SphynX_PHC
Honorary Poster
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Owuo
Owuo is a mythical giant present in the traditional religions of the Krachi people, based in today’s Togolese Republic. The giant is meant to represent death, and his tale is meant to portray the origin of death myth according to Krachi beliefs.
One of Owuo’s highlighted feature is his hair, which is described as spanning from Krachi to Salaga. Owuo is cannibalistic, though he is not depicted as a malicious creature.
It is said that a male youth encountered Owuo during his travels. At the time, famine was widespread – and the boy was also afflicted by it. When the boy first met Owuo, he was uncertain of his welcome. But Owuo did not attack him – he instead asked the boy what he wanted from Owuo.
The boy asked Owuo for food, and the giant granted his wish. However, he asked for a favor in return – the boy must serve Owuo for a period of time. The boy agreed and Owuo fed him meat, and from then on the boy started becoming Owuo’s servant.
After a while, the boy started to miss his hometown. So, he requested a leave from his duties. Owuo eventually acquiesced, with one caveat: The boy must leave another boy in his place. He did as Owuo commanded and left his brother in his stead while he stayed at his hometown for a short holiday. Some time passed, and the boy started missing the meat that Owuo fed him. Thus, he left his hometown once more, and returned to Owuo. Owuo welcomed him back and allowed the boy to eat his meat – as long as he started serving Owuo again.
Once more, the boy wanted to have a quick visit home. Owuo agreed, as long as the boy prepared him a human wife before he left. So, the boy gave Owuo his sister, and left her and a maid while he returned to his hometown. Again, the boy decided to come back to Owuo because he missed the meat. And Owuo accepted him back this time as well, with the same condition: That the boy continues to serve him.
However, this time, the boy had a look inside the storage room where Owuo put his meat. Here, he discovered that the meat that he had been eating came from the corpses of his brother, sister, and the maid that accompanied her. In horror, the boy fled back to his hometown and told the people what happened.
The people decided to kill the giant by burning his hair. As the giant fell, the boy realized that a vial of medicine was hidden in his hair. He took it, and as he poured it all over the corpses of his brother, sister, and his sister’s maid, they returned back to life. The boy also poured the medicine on Owuo’s eyes – he did not come back to life, but his eyes continued to blink. From then on, whenever Owuo closed his eyes, a person shall die.
Art: Owuo, by Audre Charamath Schutte
Owuo is a mythical giant present in the traditional religions of the Krachi people, based in today’s Togolese Republic. The giant is meant to represent death, and his tale is meant to portray the origin of death myth according to Krachi beliefs.
One of Owuo’s highlighted feature is his hair, which is described as spanning from Krachi to Salaga. Owuo is cannibalistic, though he is not depicted as a malicious creature.
It is said that a male youth encountered Owuo during his travels. At the time, famine was widespread – and the boy was also afflicted by it. When the boy first met Owuo, he was uncertain of his welcome. But Owuo did not attack him – he instead asked the boy what he wanted from Owuo.
The boy asked Owuo for food, and the giant granted his wish. However, he asked for a favor in return – the boy must serve Owuo for a period of time. The boy agreed and Owuo fed him meat, and from then on the boy started becoming Owuo’s servant.
After a while, the boy started to miss his hometown. So, he requested a leave from his duties. Owuo eventually acquiesced, with one caveat: The boy must leave another boy in his place. He did as Owuo commanded and left his brother in his stead while he stayed at his hometown for a short holiday. Some time passed, and the boy started missing the meat that Owuo fed him. Thus, he left his hometown once more, and returned to Owuo. Owuo welcomed him back and allowed the boy to eat his meat – as long as he started serving Owuo again.
Once more, the boy wanted to have a quick visit home. Owuo agreed, as long as the boy prepared him a human wife before he left. So, the boy gave Owuo his sister, and left her and a maid while he returned to his hometown. Again, the boy decided to come back to Owuo because he missed the meat. And Owuo accepted him back this time as well, with the same condition: That the boy continues to serve him.
However, this time, the boy had a look inside the storage room where Owuo put his meat. Here, he discovered that the meat that he had been eating came from the corpses of his brother, sister, and the maid that accompanied her. In horror, the boy fled back to his hometown and told the people what happened.
The people decided to kill the giant by burning his hair. As the giant fell, the boy realized that a vial of medicine was hidden in his hair. He took it, and as he poured it all over the corpses of his brother, sister, and his sister’s maid, they returned back to life. The boy also poured the medicine on Owuo’s eyes – he did not come back to life, but his eyes continued to blink. From then on, whenever Owuo closed his eyes, a person shall die.
Art: Owuo, by Audre Charamath Schutte