Ozidi the Younger
Ijaw · mortal · mythic age · Recorded classification
Ozidi is the culture-hero of the Ijaw (Ijo) oral epic performed as ritual theatre at Orua in the Niger Delta. Born after the assassination of his father, he is raised in his mother's natal town and fortified with war-charms, a seven-pronged sword, and constant supernatural guidance by his grandmother Oreame. Reaching manhood he returns to Orua and cuts down, one after another, the captains who conspired against his father, before facing further monstrous adversaries. The saga was recorded in 1963 from the bard Okabou Ojobolo and given its standard bilingual edition and critical study in the twentieth century.
Parentage
- parent: Ozidi the Elder
- parent: Orea
Domains
- vengeance
- heroic combat
Powers
- to overcome monstrous warriors in single combat
Relations
- companion: OreameHis witch grandmother accompanies him into every battle as guide, protector and driving conscience.Okpewho, Isidore. Blood on the Tides: The Ozidi Saga and Oral Epic Narratology. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2014. (secondary)
Sources
- Ozidi the Younger is the avenger-hero of the Ijo Ozidi Saga who destroys the warlords that murdered his father and restores civic and cosmic order to Orua.: Clark, J. P. The Ozidi Saga. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press & Oxford University Press, 1977. (secondary); Okpewho, Isidore. Blood on the Tides: The Ozidi Saga and Oral Epic Narratology. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2014. (secondary)