Lineage & Lore
Lineage & Lore is where the worlds of Enchanted Roots & Wonders begin.
Every realm, name, and figure is created through research ~ rooted in African folklore, spiritual systems, history, and myth ~ then woven together with original storytelling. These are not invented names pulled from thin air. They are chosen with care, studied for meaning, and shaped by the cultures and legacies they echo.
This page exists to honor that process ~ to share where these worlds come from, why they are named as they are, and how history and imagination meet to form something new.
Umbra and Duat in Ancient Myth & Memory
Umbra means shadow ~ specifically the deepest point where light is fully eclipsed. More than darkness, it names a condition of concealment and clarity, where form is no longer softened by light. In symbolic and mythic language, umbra marks thresholds and crossings, spaces where truth is exposed rather than hidden.
The Duat is the ancient Egyptian world of passage, judgment, and renewal, composed of many regions rather than a single realm. Souls move through gates and portals that connect chambers, trials, and domains, each guarded and governed by strict order. Passage is guided by Anubis and judged under the authority of Osiris. The Duat is also the path traveled nightly by Ra, whose journey through darkness ensures renewal at dawn. In this cosmology, death is not an end, but a structured crossing through thresholds, testing, and continuation.
From These Foundations, the Umbra Kuingdom of Duat Forms.
A distinct chamber reached through the Duat’s portal system ~ a place reserved for rare souls whose passage continues beyond death. Here, transformation replaces rest. Those who arrive are reshaped for purpose, given form to carry new roles beyond their former lives. For them, death is only the beginning.
Aziza and Nyama in West African Myth & Memory
Aziza appear in the oral traditions of the Fon and Ewe peoples of present-day Benin and Togo as elusive forest spirits and guardians of hidden knowledge. Though often described as small in stature, they are powerful beings who reward humility with gifts of hunting, healing, and craftsmanship, and punish arrogance or intrusion. In these traditions, the forest is alive, watchful, and governed by spiritual intelligence. The Aziza serve as nature’s intermediary.
Nyama (sometimes rendered as Nyam) refers to vital life force and spiritual potency found across West African cultures. It is neither good nor evil, but powerful and dangerous when uncontrolled. Flowing through bodies, land, and lineage, Nyama sustains balance when mastered and brings harm when misused. Power and responsibility are inseparable.
From These Foundations, the Aziza Nyampire Sprouts
Immortal beings bound to memory, sovereignty, and enduring power. Rooted in ancient belief and shaped through imagination, they remain watchers: present, unseen, and beyond the Rootless world.
Oshún and Yamaya in Yoruba Myth & Memory
Yamaya, also known as Yemọja, is the great mother of the ocean in Yoruba cosmology ~ ancient, formidable, and not to be approached lightly. She embodies depth, endurance, ancestry, and immense power, offering protection while enforcing strict boundaries. Yamaya is often regarded as the mother of many Òrìṣà, a matriarch whose waters can shelter or overwhelm. She is nurturing, but never gentle by default. In Yoruba belief, the ocean is a place of origin and reckoning, and Yamaya is its authority.
Oshún is a revered Òrìṣà of the Yoruba people, associated with rivers, creation, fertility, wealth, and survival. Proud, perceptive, and exacting, Oshún governs beauty, desire, and abundance, yet withdraws her gifts when disrespected. In Yoruba lore, when Oshún retreats or is driven away through conflict or rejection, harmony on Earth unravels and unrest follows among humans and spirits alike. Balance returns only with her presence.
From These Foundations, the Oshún DynaSea Emerges
Carrying river and sea into a shared bloodline. Some are born of Oshún; others are found by Yamaya ~ mer children who arrive wounded, lost, or still becoming. Yamaya offers shelter, guidance, and community, strengthening them in body and spirit, helping them heal, remember who they are, and grow into their power. When ready, each chooses their own path ~ some remain within the dynasty, others venture into the wider world. All are raised within this lineage, becoming strong, elegant merfolk shaped by love, memory, and immense power.
