The Conflict between the Deities (Igwe and Amadioha) in Igbo Mythology over a Heat Wave

Staff Writer


Table of Contents

Introduction

The current heat wave reminds me of the conflict between two Igbo deities, namely: Igwe and Amadioha. Just as it was noted somewhere in this blog: Nigeria's Diversity and the South-East/South-South Peripheral Inclusions: Biafra's Raison d'etre, November 15, 2021, the Igbo people are the third-largest ethnic group who live in southeastern Nigeria. They have a very rich culture and tradition among which is their concept of God which varies from one community to another but essentially, they believe that the gods guide and control their life and affairs in many ways.

The Igbo concept of God stems from the idea of a chief god who creates everything. This god is supreme. The Igbo variously call this god Olisa bu uwa (the god who carries the world), Olisa bini Igwe, (the god who lives in the sky), Chukwu (the great god), or Chineke (the god who creates). For the Igbo, God, depending on the name he/she is called is spiritual and a creative force responsible for all that exists.

The Igbo view God, Olisa bu uwa, Olisa bini Igwe, Chineke, or Chukwu as the different names suggest as transcendent and immanent, hence the Igbo can feel God’s presence in their lives and affairs. God is far and near. The Igbo often describe God as Ono nso erughi aka (the God who is near but cannot be reached). As a result, there are other intermediaries through which the Igbo communicate with the supreme God. The Igbo concept of God also includes the concept of deities, spirits called Arusi and chi (or personal gods).

Like in many religions, the supreme being is often revered and their names are seldom used when addressing them. Not only the Igbo supreme being is transcendent and immanent, but holiness is also one of the major attributes. Thus, the deities or spirits play mediatory roles. In this vein, the deities, such as Igwe and Amadioha are categorized as Arusi.

The Deity – Igwe

 In Igbo’s understanding of the world, they divided it into two: Elu na Ala (literally, up and down) but it means ‘sky and land.’ In the Igbo language, ‘sky’ is known as ‘igwe’. There is a deity that controls or oversees the sky. This deity is called Igwe. She is the goddess of the sky and oversees the thickness of the clouds, the rain, thunder, lightning, the sun, the moon, the stars, and so on.

The Deity – Amadioha

The Igbo also believe that no deity has the atmospheric elements monopoly. Amadioha is the god of thunder and lightning. Bear in mind that Amadioha is an Arusi, an image made by humans but conferred on him the powers of adjudication for justice and retribution. The name Amadi -oha means (literally, man public), but it means ‘free man or free-born.’  

The Conflict between Igwe and Amadioha

Why was there a conflict between Igwe and Amadioha? Between a female deity and a male deity? Mythology has it this way: the conflict resulted from jurisdiction and control over the atmospheric elements and how they are applied to humans. The backdrop of the region’s weather will help in the description of the conflict between Igwe and Amadioha.

Igboland falls within the boundaries of Monsoons that last from June through September. This period sees heavy rains that can lead to flooding, landslides, and in most cases gullies. Sometimes, the Monsoons can cause extended dry seasons, hot weather resulting in hot air, scorched earth, that is vegetation dried out by the heat of the sun.

Occasionally, the region experiences clap of thunderstorms and flashes of lightning during rainfall. In addition to that, the sounds of the thunderstorms are like the heavy sounds of cannons that can be deafening and flashes of light that can light up an entire village.

It was said that Amadioha was frustrated and annoyed by the incessant heatwave on the land, and on the earth which was a result of the heat of the sun. Remember that the sun is above in the sky and the goddess of the sky is Igwe. So, Amadioha was blaming Igwe for using her powers and resources to harm humans and the fruits of their labours. Igwe said nothing nor stopped the sun from shining. Amadioha then ordered Igwe to stop harming humans with her sun, but she did not.

Both deities have some strong atmospheric elements in their disposals: thunder, lightning, and storms. Each tried to outwit the other by the several releases of thunderbolts, and lightning and hauling them at each other. As Amadioha sent the thunderbolts and lightning to Igwe’s heat, the heat mixing with the effects of the thunderbolts resulted in the formation of thick and dark clouds.

