Ekwensu is a

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

of the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...

, a trickster spirit of confusion,that serves as the

Alusi Arusi (also spelled Alusi or Arunsi) are spirits that are worshiped and served in the Igbo religion. There are many different Arusi and each has its own purpose and function. Ancestors The Igbo world is divided into several interconnected realm ...

(god) of bargains and the tortoise.Crafty at trade and negotiations. He is often invoked for guidance in difficult mercantile situations. He is perceived as a spirit of violence that incites people to perform violent acts. His companion was

Ogbunabali Ogbunabali ( ig, Ogbúnàbàlị̀, lit= ekills at night) is the traditional Igbo death deity. His name is considered to be a literal description of his character as he is said to kill his victims in the night, these usually being criminals or tho ...

. Despite contemporary interpretations, Ekwensu was not originally regarded as the devil. With the rise of Christianity, the more beneficent aspects of the deity were supplanted by

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

who came to represent Ekwensu as

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

. Europeans influenced their beliefs of good and evil to convince Igbo that Ekwensu was Satan-like. The goal of European’s influence was to easily colonize the Igbo tribe, forcing them to be fearful of something.Originally, Ekwensu was highly honored as one of the benevolent lunar deities. The Igbo do not believe in God nor the Devil, nor heaven nor hell, nor demons nor angels because they do not have a concept of a division between the forces of good and evil.The traditional Igbo do not think of Ekwensu as the force that stands in opposition to other beings. Hence, Ekwensu is an entity that is usually associated with natural but not moral evil such as Satan. They only believe in spirits whose nature is either good or bad but they do have what humans see now as an after life. Enugu, D. (2019, November 17). How evil is Ekwensu? Medium. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://discoverenugu.medium.com/how-evil-is-ekwensu-23cb43786224 He was the testing force of

Chukwu Chukwu is the supreme being of Igbo spirituality. In the Igbo pantheon, Chukwu is the source of all other Igbo deities and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. The Igbo people believe that all things come from Chukwu, who b ...

, and along with

Ani Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the ...

the earth goddess, and

Igwe Igwe (meaning ''"Sky"''), is a royal title or method of addressing traditional rulers that control autonomous communities in Igboland. In other words, Igbos approximate the term to the HRH style. An Igwe is therefore defined as a holder of a titl ...

, the sky god, make up the three highest Arusi of the ancient Igbo people.

See also

References

Further reading