In Efik mythology, Abassi is considered to be the creator god. His wife, Atai, is known as the mediator. It is believed that Atai convinced Abassi to allow two humans (one man and one woman), also known as their children, to live on Earth, but forbade them to work or reproduce. The children were required to return to heaven with Abassi whenever he rang the dinner bell. These rules were established so that the Efik people would not surpass Abassi in wisdom or strength. Eventually the children disobeyed and Abassi killed them both. Abassi and Atai were disgusted and gave the human race two gifts, chaos and death. The gods also turned away from the people. It wasn’t until the Efik people started making human sacrifices for their sins that they believed Abassi and Atai started to hear their cries for help again.
Read more about Efik Mythology: Health, Nature, Local Beliefs, Major Influences, Today
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