Abonsam is the name of a malevolent spirit from the Gold Coast region of West Africa and Ghana. When accidents, disease, etc. afflict an area and local shamans have determined that Abonsam is to blame, the spirit is driven into the sea in a ritual that begins with four weeks of total silence,[1] followed by removing all furniture from the homes involved. The interior of the homes are then beaten with sticks, and loud noises are created by shouting and gun fire.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-135-96397-2.
Abonsam (Guinea, Africa). Also known as: Abasoms. Evil spirits. Water or tree deities. To drive the Abonsam from the village or home and to cleanse the area it was necessary to have four weeks of silence. During this period, it was hoped that the evil spirits would be frightened away.
- ^ Jordan, Michael (1993). Encyclopedia of gods : over 2,500 deities of the world. Internet Archive. New York : Facts on File. pp. 1. ISBN 978-0-8160-2909-9.
- ^ Burton, Richard Francis (2011-04-18). Wanderings in West Africa from Liverpool to Fernando Po. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-108-03052-6.
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