BENIN CREATION MYTH

The Binis, although a minority in modern day Nigeria built one of the most impressive empires in pre colonial West Africa. According to them, this is how life began on earth

When OSAN'OBUWA ( God, the Creator) finished creation, He decided to send his sons to live on earth. Before they departed, He asked each one to take along a talent or a gift. Among the talents were wealth, knowledge, wisdom and an old snail shell. One of the sons chose wealth, another knowledge,and another wisdom. When the youngest was to choose, only the old snail shell and a couple of nondescript items were left. As he wondered which to take, a hornbill emerged and whispered to him to choose the dirty, old snail shell and he obeyed the hornbill and told OSA N'BUWA he wanted the shell They set forth on their journey, each in his boat

They arrived at their destination and found it was water. The boats could not berth. The hornbill appeared again and told him to pour the shell's content into the water. As he did so, the water solidified: land emerged and rolled forth into the distance

He anchored his boat and stepped onto TERRA FIRMER. OSA N'BUWA was impressed by the intuition which made his youngest son choose the shell. God named the land EDO and made him king over it

The other brothers could not find a place to anchor their boats and settle down. The brothers offered wealth, wisdom and knowledge to the young king in exchange for a piece of land

He accepted, after all he was the owner of all lands

To this day, a snail shell containing medicinal earth forms an important and integral part of the coronation rituals of the Oba of Benin

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African Heroes, Legends and Myths

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