Aberewa et Asase Ya sont-elles la même déesse ?

Oui. Aberewa, "la vieille femme", est l'un des noms de la déesse akan de la terre, appelée Asase Ya chez les Asante et Asase Afua chez les Fante. Il souligne son visage de vieille mère du sol.

Quel est le rôle d'Aberewa dans la religion akan ?

Elle est la puissance de la terre nourricière, déesse de la fertilité, de la vérité et de la paix. Seconde après le créateur Nyame, elle garde aussi la porte d'Asamando, le royaume des morts.

Comment honore-t-on Aberewa ?

Sans temple ni prêtrise propre, on l'honore à même le sol par des libations, prononcées juste après le nom de Nyame. Le jour qui lui est consacré, il est interdit de labourer la terre.

Back to the Codex

ABEREWA

ally

Goddess

🌍 EarthAkan →Ashanti — AshantiElder

Gender: FeminineSign: terre

Aberewa, or Aberewaa, "the old woman", is one of the names of the great earth goddess of the Akan of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, better known as Asase Ya among the Asante and Asase Afua among the Fante. Goddess of fertility, truth, love and peace, she is the power of the nourishing earth, immediately after Nyame, the creator, in the Akan spiritual hierarchy. She is named Aberewa to underline her face as old mother of the soil and keeper of the world of the dead: she watches over the gate of Asamando, the realm of the ancestors, where she welcomes the souls of the departed. Her name is pronounced just after Nyame's in the libations that open every Akan ceremony and ritual act. She has neither temples nor a particular priesthood: she is honoured on the very soil of the fields, and on the day consecrated to her — Thursday among the Asante — it is forbidden to till the earth. She is associated with the adinkra symbol Asaase Ye Duru, "the earth has weight", which recalls the sacred value of the soil.

Powers & Attributes

earth

Role in the ROHO universe

Mother of the soil. ABEREWA holds the fertility of the earth and blesses wombs and seeds. Bound to the Akan pantheon.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of fired clay, bronze and fossilised roots, engraved with symbols of earth, embodiment of the power of Aberewa

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Are Aberewa and Asase Ya the same goddess?

Yes. Aberewa, "the old woman", is one of the names of the Akan earth goddess, called Asase Ya among the Asante and Asase Afua among the Fante. It underlines her face as old mother of the soil.

What is Aberewa's role in Akan religion?

She is the power of the nourishing earth, goddess of fertility, truth and peace. Second after the creator Nyame, she also keeps the gate of Asamando, the realm of the dead.

How is Aberewa honoured?

Without temple or priesthood of her own, she is honoured on the very soil through libations, pronounced just after the name of Nyame. On the day consecrated to her, it is forbidden to till the earth.

Related spirits

AKWABA MMOATIA ASANBOSAM ABAM KOFI

Sources and references

Encyclopædia Britannica, entrée "Asase Yaa"
Robert Sutherland Rattray, Ashanti (1923)
Geoffrey Parrinder, West African Religion: A Study of the Beliefs and Practices of Akan, Ewe, Yoruba, Ibo and Kindred Peoples (1949)