The Quarrel Between Sagbata and Sogbo
             The Quarrel Between Sagbata and Sogbo is a myth from the Fon people of Benin, in Africa. These skilled warriors expressed their beliefs through stories and myths. The Quarrel Between Sagbata and Sogbo reveal the cause of a devastating, worldwide drought that supposedly occurred and provides a theory on how the problem was eventually solved. Like many other ancient cultures, the Fon believed in several different gods, with each god being responsible for different sections of the earth. Sagbata and Sogbo were the sons of the great goddess Mawu; when Mawu creates the world, she forsakes her responsibility of ruling over the earth to her sons.
             The two brothers shared a definite antagonism; they always differed in their views of how the world should be ruled. After a great argument between the two brothers, Sagbata declares that he can no longer stand the way his younger brother treats him. He decides to collect all that is his, including their mothers wealth, and goes down to the earth, where he becomes ruler.
             The plot of this myth arises from Sagbata's decision to leave with all his mother's wealth, which he believes would rightfully be his own as he is the older sibling. Upon collecting his possessions, he realizes that it would not be possible for him to carry down with him fire and water, and is forced to leave them behind when he leaves. Sogbo, now having power over the water and fire left behind by his brother, takes advantage of the situation to prove to his brother, on Earth, that he essentially has power over his kingdom as well. Sogbo caused a terrible drought; three years passed in Sagbata's kingdom without a drop of a rain.
             Sagbata realizes that in order for his kingdom to survive he needed to compromise with his brother, who now had control over what the people needed most, water: he had to give in to his younger brother's demands. Sagbata makes a deal ...