EDEKE
allyGod
Edeke is a figure of the traditional religion of the Iteso, a Nilotic people of eastern Uganda and western Kenya. In this cosmology, divine power is read under two aspects: Akuj, the distant, celestial supreme god whose name evokes the "height", and Edeke, whose name means "disease" or "calamity". Edeke thus embodies the fearsome side of the sacred, associated with the scourges, epidemics and misfortune that strike humankind. The Iteso oral tradition, notably around the figure of Oduk, presents Akuj and Edeke as two faces of a single divine reality rather than as two rival gods. Today, the indigenous religion of the Iteso has very largely given way to Christianity, and most of what is known of Edeke comes from ethnographic sources.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Voice of its pantheon. EDEKE carries the memory of its tradition and weaves a thread into the Mabioni. Bound to the Teso pantheon.
Sacred Mask
An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of destruction, embodiment of the power of Edeke
Era
Ancient cycle
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Edeke mean?
In the Ateso language, edeke means "disease" or "calamity", which makes this figure the side of the sacred bound to the scourges and to misfortune.
Are Edeke and Akuj two distinct gods?
The ethnographic sources present them rather as two aspects of a single divine reality among the Iteso: Akuj, the celestial and distant pole, and Edeke, that of misfortune.
What else is known of his cult?
Rather little. The indigenous Iteso religion has been very largely replaced by Christianity, and Edeke is known above all through the ethnographic descriptions and the oral tradition.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Wikipedia (en), Teso people
- Google Arts & Culture, Oduk: The Conqueror (Teso community)