Owuo
Owuo is the abosom of Death in the Asante and Akan mythology of West Ghana and the Ewe, specifically the Krachi tribe of East Ghana and Togo. He is represented with the Adinkra symbol of a ladder. It is said that he was created by Odomankoma just so he could kill humans and possibly other deities, such as Odomankoma himself. He signifies the termination of the creative process in the world, a reference to him killing Odomankoma, the Great Creator.
Names
Owuo is also known as Odomakama Owuo', or the Destroyer, due to his destructive nature of killing mortal life and the fact that he killed Odomankoma, causing Odomankoma to then get resurrected and then live through Nyankapon:Onyankopon onye Odumankoma sunsum 'Odomankoma would later poison him in an effort to kill him, although it didn't work.
Another name for Owuo is Owuo Papa, or the Death fan who blows the "uncertain ones" back into the other world of Samando, the Akan spirit realm and is the generator of whirlwinds inhabited by hostile spirits.
Owuo, like many Akan deities, also has a day name, which is Owuo Kwaaku. This explains Owuo's personality, as those born on Wednesday are said to be full of nsem bone. This means that Owuo is involved in all forms of death, even the most evil kinds.
In Jamaica, Owuo is possibly known as Bredda Death, specifically in the story involving Death and Ananse. This symbolises the fact that in Akan culture and mythos, where Jamaican culture heavily takes from, Ananse is actually the brother of Death via Odomankoma.
Personality
In Akan depictions, Owuo is a truly sadistic and cannibalistic deity who kills without a second thought or care. His first act after being created was to kill his creator and in other tellings of the story he even tried to kill all 3 supreme beings. He is also said to be indestructible. He also tried to claim humanity in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of people. While not succeeding in his primary task, he did succeed in his secondary goal. He is also greatly associated with evil. Any form of death is brought about by him and it is said that he often blows all kinds of sunsum from Samando, from good sunsum to evil sunsum. Obayifo and Obansam and other evil beings such as the Asanbonsam follow him. For all of his negative connotations, he cannot be bribed and actually despises money, displayed by the proverbIn Krachi depictions Owuo's personality shifts to a more kinder tone, taking care of a boy who asked for his help and feeding him to make sure he remained alive although what he fed the boy was human meat and Owuo did kill the two people the boy sent to take his place. Owuo's murderous tendencies in Krachi representation are most likely caused by his taste for human flesh, which he craves. The taste for human flesh can spread to any who has extensively eaten human flesh, with even the boy having a craving for the meat up until when he realized that it was actually human meat he was eating.
In Jamaican depictions which possibly reference Owuo, Death is a silent figure, seldom speaking unless he needs to. However, it changes if oneself invites themselves into his house. From there he stops at nothing to hunt you down to kill and eat you, and only you, as seen when Ananse's family literally fall into his clutches and he refuses to eat any of them, waiting only for Ananse. Despite is gaunt and incredibly old appearance, he is very fast and very strong. This personality of death is similar to that of the Akan.
Representation
Owuo has 2 main representations, which are how the Asante represent him and how the Krachi represent him. There is also a third which is how Jamaicans see him based on the Asante description.General and other representations
The most widely recognised and the depiction that most likely the Krachi depiction is presented as a monstrous giant with one eye and a near-naked appearance, save for the large amount of hair that covers his body. He also has long, straight hair, which is his second most highlighted feature and is said to extend over many miles, from Krachi to Salaga. It is so big and long that the hair can hold items in it. He has the tusks of a warthog or elephant, and the build of a giant gorilla. His skin colour and/or his fur is red, which is usually symbolic of death in Africa. He may also be depicted as one giant eye. He is a cannibalistic giant who feeds on human flesh and is said to have the power to kill humans by just blinking his eye.Owuo's other depiction is that of an Akan farmer who wields a ubiquitous cutlass that can kill from hundreds in just one slash of the sword, which he is extremely skilled at using to the point that he temporarily killed the Great Creator in the Akan religion, part of the Nyame-Nyankapon-Odomankoma trinity, and fight the Abosom of War to a standstill. This depiction comes from how farmers harvest crops and that they harvest many stalks of crops at once, not just one at a time. He also holds the ladder, Owuo Atwedee, which he has several dead souls climb. He most likely has only one eye but it is unclear if he is a cannibal in this interpretation
His eye is his most distinguishable feature, even in the Jamaican story where Death has both his eyes. It is by Ananse blinding him using flour that he evades death.
