According to one of several competing origin myths of the

Merina The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, or Hova) are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.Merina ...

people of

Imerina The Merina Kingdom, or Kingdom of Madagascar, officially the Kingdom of Imerina (–1897), was a pre-colonial state off the coast of Southeast Africa that, by the 19th century, dominated most of what is now Madagascar. It spread outward from I ...

in the central Highlands of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, Andrianerinerina is the incarnation of the son of God (''Zanahary'') from which the line of Merina rulers is said to have descended.{{cn, date=August 2020 According to the legend, the son of Zanahary descended to Earth at a location named Anerinerina (north of Angavokely) – source of the sovereign's Earthly name – to play with the

Vazimba The Vazimba (Malagasy ), according to popular belief, were the first inhabitants of Madagascar. While beliefs about the physical appearance of the Vazimba reflect regional variation, they are generally described as smaller in stature than the aver ...

, the reportedly primitive original inhabitants of Madagascar. The Vazimba were specifically warned not to cook Andrianerinerina's sheep because he couldn't consume their flesh, but one was nonetheless butchered and cooked in a stew that was served to him. By unwittingly eating the forbidden mutton, Andrianerinerina was no longer able to return to the heavens to rejoin his father. As a consequence,

Zanahary Zanahary is the personified sky of Malagasy mythology and folklore. He (usually male, but sometimes considered genderless) is considered a creator god, having collaborated with the earth god Ratovantany to create humanity; upon death, the soul mi ...

gave the Vazimba a choice: to "untie the threads of their lives" or to accept Andrianerinerina as their lord and master. They chose to accept to serve Andrianerinerina rather than be destroyed by Zanahary, who then sent down one of his daughters, Andriamanitra, as a wife to Andrianerinerina, and the royal line was begun.Ottino, P. (1983). Ancient Malagasy Dynastic Succession: The Merina Example. ''History in Africa, 10'', 247–292.

References

Malagasy monarchs Malagasy mythology History of Madagascar