Mazgaba Maṣāḥəft

Title

• King Naʾakkwǝto Laʾab, the 13th c. Ethiopian monarch, and how the Virgin Mary informs him about his future at Dabra Zamaddo

Description

When Na'akkweto La'ab was a child, Mary came to him and shared a prophecy about his future. According to this prophecy, his father, King Lalibala, would give him the kingship then take it back again. Mary encouraged Na'akkweto La'ab to avoid anger and remain patient, as his father would eventually return the kingship to him. She then told him that once he became king he would go hunting in the country of Dänsa, where he would witness a white partridge enter a grotto. She explained that he must follow the partridge, catch it, and slaughter it. He must then sprinkle its blood in the grotto, bury its body there, and build a church in her name on the site. Everything that Mary prophesied came to pass, and Na'akkweto La'ab followed her instructions closely. The son of Mary then sent a message to Na'akkweto La'ab declaring that his wife would be blessed with a child. Na'akkweto La'ab worried about losing his priesthood, and his wife worried about losing her virginity. But Mary reassured him that he would not lose his priesthood and that his wife would not lose her virginity.