There are various stories of Amadioha’s birth, he belonged to the Diala caste, also known as the Free Born caste. However, the birth has not been picturesquely documented anywhere to date.
Some deities or objects represent the thunderbolt or meteorite stone that God hurls to strike the wicked or evil-doers to death. Amadioha (god of thunder) is one of the categories or groups of divinities that is claimed to represent the manifestation of the wrath of the Supreme Being.
As a result, Amadioha belongs to the category of deities known as war divinities, frequently represented in the Mbari house by a figure of a man brandishing a rifle. It is thought that the god Amadioha possesses immense military power. It is also referred to as the “General” of all the deities in Igboland, as well as a military engineer, tactician, an armiger.
Amadioha had several exciting experiences throughout his youth, including leading the Ndi-Okoroukwu, Isiagu, and Ihube citizens in the Battle of Isikwuato at the age of six and engaging in combat with a lion. The defeat at Okigwe was another name for this. At the age of 17, with his dada hair and hairy chest, he took the lead in the battle. His longtime companion Urashi was slain during this conflict. Urashi’s assassination was planned by Ugwu, the God of Pride, who was later assassinated at night by Amadioha in retaliation for Urashi’s death.
History has it that there was a time when one of the Legge rulers sought to bury the Isi Mbido, the sacred scripture of the Igbo people, in Nsukka but instead destroyed it in Enugwu, on one of the hills. Once more, Amadioha took the initiative in a battle to recover the text which resulted in the king’s death.
Meanwhile, Isi Mbido stood for a lot of things to Amadioha, which invaders took the logographic manuscript and transported it to Ikot-Ekpene. When Amadioha learned about it, he started a new war against the raffia city and obliterated it. He took the Isi Mbido, which he had taken to Uturu to celebrate his triumph, with him.
However, the sacred collection of books known as Isi Mbido describes Eluigwe’s creation of the Igbo and describes how Amadioha’s father, Nka, who was made from the taproot of an oji tree, is considered to be the most significant text of the Igbo people. The now-lost literature spoke about the Supreme Being, Eluigwe, the Universe, Chukwuabiama, and the Universe’s Creator, Orisa.
The earliest stories about Amadioha describe his encounters with the water spirits, the three-headed lions he killed, the Battle of Isikwuato, the War at Okigwe, the Conquest of Ikot-Ekpene, the Battle of Mbano, the union of Amadioha and Uhammiri, the death of Urashi, the murder of Ugwu, and many other vividly coloured tales. Later, legends that have been passed down through the ages tell of his exciting adolescence, during which Amadioha used his adept weaponry skills to good purpose to vanquish a variety of terrifying foes, demons, and monsters.
Over the years till date, there have been controversies about the birth and physique of Amadioha but there are some things that have remained consistent about him- describes him as having “dada hair” and he was seen constantly carrying a ram, which was known to represent Amadioha. Also, when travelling across the verdant hills and valleys, Amadioha and his ram drank water from the same gourds.
The great Igbo god Nka once sat by the root of an oji tree in the middle of Nkwo-Achara and sang to Anyawnu, the God of the Sun, and Nwanyianyanwu, the Goddess of the Sun, and his wife Achara, who gave birth to Amadioha, in their presence. At Nkwo-Achara, the largest market in Uturu, the child was inserted into Achara’s womb in this manner. Unfortunately for Amadioha, Onuma (God of Mercy), his mother’s brother, had just perished in battle. So it was considered that Onuma was a reincarnation of Amadioha.
As a result of warnings that Achara’s first child would perish, just like his uncle, Nka took his son and a ram to the Forest of Ihube to offer sacrifices to the Sun God. Fortunately, following the sacrifices, Achara and Nka took the precaution of concealing Amadioha in the far-off village of Ihube, where the young man was raised as a straightforward cowherd. He had a happy upbringing there and won the hearts of many men and women; he only raised rams since they stood for grit, initiative, action, and leadership. The ram is also a representation of Aries, an astral sign of authority.
Stay tuned! To be continued
#risingsunhistory
