The Maasai Legend on How Death Came to Be

There is a legend that the Maasai tell about the origin of death. They say that there was once a man known as Leeyio who was the first man that Naiteru-kop, a deity associated with creation, brought to earth. Naiteru- Kop told Leeyio that when a man dies and they dispose of the corpse, he must remember to say, 'Man die and come back again, moon die, and remain away'.

Many months passed away. One day, a neighbour's child died and Leeyio was called upon to dispose of the body. When he took the corpse outside, he made a mistake and said, 'Moon dies and comes back again, man dies and stays away.' So after that, no man survived death. A few more months passed, and Leeyio's own child died. The father took the corpse outside and said, 'Man die and come back again, moon die, and remain away."

On hearing this, Naiteru-kop said to Leeyio, "You are too late now for, through your own mistake, death was born the day when your neighbour's child died." This is how death came about, and why, up to this day, when a man dies he does not return, but when the moon dies, it always comes back again.