The following is a list of gods and goddesses from Efik mythology.
The Supreme God is known as Abasi. He is regarded as the father of all things. In some narratives, he is regarded as a member of a trinity which consists of Ibom Enọ, Abasi Ibom and Inyañ Ibom. [1]
Communal deities are deities worshipped by a number of Efik families and houses. These deities have no affiliation with specific families but are guardians of the individual towns of Old Calabar.
Some deities were the guardians of specific families and houses in Old Calabar.
• Asa-anwan - Ufok/Ikot Umo Edem of Cross River State
• Eme
Efik mythology consists of a collection of myths narrated, sung or written down by the Efik people and passed down from generation to generation. Sources of Efik mythology include bardic poetry, art, songs, oral tradition and proverbs. Stories concerning Efik myths include creation myths, supernatural beings, mythical creatures, and warriors. Efik myths were initially told by Efik people and narrated under the moonlight. Myths, legends and historical stories are known in Efik as Mbụk while moonlight plays in Efik are known as Mbre Ọffiọñ.
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe River which bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny. Akwa Ibom was split from Cross River State in 1987 with her capital Uyo and with 31 local government areas.
The Efik are an ethnic group located primarily in southern Nigeria, and western Cameroon. Within Nigeria, the Efik can be found in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the Benue–Congo subfamily of the Niger-Congo language group. The Efik refer to themselves as Efik Eburutu, Ifa Ibom, Eburutu and Iboku.
The Oron people are a multi-ethnic tribal grouping that make up the Akpakip Oro or Oron Nation. The Oron people (Örö) are located primarily in southern Nigeria in the riverine area of Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State and in Cameroon. Akpakip Oro are regarded as an ancient warrior people, speaking the Oron (Oro) language which is in the Cross River language family of the Benue–Congo languages. They are ancestrally related to the Efik people of the Cross River State, the Ibeno and Eastern Obolo in Akwa Ibom, the Andoni people in Rivers State, Ohafia in Abia State and the Balondo-ba-Konja in the Congo.
Mbo is located in the South Eastern part of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State. Following the local government creation exercise of the federal government in 1989 Mbo Local Government Area was carved out of Oron Division same year.
Okobo is located in the South South part of Nigeria and is a Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. It is made up of Odd, Eta and Atabong clans. Following the local government creation exercise of the federal government in 1989 Okobo Local Government Area was carved out of Oron, Akwa Ibom same year.
Uruan is a Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, located in southern Nigeria. The area was created in 1988 from Uyo Local Government Area. It covers an approximate land mass of 449 km2. Its population, according to the 2016 Census is 164,000. Its capital city is Idu.
Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa, is an Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria. The City State extended from now Calabar to Bakassi in the east and Oron to the west. Although it is now absorbed into Nigeria, traditional rulers of the state are still recognized. The state occupied what is now the modern city of Calabar.
EfikEF-ik is the indigenous language of the Efik people, who are situated in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, as well as in the north-west of Cameroon. The Efik language is mutually intelligible with other lower Cross River languages such as Ibibio, Anaang, Oro and Ekid but the degree of intelligibility in the case of Oro and Ekid is unidirectional; in other words, speakers of these languages speak and understand Efik but not vice versa. The Efik vocabulary has been enriched and influenced by external contact with the British, Portuguese and other surrounding communities such as Balondo, Oron, Efut, Okoyong, Efiat and Ekoi (Qua).
Adadia is a town with five villages in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Adadia is inhabited by the Ibibio12people.
Bassey Adam III was the Obong of Calabar and the Edidem of the Efik kingdom from 27 November 1982 until his death on 14 December 1986. Bassey was born in Calabar, during the reign of his Uncle Obong Adam Ephraim Adam as the Obong of Old Calabar and its dependencies. His father was Etubom Eyo Ephraim Adam, the second son of Ephraim Adam of Etim Efiom royal house of Old Calabar. His mother was Princess Eyoanwan Eyo Edem of Duke royal house of Old Calabar.
Eyo Ephraim Adam was the head of Etim Efiom royal house of Old Calabar from 1908 until his death on September 28, 1911. His father Ephraim Adam was the founder of the Tete household in Etim Efiom House. His mother Enang Otuk Oyom was equally from Etim Efiom House. He is credited to have aided in the spread of christianity in Akpabuyo, Nigeria.
Orok Edem-Odo also known as Eyamba IX or King Duke IX was the Obong of Calabar from 17 April 1880 to 21 November 1896. His father Edem-Odo Edem Ekpo was the Obong of Calabar from 1854 to 1858. His mother was Ekanem Ama from the Eta Odionka family of Efut Abua, Calabar.
Abassi is the supreme creator god of the Efik, Ibibio, and Annang people of Nigeria. The depiction of Abassi in Efik and Annang traditions is influenced by Ibibio mythology since the two groups used to be part of the Ibibio before they migrated to different parts of southeast Nigeria and formed their own societies.
The Efik religion is based on the traditional beliefs of the Efik people of southern Nigeria. The traditional religious beliefs of the Efik are not systemised into a logical orthodoxy but consists of diverse conceptions such as worship of the supreme God, ancestral veneration, cleansing rituals and funeral rites.
Efik names are names borne by the Efik people of Southern Nigeria and Western Cameroon. The naming system of the Efik is unique and differs from contemporary African names in several ways. The word for name in Efik is Enyiñ and the act of assigning a name to a child is Usio enyiñ.
The Oron people religio-cultural heritage was handed down from generation to generation through oral tradition and sacred institutions. The religion emphasized belief in ancestral spirits, life after death, good moral values, superhuman (transcendental) powers, divinities and a belief in a Supreme Being known as Abazi Oro.
Efik literature is literature spoken or written in the Efik language, particularly by Efik people or speakers of the Efik language. Traditional Efik literature can be classified as follows; Ase, Uto, Mbụk, Ñke and Ikwọ. Other aspects of Efik literature include prose and drama (Mbre).
The Efik calendar is the traditional calendar system of the Efik people located in present-day Nigeria. The calendar consisted of 8 days in a week (urua). Each day was dedicated to a god or goddess greatly revered in the Efik religion. It also consisted of festivals many of which were indefinite. Definite festivals were assigned on specific periods during the year while indefinite festivals or ceremonies occurred due to certain social or political circumstances.
Eniong Abatim is a community located in the present-day Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River state of Nigeria. The people speak the Efik language.