Ekwensu is an Igbo spiritual force associated with war, contest, commerce and disorder, a figure of dangerous, unpredictable energy rather than of settled evil. Nineteenth century Christian missionary Bible translation rendered Ekwensu as the Igbo word for Satan and the devil, a use that has shaped popular understanding but that scholars of Odinani distinguish sharply from the traditional figure's own, more ambiguous character.
Facts
Disputed
HistoricityMissionary Bible translation adopted Ekwensu's name for Satan and the devil, a use now widespread in Igbo Christian usage but treated by scholars of Odinani as a colonial-era flattening of a more ambiguous traditional figure of contest and disorder rather than settled moral evil. Belief
TheologyHenotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinities 1 An Igbo spiritual force of Odinani, matching the henotheistic reading already carried by Chukwu, Ala and Amadioha for the same religious system. Attestation
Veneration TodayHistorically attested; no continuous cult 2 Function
Domain / Function Origins
Origin of the NameNineteenth century Christian missionary Bible translation rendered the Igbo word Ekwensu as the term for Satan and the devil, a use scholars of Odinani distinguish from the traditional figure's own, more ambiguous character. 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source Encyclopedia of African ReligionMolefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, editors
Related To
Sources
1. Encyclopedia of African Religion
Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, editors, SAGE Publications, 2009
2. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
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