Achamán is the supreme god of the

Guanches The Guanche were the Indigenous peoples, indigenous inhabitants of the Spain, Spanish Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean some to the west of modern Morocco and the North African coast. The islanders spoke the Guanche language, which i ...

on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

; he is the father god and creator. The name means literally "the skies", in allusion to the celestial vault (the

sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

). Achamán, an omnipotent and eternal god, created the

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

and the

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

, the

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

and the air, and all creatures derived their existence from him. Achamán lived in the heights and sometimes descended upon the summits of the

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

, contemplating his creations. According to legend, Guayota kidnapped Magec (the sun) and shut it up in the Teide, plunging the world into darkness. Humans prayed to Achamán who saved Magec, and instead locked Guayota up in the Teide. Another aboriginal legend is that of the creation of the human being, according to which Achamán had created a group of men and women of water and land, giving them cattle for their sustenance. Later he created more people, but he did not give them cattle, indicating that they should serve the first ones. This myth of origin explained the different social classes that existed in the Guanche people. Other names of Achamán are: * Achuhuran * Achahucanac * Achguayaxerax * Achoron On other islands, its name also varied, however it is not known if they really belong to the same god. Although if they relate to the supreme god: * Acoran (

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

) *

Abora Abora is the name of an ancestral solar deity of La Palma (Canary Islands) and a traditional god of the Guanches. Supreme being Abora (Ibru) is the name of the supreme being of the religion of the Guanches on the island of La Palma. In Guan ...

( La Palma) * Orahan (

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...

) * Eraorahan ( El Hierro) In

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...

and Fuerteventura, the name of the supreme god is unknown.

References

Guanche Religion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achaman Guanche gods Creator gods Sky and weather gods Names of God