Hi

I'm not Nigerian so I need your help.  Is there a female deity known as Nwanyi miri in Nigeria?

I see from browsing the internet that nwanyi means "woman" & miri means "wet".  Other than that I havve no information.

I'd appreciate any input - thanx

T. Kahn

And what exactly do you need this info for?

Nwanyi miri should mean "mammy water" or mermaid in the igbo culture. . .sumtn' like that.

I heard a story about a goddess who demands human sacrifices, who requires women.

Have you heard anything about this, or was somebody just pulling my leg?

In the old days every damn thing from your ancestors to the gods demanded human sacrifice. . . .so it shouldn't be out of place to think so.

@tshkahn,

It's quite late here and I'm a bit tired. I don't know much about these things; however, here's a bit of some of the stuff my girlfriend and I have been chatting about lately along these lines.

tshkahn:

Have you heard anything about this, or was somebody just pulling my leg?

Perhaps that person was not trying to pull your legs; although some of us may not have heard about the specific thing you mentioned (that doesn't necessarily mean it's not possible).

tshkahn:

Is there a female deity known as Nwanyi miri in Nigeria?

This is where my girlfriend might be somewhat helpful. I don't know if there's such a deity as Nwanyi miri in Nigeria; but there could be such, if one takes into consideration the various affinities of such deities in the Ibo (or Igbo) culture(s) -

[list][li]There are several water goddesses in Ibo culture with various names and appellations. Some of these are known by several names, so that one should not be confused about them as to think that the different names may be referring to different goddesses or water deities.
[/li][/list]

[list][li]Another thing to note is that the local names by which they are commonly called may not be specifically to one gender; so that the example of 'mammywater' (or 'mammy-water', 'mami wota') applies to both male and female deities.
[/li][/list]

[list][li]Some examples of these deities or goddesses include:[/li][/list]

[list][li]Nne mmiri ('mother water')[/li][/list]

[list][li]Uhammiri (or Ogbuide)[/li][/list]

[list][li]Eze mmiri[/li][/list]

[list][li]Imo Miri[/li][/list]

[list][li]Ezi nwanyi gbaola[/li][/list]

Some links you might find useful are:

       Feminism, Women's Power and Mami Wota Phenomenon: Book Review

       Rev. Dr. A. M. Okorie has some interesting article on:
       The Divinity of an African Igbo Village


I hope these will point out some useful notes in your enquiry.

Thanks to all of you for your comments, especailly to Viaro's sweet girlfriend.

God bless you all -

Tzvi Kahn, Jerusalem, Israel