Akan mythology: Anansi, Nyame and the spirits of Ghana
19 spirits documented in the Kunda Codex
The Akan tradition of Ghana and Ivory Coast centres on Nyame, the sky god, and Asase Yaa, the earth mother. It gave the world Anansi, the cunning spider of diaspora tales, but also darker figures like the forest vampire Sasabonsam. The entries below document these spirits with their myths and sources.
SpiritallyNYAME
Onyankopon
Akan — Ghana
Guardian Spirit
EarthallyODOMANKOMA
Le Façonneur
Akan — Ghana
Creator Spirit
EarthallyASASE YAA
Akan — Ghana
Spirit of the Earth
SpiritantagonistANANSI
Akan — Ghana (diffusé Caraïbes)
Guardian Spirit
SpiritallyOWUO
Death, fate
Akan — Ghana
Spirit of the Dead
SpiritallyAMOKYE
Ferrywoman of the dead
Akan — Ghana
Spirit of the Dead
SpiritallyABAM KOFI
Akan — Ancêtre guerrier protecteur
Ancestral Spirit
EarthallyABEREWA
Goddess
Akan — Ashanti
Goddess
SpiritneutralABONSAM
Spirit
Côte de l'Or — Côte de l'Or
Spirit
SoulallyAKONADI
Goddess
Ghana — Ghana
Goddess
SpiritallyAKWABA
Goddess
Akan — Ashanti
Goddess
SpiritneutralASANBOSAM
Monster
Akan — Ashanti
Monstrous Spirit
WaterallyASHIAKLE
Goddess
Gan — Gan
Goddess
SoulallyDUBIAKU
Hero
Agni — Agni
Hero Spirit
EarthneutralMMOATIA
Spirit
Akan — Ashanti
Spirit
SpiritallyNIAMYE
God
Côte d'Ivoire — Côte d'Ivoire
Deity
SpiritallySAKARABRU
God
Agni — Agni
Deity
FireallySAKUMO
God
Gan — Gan
Deity
SpiritallyONIONKUPÓN
Yoruba threshold spirit
Akan — Ghana
Creator Spirit