Nomkhubulwane, Zulu Goddess of Rain
Nomkhubulwane is the Zulu Goddess of rain, nature, and fertility, and is regarded as the Mother Earth. She is believed to be capable of changing into different types of animals. The name Nomkhubulwane means “she who chooses the state of an animal”.
In the olden days the Zulus would plough their fields and have a special one which was ploughed by the whole village collectively and was never weeded or harvested right up to the next ploughing season and the cycle would resume again. I believe there were Nomkhubulwane festivals that were held I am not sure though if it was during ploughing or harvest times.
What would the relationship be with “Makobolwane” – a mountain peak in the Mpumalanga Drakensberg. Would this be referring to a AmaSwazi or maPulana name for the same rain / fertility goddess?
What is Nomkhubulwane in seSotho
It’s almost similar