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Deities
Abassi and Atai
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Abassi ('god') and Atai ('fate'), in the myths of the Efik people of Nigeria, had two children.
Akongo
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Akongo, supreme Sky-spirit in the myths of the Ngombe people of the river Congo, created human beings and regretted it.
Anansi
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Anansi ('spider'), in the myths of many West African peoples, was a trickster. He began his career as a creator-god, spinning the entire world at the request of the Great Sky-spirit, and was a shape-changer.
Chuku
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Chuku ('great spirit'), also known as Chineke ('maker'), in the myths of the Ibo people of Nigeria, created the universe.
Gauna
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Gauna (also known as Gawa and Gawama), in the myths of the Bushpeople of Botswana, was Death, leader of spirits. He lived in the Underworld, and was forever roaming the Upper World to snatch unwary mortals and carry them below.
Mwambu and Sela
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Mwambu and Sela, in the myths of the Abaluia people of Kenya, were First Man and First Woman. Their father, Wele the creator, made them so that the Sun would have people to shine for.
Ogun
From Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History
Ogun is a Yoruba divinity. He is god of metallurgy (iron) and war. He is an Orisha—an agent of God Almighty, Olodumare.
Orisha
From Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History
Orisha is the Yoruba term for a deity, or divinity. It is also spelled as orisa, or orixa, in Afro-Brazilian religions. These supernatural beings are part of a well-articulated belief system of the Yoruba that has existed for centuries.
Ruhanga
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Ruhanga, in the myths of the Banyoro people of Uganda, was the god of fertility and prosperity.
Sudika-Mbambi
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Sudika-Mbambi ('thunderbolt') and Kabundungulu ('thunder-from-the-West'), in the myths of the Mbundu people of Angola, were miraculous twins.
Unkulunkulu
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of MYth
Unkulunkulu ('ancient of days'), in the myths of the Amazulu people of South Africa, and known to the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe as Nkulnkulu, was the first power in existence.
Zamba
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth
Zamba, creator-god of the Yaunde people of the Cameroons, made the Earth and all its creatures except human beings.
Practices & Beliefs
Agwunsi Festival
From Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary
Agwunsi, or Agwu, is the god of healing and divination among the Igbo people of Nigeria. He is also the patron of doctors, because he gives herbs and other medicines their power to cure.
Animism
From Dictionary of World Philosophy
From the Latin anima, i.e. soul, the term animism in general denotes the belief that things such as pebbles, rivers, planet Earth, and, some would say, the entire universe are animated or at least embody a life-principle.
Christianity: Topic Page
One of the world's major religions, it predominates in Europe and the Americas, where it has been a powerful historical force and cultural influence, but it also claims adherents in virtually every country of the world.
Coptic Church
From Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations
This is the indigenous Christian church in Egypt, some 1,700 years old and with ancient links to Ethiopia. It is comprised of Egyptian Christians who retained their faith after the arrival of Islam in Egypt in the eighth century.
Islam: Topic Page
Islam, one of the world’s great monotheistic religions, was founded (or restored) by the Prophet Muhammad (570-632 CE), who lived in Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula.
Mysticism: Topic Page
The practice of putting oneself into, and remaining in, direct relation with God, the Absolute, or any unifying principle of life. Mysticism is inseparably linked with religion.
Shaman: Topic Page
Religious practitioner in various, generally small-scale societies who is believed to be able to diagnose, cure, and sometimes cause illness because of a special relationship with, or control over, spirits.
Voodoo: Topic Page
A form of animism involving trances and other rituals. Communication with the dead is a principal feature of voodoo. It is most common in the nations of the Caribbean Sea, especially Haiti, where people sometimes mingle voodoo and Christian practices.
Witchcraft: Topic Page
A form of sorcery, or the magical manipulation of nature for self-aggrandizement, or for the benefit or harm of a client. This manipulation often involves the use of spirit-helpers, or familiars.
