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Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 3:21pm On Nov 07, 2015
I'd like to learn more about Igbo mythology.

Stories about the pantheon of Gods Igbo people believe in

Stories about local gods and etc. smiley

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Re: Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 3:23pm On Nov 07, 2015
Here's a story about Ikenga:

Mythology and Fables Featuring Ikenga

According to Ndi Ichie Akwa Mythology and Folklore Origins of the Igbos, Ikenga was the son of Ngwu, and was a bold warrior and fantastic wrestler. He was reputed with the ability of flying from one Iroko tree to another. He was the first living man in living memory to earn the title Ogba-aka ari Oji which meant a climber of iroko tree without the aid of strings. Ikenga lead the Nkwo nation in the first and famous river of sea battle ever undertaken by any nation in the Oji country. Mermaids came to fight for the Edo people and many Ododo warriors rode on the backs of mammoth sharks and crocodiles. Edo herbalists had the power to conjure large stones to fly and ram on the buildings of the Nkwo nations to destruction. The war was intense and lasted one month. For the first time, the use of green foliage camouflage was introduced by Ikenga and his warriors so that they appeared as floating bushes on the seas, until they came close enough on their targets to rout the Edo and Ododo enemies.

Many of the will-o-wisps sent by Edo country were destroyed. When the Edo and Odo warriors saw that they were being defeated and were forced to retreat back to their territories they made a final desperate lunge to grab the only Ndi Ichi Akwa in Ngwu's possession. Ikenga rallied around his father's palace to repulse Ododo and Edo stalwarts. Many casualties were sustained by both sides until Ikenga came face to face with the four eyed monster called Ajikwu akpu isi who had six horns.

Ajikwu akpu isi belowed out his fearsome shriek which thundered through the jungle in repeated echos that the verdue quivered in ominous pulses. The monster roused his fierce rage by scampering round his position as a means of revving up his momentum and sharpening a deadly attacking pulse. The vibrations burgeoned into a nauseating earthquake in the area. He mixed his excrement with urine and splashed the corrosive mixture in Ikenga's direction. Ikenga used his ekpeke shield and in a series of athletic diving and feigning withered the ferocious onslaught. In the same split second however Ajikwu akpu isi had charged towards Ikenga as he snorted and roared. Ikenga sprang onto an overhead tree branch like a huge cat and somersaulted round it to suspend atop on his hands like an acrobatic gymnast.

As Ajikwu akpu isi thundered underneath in his charge, but missed Ikenga's backside by centimeters, Ikenga flung himself on the top horns of the monster. The two combatants hurtled through jungle flora and fauna in mortal battle. Ikenga mustered the last gram of strength in a titanic muscle flex as he twisted the neck of the beast which broke with such nerve shattering crack. There were few groans and whimperings followed by death thrubs and ghostly silence pervaded the vast jungle. The Edo and Ododo warriors were stupefied by the incredible spectacle and in a momentary recovery they retreated in disarray.[9]

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Re: Igbo Mythology by bluaero(m): 3:26pm On Nov 07, 2015
Nice

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Re: Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 3:27pm On Nov 07, 2015
It's a bit hard to find some things online so I hope you guys know more smiley
Re: Igbo Mythology by ChinenyeN(m): 4:51pm On Nov 07, 2015
First things first, you'll need to understand that there is very little synonymy of mythology across the Igbo-speaking region. Though you may hear the same or similar names across communities, the underlying mythos is sure to be dissimilar. So, if you're hoping to reconcile a single "Igbo mythology", it won't work. Also, most actual mythology can't be found online, because it isn't as simple as looking up "Igbo mythology". Real knowledge of the various mythos is even harder to come by. However, I'm sure some here on NL know enough to share fragments from their own local communities.

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Re: Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 6:37pm On Nov 07, 2015
ChinenyeN:
First things first, you'll need to understand that there is very little synonymy of mythology across the Igbo-speaking region. Though you may hear the same or similar names across communities, the underlying mythos is sure to be dissimilar. So, if you're hoping to reconcile a single "Igbo mythology", it won't work. Also, most actual mythology can't be found online, because it isn't as simple as looking up "Igbo mythology". Real knowledge of the various mythos is even harder to come by. However, I'm sure some here on NL know enough to share fragments from their own local communities.

I know that. I'm just asking for various mythologies from different communities.

There are the main gods that many Igbo communities share in common like Ani/Ala, Ikenga, and etc. And there are some particular to one region or even one community so I would like to here about those too.
Re: Igbo Mythology by Nobody: 9:21am On Nov 08, 2015
I suspect that you'll not get a rich harvest of mythology of Igbo gods. This is partly because Igbo gods for the most part are not sufficiently anthropomorphised. Most of them are just 'spirit forces', lacking the 'humanity' of, say, the gods of Greek mythology or of Norse mythology.

However, there are exceptions. Nnewi deities, for example, are sufficiently 'humanised' for stories to develop around them. [The Ndi Ichie Akwa mythology from which you got the Ikenga story is largely based on Nnewi mythology.] I don't have my Nnewi source materials here, otherwise I would have loved to share bits of it.

I have also heard stories surrounding Amadioha, the God of Thunder/Lightning who (in the stories) is represented as a King of sorts, ruling a realm from his seat at Ozuzu. I do not know the details of these Amadioha stories, however.

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Re: Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 2:22pm On Nov 08, 2015
If you get a chance can you post a few selections from that Book? smiley
Re: Igbo Mythology by Nobody: 3:53pm On Nov 08, 2015
Sure. It might take more than a few days, though. Presently, I'm no where near the book.

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Re: Igbo Mythology by Crayola1: 4:28pm On Nov 08, 2015
Radoillo:
Sure. It might take more than a few days, though. Presently, I'm no where near the book.

Or just fables in general, to be honest. Like how the world came to exist and things like that.
Re: Igbo Mythology by gatiano(m): 12:44pm On Sep 13, 2016
The supreme knowledge and wisdom gradually been released by The Igbo Elders; They have decided to break silence (That is the phrase that I have learnt to call it).

https://archive.org/details/LeopardsOfTheMagicalDawnScienceAndTheCosmologicalFoundationsOfIgboCulture

By A Dibia- Nze Chukwukadibia E. Nwafor
The link above is downloadable.
HOWEVER!

To fully understand this book, one must venture into the basis, The ancient knowledge and wisdom of Black people form The Elders of Botswana (Sechaba).
Blackroots science, Link below

https://blackhomeschoolacademy.files./2011/05/blackroots.pdf

Both are similar to Elijah Muhammad's teachings. None copied from each other, They all just belong to the same root.
Re: Igbo Mythology by thoth: 9:17pm On Sep 18, 2016
Thanks a lot for those Links.
gatiano:
The supreme knowledge and wisdom gradually been released by The Igbo Elders; They have decided to break silence (That is the phrase that I have learnt to call it).

https://archive.org/details/LeopardsOfTheMagicalDawnScienceAndTheCosmologicalFoundationsOfIgboCulture

By A Dibia- Nze Chukwukadibia E. Nwafor
The link above is downloadable.
HOWEVER!

To fully understand this book, one must venture into the basis, The ancient knowledge and wisdom of Black people form The Elders of Botswana (Sechaba).
Blackroots science, Link below

https://blackhomeschoolacademy.files./2011/05/blackroots.pdf

Both are similar to Elijah Muhammad's teachings. None copied from each other, They all just belong to the same root.
Re: Igbo Mythology by Ssathugit: 9:45pm On Jul 21, 2021
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