absoluteSuccess:
Egun people has some of the nicest sounding vocabularies and thought invoking names. Music wise, Egun songs and dirges are of the highest quality African spiritual.

I have listen to such in rendition, and to the kinestethics of the 'hunsie's' dancesteps, the dance of mortals initiated to the deities of our ancestor's Votun.

Most Egun bear names with deep meaning, can't collate all but some.

Seveo: Creator is passionate with word.

Sejro: Creator's desire.

Sewanu: Creator be thanked.

Sesinu: Creator's own thing.

Vyhutu: For the sake of a child.

Johnde: One good thing.

Hosu: Several tidings.

Mausi: God's belonging.

Sonayon: Tomorrow will be well.

Totai: Father at market.

Dethin: Prayer is real.

Senami: God's gift to me.

Mehgonu: Individual personal issue.

Mendo: Whom do I have?

Who do I have to add some more to the list?

absoluteSuccess:


The Don,

It is Yoruba phrase meaning 'when there is no elder', from the proverb

'agba osi ilu baje, baale ile ku ile dahoro.' There was no elder, the city is spoilt. The father of the house died, the house became desolate.

It used to be the fad amongst the Egun to bear Yoruba proverbs as names, and Agbaosi is one of such names.

My grandma own is Geleodun, from 'Geleodun bi kamoo we, kamoowe o dabi koyeni': headgear is not so pleasant if you can't tie it right, to tie it right is not as pleasant as when it's a perfect-fit.

The Egun uses Yoruba language to spice their language (which is as beautiful as any language) and to break monotony.

Atimes, you wont recognise a word of Yoruba that has become Egun, vice versa. Example, fenyin-en means 'cassava', but in Yoruba, it means 'open your teeth'.

absoluteSuccess:


Awori is a dialect of Yoruba, and a Yoruba speaker can easily understand Awori.

Egun on the other hand is a language on its own, seperate from Yoruba. A Yoruba speaker can never understand Egun, vice versa.

The similarity is in the area of culture, history and worldview to some extent. The Egun has their variant dialects, just like Yoruba.

Aja, Ajara, Setor, Gbekon, Alada, Tori are some forms of Egun dialects. Meanwhile, people of Whydah and cotonou speaks Yoruba and Alada.

Others only bear Yoruba names, worships their version of 'Yoruba gods' such as Sango, Dudua, Ifa, Roko and patronises 'Bokonor' (obo kor no: charm-sand-peeps).

Juju in Egun language actually means 'black colour'. Vior also means black. Votun means venerated idol; 'voodoo' or 'juju' means 'obo' 'Ohbow'.

absoluteSuccess:

Thanks for the enlightenment
Alright,

Ajoviyon, the business (of raising) children is good.

Asokere, patridge, (aparo, quail). So asokere might have been a deconstruction of a proverb made into name. That I'm not able to guess.

Ekundayo: they don't translate Ekundayo to Egun language. Rather, Egun adopt the same as though it's Egun.

Kundayo, Egun loves eliminating the first vowel of their Yoruba names, except for letter A or O in most cases.

Ekun, (Avi), di, (zun, lezun), Ayo, (ahya). Aiha, a close sound to ahya means memory. Ajoyo, rejoicing, jahyah.

I hope this helps.

absoluteSuccess:


Alright,

Ajoviyon, the business (of raising) children is good.

Asokere, patridge, (aparo, quail). So asokere might have been a deconstruction of a proverb made into name. That I'm not able to guess.

Ekundayo: they don't translate Ekundayo to Egun language. Rather, Egun adopt the same as though it's Egun.

Kundayo, Egun loves eliminating the first vowel of their Yoruba names, except for letter A or O in most cases.

Ekun, (Avi), di, (zun, lezun), Ayo, (ahya). Aiha, a close sound to ahya means memory. Ajoyo, rejoicing, jahyah.

I hope this helps.

chigozieduru:


Min tche le min
Nin mi fon gbon? Mi fon gandji a?
Mi kudo xwe! Je vous souhaite une excellente annee plein de succes. I wish you all a great and successful New Year!

absoluteSuccess:


Alright,

Ajoviyon, the business (of raising) children is good.

Asokere, patridge, (aparo, quail). So asokere might have been a deconstruction of a proverb made into name. That I'm not able to guess.

Ekundayo: they don't translate Ekundayo to Egun language. Rather, Egun adopt the same as though it's Egun.

Kundayo, Egun loves eliminating the first vowel of their Yoruba names, except for letter A or O in most cases.

Ekun, (Avi), di, (zun, lezun), Ayo, (ahya). Aiha, a close sound to ahya means memory. Ajoyo, rejoicing, jahyah.

I hope this helps.

Zzzdd:


Thanks for the detailed response, I’d also like to ask about the name Sewedo if it’s same as osewedo and osewe

absoluteSuccess:


A little bit dicey names, Sewedo would mean he or she is "God's possession", but on another look, if the last morpheme is do as in "door" (Sewe-door), it would be a complete form of the name "Seidor", meaning, Sewedomo (Seh-weh-dor-more), "It's the Lord who said so".

