Mythology in the Igbo tribe of Southeastern Nigeria
The Igbo tribe is a tribe that is found in in the West African country, Nigeria. I am a member of the Igbo tribe. My tribe is primarily located in the eastern region of the country, near the Niger River Delta. My people are predominately Roman Catholics but before the arrival of missionaries and evangelist, the Igbo was still very religious. They had their own traditional religion and it served them well. Religion is the center of Igbo culture, from birth to death most of the major milestones in a person’s life has a traditional and religious ceremony attached to it. The language that was used to transmit Igbo myth before the arrival of Europeans was the Igbo language. The Igbo language is …show more content…
Myth in Igbo is Akiko Ifo or Akiko Ala which means fictional story or stories about Ala. Just like Greek myth, there are several types of Igbo myth. These are divine myth, legends and folktales. Igbo divine myth involves the stories of the god, the spirits and the ancestors. Igbo legends are stories of heroes but I am unaware of popular legends. Then folktales are stories that usually use animals to teach a moral or dissuade bad behavior. Then there are also etiological and charter myth.
Etiological myths are myths that explain the cause for a natural phenomenon like weather, seasons etc. A popular one is the story of how the tortoise broke his shell. It is said that one day, the gods announced that ‘everyone’ in the kingdom can come to the heavens to eat. So the tortoise being clever and wicked, told everyone that his name to ‘everyone’ and it was him the gods were referring to. So he told each bird to give him a feather so he could fly to the heavens. Then he told his wife to always put pillows and blankets on the floor to buffer his fall from the sky. One day, his wife discovered his deception and she replaced the pillows and blankets and she replaced it with spikes. So on that day, when the tortoise came down, he hit the piercing spikes and broke his …show more content…
The Supreme Being is called Chukwu. His name is Chukwu (Chi-Ukwu =Mighty Spirit). His other names are Chineke (Chi na-eke=Spirit that creates), Nna=Father etc. He is the overall head of the heavens and all the gods but he can’t be compared to Zeus because he is more similar to the Judeo-Christian god. He created man and he is our protector. He awkwardly does not have any shrines or temples that worship him specifically. Agwu Nsi is the god of divination and medicine men (Ndi Dibia). He is the one that gives them their powers of prophecy and magic. He was a minor divinity and his only shrines where probably the ones set up by the Ndi Dibia. Amadioha was the god of thunder and lightning. He is more relatable to Zeus because they both have the same responsibilities. In addition to the storm elements, Amadioha was also the custodian of justice. When there were court proceedings and you swore on him but you lied, you were struck by lightning. He is the consort of Ala. Ikenga is the god of war, victory, male crafts and more. He is like Ares, Nike and Hephaestus combined in one. His small statue is usually carried around but mostly by men. He represents success and achievement. He is usually illustrated with horns or with two heads. He is also in charge of blacksmithing, industry and farming. The Ikenga figure with two heads represents the part of Ikenga in charge of
The Igbo tribe is a tribe that is found in in the West African country, Nigeria. I am a member of the Igbo tribe. My tribe is primarily located in the eastern region of the country, near the Niger River Delta. My people are predominately Roman Catholics but before the arrival of missionaries and evangelist, the Igbo was still very religious. They had their own traditional religion and it served them well. Religion is the center of Igbo culture, from birth to death most of the major milestones in a person’s life has a traditional and religious ceremony attached to it. The language that was used to transmit Igbo myth before the arrival of Europeans was the Igbo language. The Igbo language is …show more content…
Myth in Igbo is Akiko Ifo or Akiko Ala which means fictional story or stories about Ala. Just like Greek myth, there are several types of Igbo myth. These are divine myth, legends and folktales. Igbo divine myth involves the stories of the god, the spirits and the ancestors. Igbo legends are stories of heroes but I am unaware of popular legends. Then folktales are stories that usually use animals to teach a moral or dissuade bad behavior. Then there are also etiological and charter myth.
Etiological myths are myths that explain the cause for a natural phenomenon like weather, seasons etc. A popular one is the story of how the tortoise broke his shell. It is said that one day, the gods announced that ‘everyone’ in the kingdom can come to the heavens to eat. So the tortoise being clever and wicked, told everyone that his name to ‘everyone’ and it was him the gods were referring to. So he told each bird to give him a feather so he could fly to the heavens. Then he told his wife to always put pillows and blankets on the floor to buffer his fall from the sky. One day, his wife discovered his deception and she replaced the pillows and blankets and she replaced it with spikes. So on that day, when the tortoise came down, he hit the piercing spikes and broke his …show more content…
The Supreme Being is called Chukwu. His name is Chukwu (Chi-Ukwu =Mighty Spirit). His other names are Chineke (Chi na-eke=Spirit that creates), Nna=Father etc. He is the overall head of the heavens and all the gods but he can’t be compared to Zeus because he is more similar to the Judeo-Christian god. He created man and he is our protector. He awkwardly does not have any shrines or temples that worship him specifically. Agwu Nsi is the god of divination and medicine men (Ndi Dibia). He is the one that gives them their powers of prophecy and magic. He was a minor divinity and his only shrines where probably the ones set up by the Ndi Dibia. Amadioha was the god of thunder and lightning. He is more relatable to Zeus because they both have the same responsibilities. In addition to the storm elements, Amadioha was also the custodian of justice. When there were court proceedings and you swore on him but you lied, you were struck by lightning. He is the consort of Ala. Ikenga is the god of war, victory, male crafts and more. He is like Ares, Nike and Hephaestus combined in one. His small statue is usually carried around but mostly by men. He represents success and achievement. He is usually illustrated with horns or with two heads. He is also in charge of blacksmithing, industry and farming. The Ikenga figure with two heads represents the part of Ikenga in charge of