According to the mythology, some elders said that Amadioha came out a winner because he was able to release rain that cool the earth. Some argued that Igwe came out victorious because Igwe is always above or superior to Earth, hence the Igbo say that "Igwe k'ala" that is, 'the sky is bigger than the Earth.' Some elders also said that neither Amadioha nor Igwe won but rather both reached an agreement to maintain a balance where there will not be too much sun to burn out the earth nor too much water to drown it.

The conflict between Igwe and Amadioha in Igbo mythology can be said to elicit the equality of genders. The male deity, Amadioha challenged the female deity, Igwe to a battle of might to determine who controls the atmospheric forces and can bring solace and comfort to humans. The mythology also shows that in Igbo tradition, their gods or deities can work together or collaborate to ensure the well-being of humans.  

So, as the heat wave continues, there are debates about what is causing the excessive heat in the world today. The Igbo ancestors might have experienced this type of heatwave that led to this myth or something of similar nature. From a modern interpretation of this mythology, it seems that climate is somehow involved, whether it was a changing climate or not, the emphasis of the mythology was that there was at some point severe hot weather that was scorching the earth.

Popular posts from this blog

Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam Monk Bahira The Migration to Axum Kingdom Christianity and Islam have always been two noxious bedfellows and yet always proclaim and wish peace on earth. It would not be a crass assumption to state that the two religions have over the centuries crossed paths and re-crossed paths many times. Crossing paths might have been in their ideologies, conflicts, doctrinal interpretations and even sharing some physical spaces. Therefore, in this brief writing, we will explore the early contacts between Christianity and Islam and see how they have influenced each other. Early Contacts between Christianity and Islam The early contacts between Christianity and Islam were not short of frames.  According to Kaufman et al., “frames are cognitive shortcuts that people use to help make sense of complex information.” They are means of interpreting our world and perhaps, the world of other people around us.  Such interpretations helped them to
Read more

The Connection between a Personal Name and Name Groups in Shawnee Social Organisation

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Shawnee People The Divisions The Name Groups and Personal Names I’m always attracted to and interested in the culturally distinct and characteristic elements of different traditions or societies. Reading about the Shawnee people of Native American tribes is no different. I immediately fell in love with the linkage between Shawnee name groups and personal names. The name groups seem to present the Shawnee as a one-descent group with five major divisions. To examine this connection between a personal name and name group, a brief description of Shawnee will help in understanding the Shawnee social organisation. Shawnee People The term ‘Shawnee’ written in different forms ( Shaawanwaki, Shaawanowi lenaweeki, and Shawano ) is Algonquian like the archaic term ‘ shaawanwa ’ meaning ‘south.’ Thus, the term ‘Shawnee’ is (pronounced shaw-nee ) meaning the ‘southern people.’ The Shawnees are categorised as Algonquian-speaking North American Indian people whose pristine ho
Read more

The Akamba – Concept of the Supreme Being & Totems

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Supreme Being (Worships and Venerations) Mulungu   Mumbi  Mwatuangi  Ngai  Asa  Ancestors Totems Here is a brief account of the religious beliefs of the Akamba. Spanning through Central Bantu, the Akamba ethnic group is estimated to be about 4.4 million people and occupies Southeastern Kenya in areas, such as Kangundo, Kibwezi, Kitui, Machakos, Makueni and Mwingi Districts and the Ukamba. A swathe of the Akamba population can also be found in the Mazeras and Kwale Districts of the Coast Province in Shiba Hills. The Akamba languages are Kikamba and Swahili. Globally, the Akamba are not exclusively a Kenyan or African tribe. They can be found in Uganda, Tanzania, and Paraguay, which makes it partly an indigenous group and partly an autochthonal group. Argument from migration theory suggests that Akamba came from Kilimanjaro (a word that means ‘mountain of whiteness’), basing their arguments on the similarity of certain cultural features with the Wachagga people of Kili
Read more

Begrudging & Infightings: Aztec’s Theogony & Cosmogony

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Chalchiuhtlicue Nanauatzin Cosmic Order – The Balance Aztec is a name used to describe the Nahuatl-speaking people who thrived in central Mexico circa the 14 th  and 16 th  centuries as an empire and dominated large parts of Mesoamerica. Variously, the Aztecs had different names. They are known as Aztlan (which means ‘White Land’), the Tenochca (a name adopted from one of their ancestors called Tenoch), and the Mexica, which was a derivative from Metzliapan (which stands for ‘Moon Lake’). Ancient Aztec religious beliefs and practices were tied to their understanding of the world; the people were deeply amazed by the thought of the unknown, the universe and the end of time. These thoughts arouse some curiosity and awareness to understand better their world and how it came about. I used the term ‘theogony’ to describe the Aztecs’ generations of gods however, not in the context of Greek mythology where the ‘primordial deities’ were the fi
Read more

