The Aziza (African) are a type of beneficent supernatural race in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

n (specifically, Dahomey) mythology. Living in the forest, they provide good

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

for hunters. They are also known to have given practical and spiritual knowledge to people (including knowledge of the use of

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...

). The Aziza are described as little people and are said to live in

anthill An ant colony is a population of a single ant species capable to maintain its complete lifecycle. Ant colonies are eusocial, communal, and efficiently organized and are very much like those found in other social Hymenoptera, though the vario ...

s and silk-cotton trees. The plant genus ''Aziza'' has been named in their honour. While the Aziza are usually described as a people, some traditions also refer to a single individual by name "Aziza", with similar traits. For example, Jeje oral tradition has a divinity called "Aziza" (described as a small, single-legged man smoking a

pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...

). Aziza is also a god of the

Urhobo people The Urhobos are people located in southern Nigeria, near the northwestern Niger Delta. The Urhobos are the major ethnic group in Delta State, one of the 36 states in Nigeria, Ethnic Nationality in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Urhobo ...

of the Western Niger Delta of Nigeria.Ochuko J. Tonukar
Aziza: King of the Urhobo Forest
waado.org (Urhobo Historical Society ) However there is only one original source for the winged aziza and it was only recorded after contact with Europeans during the Atlantic slave trade, all other source claim them to be just small people and seeing the almost identical appearance with the European fairy it's unknown how much they influenced the winged aziza.

References

West African legendary creatures Dahomean mythology Forest spirits Mythological peoples Legendary creatures with absent body parts {{Africa-myth-stub