Mawu-Lisa, the paired creator divinity, So, also called Xebioso, the thunder god, and the wider Yewe deities of the Ewe of Ghana and Togo. Yewe names both a group of thunder and lightning powers and the initiatory society built around their worship, historically associated with judicial oath taking as well as devotion. Though closely related in language and neighbourhood to the vodun of the Fon, Ewe tradition is documented as its own line of practice, with its own priesthood, songs and initiation, rather than as a variant of Fon vodun.
Facts
Structure
Structure of the PantheonA supreme creator above a working order of intermediary powers 1 Divine HeadshipA ruling pair holds sovereignty together 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 The Creator and the Ruling GodsThe creator withdrew after making the world and is seldom addressed in cult 1 Attestation
Era of AttestationHeld from the beginning in the tradition's own terms; documented in the outside record from the 19th century 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. Observance is held at the shrines of the individual trowo and by the Yewe order, at village and lineage level 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Sources
Primary SourceOral tradition held by shrine priests and by the Yewe order, with published ethnography. Yewe initiation is closed. 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Associated With
This source names Togo directly: "Yewe deities of the Ewe of Ghana and Togo."
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
Sources
1. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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