Le dieu créateur suprême des Isoko et des Urhobo du delta du Niger, considéré comme l'origine du monde et de tous les peuples.

Pourquoi Cghene n'a-t-il ni temples ni prêtres ?

Parce qu'il est jugé trop lointain et transcendant pour être approché directement. Les fidèles ne lui adressent pas de sacrifices, mais l'invoquent par un intermédiaire.

Le messager de Cghene, la figure par laquelle le dieu peut être sollicité en temps de calamité ou de besoin.

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CGHENE

ally

God

☥ SpiritIsoko →Isoko — IsokoElder

Gender: MasculineSign: création

Cghene, also spelled Oghene, is the supreme god and creator of the Isoko and Urhobo peoples of the Niger delta, in southern Nigeria. Tradition credits him with the creation of the world and of all peoples. He is a distant, transcendent deity, judged beyond human understanding and known only through his acts. This distance explains a remarkable trait of his cult: Cghene has neither temples, nor priests, nor images, and no prayer or sacrifice is addressed to him directly. The faithful pass through an intermediary named Oyise, designated as the messenger of Cghene, through whom the god can be invoked in times of calamity or need. The Etsako of the north of Edo State name Oghena a close figure — a sign of old cultural kinships in the region. Cghene illustrates a widespread West African conception of the supreme god withdrawn from the world, reached not directly but through messengers and intermediary powers, while daily ritual life is organised around spirits closer to humans.

Powers & Attributes

creation

Role in the ROHO universe

Founding presence. CGHENE stands at the root of the world and sustains the weave since before the beginning. Bound to the Isoko pantheon.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of creation, embodiment of the power of Cghene

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Who is Cghene?

The supreme creator god of the Isoko and the Urhobo of the Niger delta, regarded as the origin of the world and of all peoples.

Why does Cghene have neither temples nor priests?

Because he is judged too distant and transcendent to be approached directly. The faithful address no sacrifices to him, but invoke him through an intermediary.

Who is Oyise?

The messenger of Cghene, the figure through whom the god can be called upon in times of calamity or need.

Related spirits

CHINEKE CHUKU IKENGA CHI

Sources and references

Charles Russell Coulter, Patricia Turner, Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities, 2000
James W. Welch, The Isoko Tribe, Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, vol. 7, n° 2, p. 160-173 (1934)
Samuel U. Erivwo, A History of Christianity in Nigeria: The Urhobo, the Isoko and the Itsekiri (1979)