Definition Summary

Egbe: Origin, (Egbe- eluigwe) or (Ogba egbe eluigwe) meaning gun of the sky or Gunner in the sky. African, Igbo language, pulled from the God of thunder and lightning (Amadioha)

Also means: Hawk and is synonymous with other large birds in the sky that strike

The Igbo people are descended from Eri, a divine figure who, according to Igbo folklore, was sent from heaven to begin civilization. Some accounts present Eri as one of the sons of Gad who travelled down to establish the present-day Igboland.

Amadioha is the ruling god of justice, he speaks through thunder, and he strikes with lightning. He throws “thunderstones” down to earth and persons judged guilty by Amadioha are either killed by lightning (which leaves a black mark on the forehead) or attacked by a swarm of bees. 

Once a person is judged, the priests of Amadioha will take the property of the victim and the body is left unburied and the victim unmourned, as the punishment is considered to be a righteous one from God.

In Igbo culture when a dead person is left unburied, it tells the people that this one has been punished by the Gods. In some parts of Igboland, Amadioha is used as a curse word. Oaths are often sworn to him, which can carry deadly penalties when broken

The ritual cleansing for Amadioha is a difficult trial. The deity can only be appeased by transferring the curse to a live goat or ram that is let loose outside of the walls of the community

Amadioha is also a god of love, peace and unity. Considered to be a creator God, in some traditions, human beings were made by him when he sent a bolt of lightning down to strike a silk cotton tree, which split and revealed a man and a woman.

Amadioha is often shown as a husband to Ani, who is the Earth mother. In some Igbo traditions, the pair are said to be the first. The naming of sky and people are rooted in Igbo culture and many things are associated as with the name of the people land Igboland

This origin transposed upon naming conventions for animals, lands and many other folkloric expressions. One such instance is the words for Hawk or birds that roam the skies with the ability to strike down from above. It even pops up the military as a saying justice from above