taken from an internet source is pictured below).
Working in the UMass laboratory with snakes and reptiles, she often gets an up close and personal view! Next week we will post another dragon with a preview of its illustration and an abbreviated version of the story we'll be telling in the book. In the meantime, if you've ever heard the story of Aido Hwedo yourself, let us know in the comments section!
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