| Ala:
The Ibo of eastern Nigeria believe in Ala, the melancholy goddess of the
underworld. She is the child of Mother Earth goddess Chuku. In
addition to ruling the land of the dead, Ala is overseer of the harvest and
of fertility. The deity combines elements of both natural and
supernatural worlds as the eternal guardian of deceased spirits.
When a person dies, Ala takes the soul
into her womb. The spirit feels no pain or torture but must endure a
monotonous existence without the joys of earthly life. Souls in the
care of Ala are legthargic, nebulous beings without the freedom and
individuality they knew before death. They are similar in description
to SHADES, the sullen souls of Greek myth. (o)
(o) "The Encyclopedia of Hell." Miriam
Van Scott. St. Martin's Press. ©1998
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