EFE
allyHero
Efe, or Efé, designates above all one of the Pygmy groups of the Ituri forest, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, rather than an individual spirit. In the cosmogony associated with them, the creator god, called Arebati, Tore or Epilipili depending on the version, shapes the first man from clay, covers him with skin and fills him with blood. A prohibition is laid down: not to eat the fruit of the tahu tree. A pregnant woman transgresses it, the Moon, celestial witness, denounces the fault, and death then enters the world. In these narratives, collected notably by the ethnographer Paul Schebesta, the first man most often bears the name Baatsi, and not Efe. To identify Efe with a spirit of the first man is therefore mostly a confusion with the people's name.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Voice of its pantheon. EFE carries the memory of its tradition and weaves a thread into the Mabioni. Bound to the Pygmy pantheon.
Sacred Mask
An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of first man, embodiment of the power of Efe
Era
Ancient cycle
Frequently asked questions
Is Efe a spirit or a people?
Efe designates first of all a group of Pygmies of the Ituri forest. Its use as the name of a spirit of the first man appears to result from a confusion with the ethnonym.
Who is the first man in this mythology?
The collected narratives most often name him Baatsi, shaped in clay by the creator god Arebati or Tore.
What role does the Moon play?
She is the celestial witness who denounces the transgression of the prohibition of the tahu tree, which brings death into the world.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbuti_mythology
- Paul Schebesta, ethnographie des Pygmees de l'Ituri