The Idea of a Supreme Being Among the aηo pEople of Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5121488 |
|---|---|
| Authors | C R Gaba (1Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1969 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 64-79 |
| Publication date | 1969-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religion in Africa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-4200 • E-ISSN: 1570-0666 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/157006669x00037 |
| OpenAlex | W2046933457 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Mawu is ABlb name for Supreme Being. This same word is used by other Eue neighbours to designate their Supreme Beings. In a wider sense Mawu is generic symbol for deity and is freely applied to lesser gods which AilJ1 people particularly refer to as Tr3. Whether Mawu originated from its use for Supreme Being or from its generic usage for deity in general is not easy to say. However A1l1 people believe that lesser gods have taken on some divine attributes because Supreme Being created them and delegated divine authority to them to represent him in world of men. This belief and A1J31 attempts at etymological solution seem to support view that Mawu originated with Supreme Being and was later adopted as generic symbol for deity. Many attempts have been made to solve etymological riddle of Mawu. The commonest among AIl3 people themselves is Ema ye wu, is One who surpasses all. Others think Mawu is rather a combination of two particles: a negative ma and a superlative wu. Wu for others is Eve for verb kill. Thus Mawu in AI319 thought is, on one hand, the One who surpasses all, the Omnipotent and, on other, the One who does not kill, bountiful, merciful. Some other researches into etymology of Mawu appear rather wild guesses which may safely be ignored here. 1) But one fact which emerges from all these attempts is that Mawu is a proper name and like some other proper names, its real etymology is long lost in mists of time. Perhaps this is outcome of same unqualified reverence for divine name that still makes a riddle of Tetragrammaton of Judaism. However, all these suggested etymological solutions
Epistemology · Etymology · Linguistics · Political science · Sociology · Supreme court · Symbol (formal) · Verb · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1996 - 2015 (20) |
| Highly cited | No |