Ala, Ale, Ana, Ani
Ibo [E. Nigeria, W. Africa]
This chthonic underworld goddess is linked with a cult of the dead. With
a cult center in Mbari, her temple contains a statue of her seated, with
a child in her arms & adorned with the crescent moon & flanked by
attendant deities. There are rather a lot of shrines devoted to her,
most if not all have a profusion of votive offerings. The daughter of
the supreme god Chuku, she is the mother of all life, & in her role as a
goddess of death, welcomes the dead back to her womb. A rather popular
divinity, serious crimes, to include murder, are considered offenses
against her. As a side note, she is also the recipient of an annual yam
festival.
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