Osewe, on the other hand means "It's the Lord". One has to take the circumstance of the name in question into consideration. Is it a short alias or diminutive of any of the above? If I say Osewe! It might be a diminutive of any of the above.

The bearer would be the only person in the best place to tell, but if this is it as written in a document, then it simply means "It's the Lord". From the reasoning of the Egun folks, it would be their version of "Divine" as a name.

Zzzdd:


Thanks so much for the clarification, it’s actually my name it’s osewedomo but on my document it’s written as osewe. Thanks again for this detailed explanation.

Though still searching for the meaning of my family name Asokere.

absoluteSuccess:


LOL good to know the truth behind the name.

Asokere is definitely an alias-turned-name. It may have a Yoruba root, my theory though, now let's do some linguistic analysis: asokere "one who says very little" or "one who catapults at the slightest notice": in this instance, the morpheme '-so' is to 'self-propel'. Normally, its the Yoruba word for 'throw'.

Now the sense that supports the last option is from the Yoruba proverb, "ko s'ewu loko, afi giri aparo". That "giri" is the "take off" [so] at the slightest [kere] moment. Whatever does that is 'asokere'. Now 'ewu' in Yoruba can be decoded in Egun, where it means e[it]wu[kills]. The proverb says "there's no "mortal risk" [danger] in the farm except a sudden flight of the quail."

How do we reconcile this interesting linguistic interplay? Well, both languages do use each others lexicons to conceal meaning: "abontro", (a big form of alayonbere) is like 'a-bo-n-toro' for the way it looks.

A castrated goat is said to be "won tee loda" in Yoruba. Alternatively, "gbo ada" is to "bleed the loins", ada (a variant of asa) corresponds with "oda" in "tee l'oda". If we are correct, castration thus means "pressing the loins" of a male animal. We also have 'atoquin' as Egun word for the 'scrotum', which combines "ato" (Yoruba for sperm) with "quin" (okun), Egun for "seed".

In the same vein, Lokossa is Egun version of Yoruba's "Idiroko." Quite an interesting sharing that makes one wiser. Finally from the analysis, asokere thus comes down to mean 'one who self-propels at the slightest stimulus'. This accurately describe this bird's behaviour in the farm. The 'kere' here is identical with 'kete' in Yoruba-proper, where it means "instantly".

kere-Yoruba-minuscule
Kreun-Egun-minuscule.

Kere wun: Yoruba - "too small to hold (with the fingers).

absoluteSuccess:


LOL good to know the truth behind the name.

Asokere is definitely an alias-turned-name. It may have a Yoruba root, my theory though, now let's do some linguistic analysis: asokere "one who says very little" or "one who catapults at the slightest notice": in this instance, the morpheme '-so' is to 'self-propel'. Normally, its the Yoruba word for 'throw'.

Now the sense that supports the last option is from the Yoruba proverb, "ko s'ewu loko, afi giri aparo". That "giri" is the "take off" [so] at the slightest [kere] moment. Whatever does that is 'asokere'. Now 'ewu' in Yoruba can be decoded in Egun, where it means e[it]wu[kills]. The proverb says "there's no "mortal risk" [danger] in the farm except a sudden flight of the quail."

How do we reconcile this interesting linguistic interplay? Well, both languages do use each others lexicons to conceal meaning: "abontro", (a big form of alayonbere) is like 'a-bo-n-toro' for the way it looks.

A castrated goat is said to be "won tee loda" in Yoruba. Alternatively, "gbo ada" is to "bleed the loins", ada (a variant of asa) corresponds with "oda" in "tee l'oda". If we are correct, castration thus means "pressing the loins" of a male animal. We also have 'atoquin' as Egun word for the 'scrotum', which combines "ato" (Yoruba for sperm) with "quin" (okun), Egun for "seed".

In the same vein, Lokossa is Egun version of Yoruba's "Idiroko." Quite an interesting sharing that makes one wiser. Finally from the analysis, asokere thus comes down to mean 'one who self-propels at the slightest stimulus'. This accurately describe this bird's behaviour in the farm. The 'kere' here is identical with 'kete' in Yoruba-proper, where it means "instantly".

kere-Yoruba-minuscule
Kreun-Egun-minuscule.

Kere wun: Yoruba - "too small to hold (with the fingers).

Zzzdd:

Wow merci beaucoup pour cette explication… now I can understand very well the meaning behind Asokere.

absoluteSuccess:


You are much welcome sir, I have you to thank for not settling for average on the meaning of your name. I have no inkling of whatever could be beneath the name either, not until you so desiredto know more.

The best material that I would recommend is to have films either from Badagry or Cotonou which are produced in the Egun language. Then also music from the same source and possibly the people's national jingles, we all are pupils of whatever we love.

Then possibly the holy scripture in Egun language. the best guys that one can get this from around would be the Celestial members who are more connected to the Egun language through their denomination.

I think Ajawhi and Zagbohan are couple of good old maestro with good tune in the native language. Give them a try and let me hear from you sir, thanks.