He is an extremely powerful deity in the Akan religion, able to fight Ta Kora to a standstill and even kill the great creator for a time in Akan mythology and is involved in every death in both Akan mythos and in real life. He is one of Ta Kora's rivals and is his main one in terms of life and death.
He is also represented by whirlwinds.
He also is naturally gifted with an extremely potent venom called Death's venom, which can kill anything mortal and even those immortal.
Only three beings have resisted Owuo. Nyankapon by defeating Owuo in battle and feeding Owuo his own poison, Ta Kora by battling, singing and dancing Owuo to a standstill and Ananse, who used his webs and his quick wit to evade death.
Asante Representation
Owuo is represented by the adinkra symbol of a ladder and his name comes from Owuo atwedee baakofoo mforo a proverb meaning "Death’s ladder is not climbed by just one person."
Owuo is seen as a punisher and one who humans are to be obsessively scared of.
He is also depicted as a farmer who wields a ubiquitous cutlass, that can kill from hundreds in just one slash of the sword, and holds a ladder, Owuo Atwedee. It is most likely that this depiction is the actual Akan and Asante depiction of Owuo, whilst the more monstrous form is originally from Krachi. Ivory horns were also represented as Death due to the sound that is made when they are blown on. For this, they are often blown at executions and funerals, but not exclusively. They are often decorated with human jawbones. Owuo is also represented as an executioner, although Abrani is the Asante deity of executioners.
A person dies in Akan mythos and in life when Owuo blinks, cuts down with his sword or if the human is an Asante soldier when Owuo races Ta Kora to reach the soul of the dying.
Krachi Representation
In the Krachi representation, Owuo has all of the same physical attributes as the first depiction mentioned in the general representation. It is most likely that the most widely recognized depiction of Owuo, or even the idea of Owuo himself traditionally comes from the Krachi people, although in the days of the Asante Empire, the area that the Krachi people originate from was controlled by the Asante and, before that, most likely the Akwamu Empire, so Owuo could've traditionally been an Akan abosom who was adopted by the Krachi due to the culture of the Asante Empire. This would explain the reason why Death has always been called by is Akan name, Owuo, and never an Ewe name.
Unlike the Asante, who fear Owuo, the Krachi don't depicted as a malicious creature.
Jamaican Representation
Here, Owuo's appearance is based very much on that of the Akan description, specifically for his speed, power and cannibalistic tendencies. This is probably due to the story he is in most likely coming from the Asante. He has both eyes intact and is human in appearance. He is so skinny, he would look exactly like a skeleton if not the fact he has skin. He has a deep, raspy voice when he talks. He has 37 and a half teeth.
Myths
Owuo has two myths telling how it tried to kill Odomankoma, its creator:The creation of Owuo, how Owuo killed Odomankoma and how Ananse became creator and Abosom of Wisdom
In this story, Odomankoma creates Owuo. After Owuo's creation he quickly overpowers Odomankoma in a fight and kills him. He then resurrected himself and then, using his power, lives on via Nyankapon, with Nyankapon becoming Odomankoma's personality and representative. Odomankoma then tricks Owuo into drinking Owuo's own poison in an effort to kill him, although it doesn't work.Later, a great deal of Odomankoma's creative personality was inherited by Ananse, his son. From here, Ananse would become creator, gaining the title Ananse Kokuroko along with Odomankoma, and he, Odomankoma and Nyankapon then finish Odomankoma's legacy, creating much of what Odomankoma couldn't that wasn't heaven as it had already been created. Then they finally create mankind with Ananse/Odomankoma visually creating them and Nyankapon/ Odomankoma breathing life into them. Ananse, the direct son of Odomankoma, then taught humans all he knew, gifting him the title, Abosom of Wisdom.