Short Essay On The Earth Goddess

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The Earth Goddess Every community in Africa recognize the Earth as a spirit and the provider of fertility and harvest. The Akans conceive her as the second in command after Onyankopͻn. Most communities regard her as a female and related to the Great Goddess of India. She is also seen as the dearest of all the deities. The Akans call her Asaase Yaa and Asaase Efua among the Fantes, the Ibos call her Ala or Ane. The Ibos believe she is the most significant goddess among all the gods. They also believe that she is the queen of the underworld and she serves as the ruler of the ancestors buried in the Earth. The Akans have specific days set aside for her and by this decree, no one is expected to till the land. As her name implies among the Ashanti’s of Ghana, Yaa is a name given to a female born on Thursday,…show more content…
This is however, contrary to the belief of the Ashanti of Ghana, because the Ashantis have no visible shrines for the Earth goddess. The Ashantis pour food on the four point of the compass and before the land is tilled permission is sought from the mother Earth (Opoku, 1978). Before the dead is buried, sacrifices are offered to seek permission to dig the land before the internment is done. According to Opoku (1978), “It is firmly believed that all men have emerged from the bowels of the Earth and death is a return to the Earth.” Mother Earth detest human blood, and if for any reason someone shared blood on the ground, sufficient sacrifices were made to purge her spirit and calamities were bound to occur if any of these sacrifices were not well executed. She is also known to be a justifier of truth and people attempt to touch the tip of their tongue with some soil to indicate the truth in their statement (Opoku, 1978). The Ibos have a shrine which is above all other shrines and this is built in her honour. According to Parrinder (1949: 37), “There is usually a tree with a pot for offerings, and in some places iron rods, stones and wooden gongs
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