The Ijaw (also spelled Ijo or Izon) are an ethnolinguistic group native to the Niger River Delta in Nigeria. Like Mande it is a highly divergent branch of Niger-Congo and sometimes considered its own family. Their swampy homeland located along the coast lent itself naturally to the mercantile and seafaring society they developed. Traditionally fishermen and farmers, they over time developed city states somewhat similar to the powerful neighboring Edo and Yoruba such as Bonny and Elem Kalabri. The Ijaw were probably the largest middlemen for the slave trade in what is now Nigeria, slaves from as far as Hausaland in the north were likely to leave through Ijaw territory, never to see Africa again. While clans played a central role in Ijaw life, the secret societies such as the Ekpe (often composed of wealthy "Big Men") came to enjoy greater influence and status than local kings.
While local cults can vary widely according to tribe and village, the Ijaw do share a few points in common spiritually. One of these is the idea of "choosing fate". This idea is shared with the Yoruba, Edo, Igbo, and other southern Nigerian peoples. The human "teme" or soul stands before the supreme goddess Woyengi and selects a fate to have. The ignorance of the unborn in their decision making is why many experience hardships in life. But through offerings to Woyengi and the ancestors, humans may be able to change their destiny even if only a bit. Unlike many other supreme deities, the great mother Woyengi is recognized as female rather than male or androgynous. The aquatic environment gave water spirits especially high status and importance in traditional Ijaw beliefs. Neighboring Benin frequently figures as a sort of quasi-mythical exotic land where the fantastic occurs frequently. The gods of the Ijaw are collectively known as "Oru".
Tropes from Ijaw Mythology include:
- The Ace: Everyone loved Ozidi in Orua. He was their greatest champion and one of the wisest leaders. So much so they all insisted his clan have the throne after a series of kings died untimely deaths.
- The Blacksmith: Oreame summons a powerful blacksmith from underground to forge Ozidi’s sword.
- Chrome Champion: Fingrifin the Net-Man was made entirely of iron.
- Combat Hand Fan: Oreame's is used for many things such as flying and reviving people.
- Cool Sword: Ozidi's magic "Man Breaking" sword has several blades. When he swings it to test its strength the blades fly away back to the city of Orua, killing the sons of Azezabife and Ofe.
- Creation Myth: There was a massive Iroko tree with many buttresses standing alone in a field. On each side stood a man and woman. The women had brooms and the men had bags. The women swept the dirt of the fields into the bags of the men. The dirt became manilas (a type of money). Some gathered many manilas, and more had few or none. When the field was clean they returned to the edges of the field in pairs. The sky turned dark and from heaven descended the following: a chair, the Creation Stone, a table, and a large amount of earth. Woyengi then came down with dazzling thunder and lightning. She sat on the chair and put her feet on the Creation Stone. Woyengi set to work molding humans from the dirt. Woyengi held the figures close and breathed life into them. The humans were asexual and without identity. Woyengi then asked them what gender they wanted to be, how much wealth they wanted to have, how many children they wanted, how long they wished to live, how they wished to die, and what diseases they would suffer. With these choices made, the humans came down to earth.
- Decapitation Presentation:
- Traditionally a new king of Orua was offered the severed heads of enemies for his coronation. The seven warlords presented Temugedege the head of his brother Ozidi to make mockery of this ritual and show him how illegitimate his "reign" was.
- Ozidi parades through the streets with Agbogidi's head after killing him.
- Engbesibeoru gets the same treatment.
- Driven to Suicide: Subverted. Orea tries to kill herself after her husband Ozidi I has been murdered, but her mother Oreame informs her that she is pregnant with a son.
- Earth Mother: Amakiri is the earth goddess and Mother Goddess. Among her domains are fertility, morality, and peace.
- Elective Monarchy: Orua was ruled by a few noble families who shared power by passing kingship between themselves in a cycle.
- Enfant Terrible: Like many other Sub-Saharan heroes, Ozidi was born walking and talking. He often hurt other children while playing, and he always won at tops.
- Funny Foreigner: The Igbo blacksmith from Awka is a comic relief figure in the Ozidi legend, his Igbo accent and broken Ijaw are considered hilarious.
- God of Fire: Okuna was the god of flame, responsible for destroying the homes of Okrika's opposition. He was also the punisher of the wicked.
- God of Order: More than a god of war, Egbesu's domain includes justice. As such he is the enemy of sorcerers, witches, and all those who do evil. He is known as the defender of the oppressed.
- God of Thunder: Feniboso was a fearless pirate who ascended to godhood after death, becoming the wielder of thunder & lightning against the enemies of the Okrika tribe.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Ozidi admittedly had help from Oreame’s magic arrows, but still. He shot them towards the sky instead of the targets and hit a bullseye each time, astounding the other youths he competed with.
- Improbable Weapon User: Engbesibeoru the Scrotum King used his massive testicles in battle.
- Making a Splash: Adumu is the python god and lord of the Owuamapu or Owu. Serpents are never killed out of reverence for him.
- Iku was the god of fishermen.
- Reincarnation: Ozidi I reincarnates as his own son to get revenge on the warlords who killed him.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The driving force for the first half of the Ozidi Saga.
- A Storm Is Coming: Ozidi II’s birth was heralded by a mighty weeklong thunderstorm.
- Super-Strength: Ozidi casually uprooted an Iroko tree for his mother to use as firewood, carrying it home as three logs. He then hacked the enormous tree into splinters with an axe.
- Tempting Fate: Ozidi Sr.'s killers discuss the possibility of someone avenging him but dismiss the idea as silly.
- Time-Delayed Death: Ozidi kills Azezabife and Ofe's wives in the marketplace with one swing of his sword. The bloody remains bounce to their homes and announce the vengeful return of Ozidi before becoming inert.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Oreame turns into a hillock and a leopard to test Ozidi’s courage.
- War God: Egbesu is still worshipped by Ijaw militants fighting against government and foreign encroachment on their lands & resources.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: Temugedege was a complete idiot. His younger brother Ozidi Sr. explicitly tried to decline the throne for his family for this reason. Unfortunately Temugedege ran into the meeting gleefully declaring he would take the throne, only thinking of all the slaves and women he could have. This was the seed of conflict between Ozidi and the lords of the city.
