The Genesis of Mortality: Ogbunabali & Ekwensu's Tale
In the age of Uga Aka, a time in Igbo land when humans walked with gods, and gods walked amongst humans. An age when Mmadu (humankind) possessed immortality, they could live for thousands and thousands of years without losing their youth or strength. In this age of Uga Aka, the gods lived as one with mankind on earth. But they still had things they possessed, great powers and knowledge which separated them from mankind, and kept them above humans as their creators.
One of such gifts was unknown to mankind as ‘Aru’—mystical knowledge shrouded in darkness, which humans were forbidden to partake of. Aru was the knowledge of the essence of the gods, the forbidden fruit of higher consciousness, which was declared as taboo for mankind. It was reserved for only the gods, and any human who ate of this fruit would become like them, they too could become gods. All the gods were in agreement to this order of the forbidden fruit, until Ekwensu, the custodian of the mysteries of the gods, who had love for mankind broke this order by letting Nwanyi Mmadu—the woman of mankind, eat of the forbidden fruit. Waking her and consequently all of mankind to some of the mysteries of higher consciousness which were reserved only for the gods.
When Ogbunabali, the great brother and companion of Ekwensu, found out what Ekwensu had done for the humans, he became furious with anger against his brother and mankind. Ogbunabali informed the other gods, of the trick Ekwensu had played on them, by giving much more to Mmadu (humankind) than what the order of gods had permitted. This betrayal by Ekwensu led to the dawn of a new age, Uga Chi, when Mmadu was kicked out of the realm of the gods and had to rely on their newly awakened consciousness to innovate highly efficient ways of coexisting.
At the dawn of Uga Chi, the gods separated themselves from mankind, and they no longer walked amongst them freely. They did this out of concern that Ekwensu had revealed too much to Mmadu, which could eventually make mankind advance faster, or worse surpass the gods themselves, if they continued to walk amongst them and leave themselves open to be easily observed by humans. Ogbunabali took on a new order and introduced death to the lifespan of Mmadu (humankind), making it impossible for mankind to continue to be immortal. Concerned that even without the physical presence of the gods, humans would still find ways within their long life span to become masters of the mysteries Ekwensu had revealed to them. Thus, Ogbunabali made it his mission to repair his brother's mistake, so he became the angel of death and the minister of justice for the gods against his brother's betrayal.
Ogbunabali was brutal in executing his order, he made sure all those who were found wanting for the taboo of Aru were killed, he also made sure that those who were still scattered all over the earth after being chased by the gods could no longer live long enough to be full masters of the mysteries of the gods. While his brother and companion, Ogbunabali carried out the divine order of the gods to see to it that the age of Uga Chi made the humans regret eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge, Ekwensu was still a most powerful and feared god in his own right amongst the gods as the keeper of their mysteries. Ekwensu was still a greatly reverred divine cosmic engineer and scientist.
In his generosity and love towards humans, Ekwensu granted mankind the ability to still fulfill their mission of enlightenment and full awakening through reincarnation cycles if they so wished. So while Ogbunabali carried out his order as the god of death and justice, wiping out any part of mankind that was found wanting for taboos against the gods, Ekwensu in his own might continued to grant them the ability to fight against all forms of principalities and powers, in this lifetime and in the next if they so wished.
Ekwensu’s betrayal did not go unpunished, as some of the gods in their fury made him a promise that they would make sure the same beings Ekwensu had awakened to their power would forget all his deeds for them, and turn in scorn against him. Some of them promised that their followers would forever be a thorn in the flesh of all the followers of Ekwensu, for ages to come. Despite all the quarrels in the heavens amongst the gods, and their separation from mankind as a result of Ekwensu’s betrayal, they still remained accessible to mankind through many other means and for their own agendas. Ogbunabali and Ekwensu remained brothers, and divine companions in eternity, as the ways of the gods are mysterious and are not the ways of mankind.
Till today in Igboland, Ogbunabali remains one of the most feared forces, in fact he is considered to be the angel of death and justice, the one who kills at night. The death deity, known to kill violently, all those who commit unspeakable taboos against his realm. And Ekwensu remains Ugo Tubulu Agwo, the Eagle who perked the snake, bringing enlightenment to all his descendants who seek his wisdom, and victories in war to all who remember to call on him in their times of trouble. Despite the bastardization of his name amongst his people, in his own way the force still prevails. Several Igbo communities till this day retain the names and remember the stories of these two great companions through songs, masquerades, and shrines.
Story Notes:
The age of Uga Aka is also known as Uga Okpu or Uga Mbu/Mvu.
Ogbunabali or Ogbunabani also known by other names in different Igbo dialects, is generally known as the death deity.
Ekwensu is a prominent deity in Igbo cosmology, also known by other names in different Igbo dialects, generally revered as "the god of trades and bargain," "a trickster spirit of confusion," "a deity of war," and "a covenant keeper" amongst others in Igbo spirituality.
The gods have no specific gender e.g male or female, they shift from their masculine or feminine forms as they please, however after Uga Aka, when the humans began to perceive things through duality consciousness, and as humanity moved more and more into patriarchy and dominant masculine rule, those energies began to be perceived as such. Hence the masculine reference of “he” and “brothers” in this story.
Yagazie!