The Aesir Vs the Vanir – The gods at War

Staff Writer
Image
Audio – The Aesir vs the Vanir – The gods at war Table of Contents Introduction Norse Mythology The different deities under the Aesir Family The different deities under the Vanir Family Other deities Ullr Loki Conclusion Introduction ‘The gods at war’ is a phrase or statement I have chosen as a theme that will help me understand the claim about the many conflicts between the Aesir and the Vanir gods and goddesses. The Aesir gods and goddesses are Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, Baldr, and Tyr. Then, the Vanir gods and goddesses are Njörðr, Nerthus, Freyja, Freyr, Óðr, Hnoss, Gersemi, Skírnir, Kvasir, Gullveig. There is Jotnar, the giant gods who are constantly warring with the Aesir gods and goddesses and they are seen as chaotic and destructive. Then comes Kvasir. According to Norse mythology, Kvasir is a creation borne from the mixture of the saliva of the Aesir and Vanir gods and goddesses at the end of their wars. Kvasir is considered a wise god and he went up and down their sovereig
Read more

Nigeria’s Pledge Vs the President’s Mandate: An Antithesis of Patriotism

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Nigeria’s Pledge The President’s Mandate Loyalty to the President or the Constitution? In recent years, the Nigerian polity has been bedeviled by one general term, ‘mandate.’ As years passed, the term mandate gained more ground and replaced the allegiance or any public or private declaration of loyalty to Nigeria, as a country. The contract the people signed with the country was gradually torn into bits by the politicians (or leaders) and by extension, the citizens, (and foreigners living in Nigeria). The current political and economic climate of Nigeria is the main reason for this article. The people have openly rejected Nigeria’s Pledge and have taken recourse to different political mandates of some politicians. The aim here is to bring to the fore the salient points of Nigeria’s Pledge against the mandate of the president. Nigeria’s Pledge The clear and concise words of Professor Felicia Adebola Adedoyin in 1976 describing the terms of the Nigerian oath of
Read more

Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election - from preparation to verdicts

Staff Writer
Table of Contents Before the February 25, 2023, General Election During the Election – 2023 After the Election – 2023 The Verdicts – 2023 Moving Forward The insouciant and nonchalant comportment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the face of angst that has inbuilt despair among Nigerians is the reason for writing about Nigeria’s February 25, 2023, presidential election, and the outcome. Yes, it’s seven months after the election was conducted by INEC and the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) verdicts in Abuja on September 6, 2023. Some argued that the entire election was marred with violence, rigging, and corrupt practices and some others argued that it was the freest election ever held in Nigeria, by Nigerians (not ‘Nigeriens’) and for Nigerians. After the results were announced and Mr Ahmed Bola Tinubu was declared winner, his opponents filed petitions alleging that it was a rigged system. In this writing, an attempt will be made to describe
Read more

The Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe and Catholic Angels

Staff Writer
Table of Contents The Nez Percé People Catholic Teachings on Angels The Spirit, Weyekin in Nez Percé Tribe This writing is to briefly identify and recognize some cultural values of the Nez Percé tribe, especially their belief in Weyekin, often described as a personal guiding angel. The concept of a guiding angel provokes Catholic teachings about angels and comparison with the Nez Percé Weyekin, as the guiding spirit. But that will be a new piece of writing for the future. There can be a cross-cultural gleaning of ideas from nature, beliefs, and interactions.     The Nez Percé People The term Nez Percé, meaning “pierced nose” is the French coinage to describe the Nimiipuu tribe. The term Nimiipuu, meaning “we, the people” is a name the tribe used for themselves and their language, a part of the Sahaptin family. Early contacts with the Europeans, especially French explorers made the name Nez Percé popular because they unfairly adopted the name Nez Percé and used it for the Nimiipuu and n
Read more