Ajana/Ala legend


 Though not popularly known with the name Ajana in the IBO odinani pantheonological order.

Her role and influence in IBO mythology is invaluable. Ala is her most revered name. she is the earth goddess of the IBOs. She is often associated with fertility, morality, death. Ala is not just the  goddess of earth but is earth herself.

She is a primordial goddess created before the dawn of time by Chukwu, the all knowing and all powerful God. This bears an almost similar account of the Christian mythology and is in fact the same to the biblical creation.

Ala is depicted in statue sculptures of mud colored in bright paints among the IBO tribes in Eastern Nigeria of the African continent. The sculpture shows Ala with a long torso and long thick neck. These are considered to the IBOs as signs of beauty. Sometimes, she is accompanied with other deities, human, and animals.

She is also described as a mother with a child sitting on her lap. Other times, she wields a sword in her right hand.

Her consort is Amadioha, god of thunder and Lord of the sky. Ala is often connotated as the wife of Chukwu or daughter of Chukwu depending on the version of the odinani myth.

Centers of villages are erected with temples called Mbari in honour of Ala. It is believed that Ala sends a sign such as a snake or a bee's nest to tell her priests where to build her temple.

Groups of men and women work together in assembling and decorating the structure. Construction can take years and is considered a sacred act. However, when  built, the Mbari houses are left alone to decay. For this reason, new Mbari houses must continually be produced, which ensures that the Mbari tradition will be carried on by younger members of the group.

Ajana is also called  Ale, Ani, Ana, Alla and Ane depending on the IBO dialect. She is the beginning of life cycle of humans, plants and animals and there at the end of the cycle to receive the dead into her womb. She is the support from which treasures and paradise came in existence.

Ala is the judge of human actions emphasizing the importance of honesty and respect. Her laws are written and implemented in the IBO customs as the "Omenala". Acts against the standards of Ala are called Ns or Taboos.

The Èké or Python is Ala's living agent on earth  it is an animal especially revered in many Igbo communities. The Python is mostly equated with of the status of a human being. Killing a Python is also the same as killing a human being and therefore, must be buried like a human. Ala is also responsible for many aspects of Igbo society, and guardianship of women and children in general. All in the community have to respect Ala as everybody lives on Ala, the earth. 

Ala is still worshipped by the IBO of Nigeria up till today and is annually paid homage to during the New Yam festival. The crescent moon is Ala's symbol.

More details on Ala are available on YouTube.


References:

Wikipedia Ala Odinala. Available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki
Odinala

Google Search Ala Odinala images. Available at: https://www.google.com/images+of+Ala+odinala.

Google Search Ala Odinani. Available at: https://www.google.com/search/Ala+odinala.

WordPress Journeying to the Goddess Goddess Ala. Available at:
https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com

Imo candles West African Earth Goddess. Available at: https://imolecandles.co.uk

WordPress New Africa Ala Goddess of Fertility. Available at: https://newafrikan77.wordpress.com

DBpedia About odinani.A Available at: https://dbpedia.org/page/Odinani.

Encyclopedia Deities of the Igbo Religion . Available at:
https://www.encyclopedia.com › deities_of_the_igbo_religion

YouTube Mythgends Sands of #Time and Customs. Available at: https://youtu.be/sKAKOe88UgM

Mythgends Youtube Ajana Goddess of Fertility IBO odinani #all #odinani #trailers. Available at:https://youtu.be/s89f8v6-Shc







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All you need to know about the Kataw of the Tubig

Image
Deep in the hidden planes of the Bantay Tubig resides the Kataw, a tale of the water beings of the Filipino Mythology. Of the merfolk in the Philippine Mythology in Visayan, Kataw was believed to have much higher rankings than other water and sea creatures as those of Sirena, Sireno and Siyokoy. This belief further prompts that the Kataws are the dorminat reigning rulers of the Bantay Tubig kingdom. Physical citations of a creature like the Kataw are generally attributed to the physical likeness and mannerisms of a human being. They also share this human features with their neighboring merfolks, the Sireyna and Sireyno of the Tubig Kingdom. However, a the kataws posses some distinct qualities from the later two as they have feet in place of tails while retaining the gills and fins on their bodies and arms. A common warning according to the ancient tale bearers were to be wary of the Kataw as they were often known to beguile mortals in the appearance of a fisherman seeking f
Read more

Secrets of the Hidden one

Image
  In Egyptian mythology, Amaunet (also spelled Amonet, Amaunet, Amentet, Amentit, Imentet, Imentit, and Ament) was a deity having several different characteristics during the long history of the pantheon of Ancient Egypt. Amaunet's name is the feminine version of Amun's, and as such, She is believed to be the female form of the greater god Amun and is one of the eight featured deities in the Ogdoad (consisting of four pairs where the woman’s name is a derivative of that of the husband). However, she seems to be at least as old as He. Both gods were depicted as independent deities and identified as a pair. Her name means a female who is hidden and her powers are connected to the words silence, stillness, mystery and obscurity. According to some myths Amunet was the daughter of Horus and Hathor. She was also sometimes merged with Hathor, Isis and Neith, Mut, and Nut. Amunet and her male counterpart Amun were the two aspects of the primordial concept of air and invis
Read more