The leopard is Agu in Igbo and not the lion. The Igbo Bible translation is very clear about this.
The recent argument on my post, about whether lion should be Agu and not leopard, might have a minimal reason to ponder, but in the end, the Igbo name for leopard is as clear as day. Leopard is Agu in Igbo. Let’s consider the following:
Igbo is a vast language. I really don’t understand it when people say Igbo as a language is severely lacking. Igbo is a super language that is almost perfect. There’s nothing obtainable in Igbo land and the surroundings that does not have an Igbo name. The problem is that we are confusing Igbo language with recently introduced (foreign) things.
Leopard is definitely Agu, and there is nothing confusing about it. Igbo has a clear pattern of naming animals that look similar but are slightly different.
– Leopard = Agu
– Cheetah = Agu Awara
– Tiger = Agu Owulu
– Lion = Odum
From the above names, the leopard has been a familiar animal throughout Igbo land from time immemorial. According to Animal Discovery Channel, the leopard is said to have a very old base, a sort of origin point in West Africa, whose natural habitat is the tropical rainforest.
Ancient Igbo folklores are built on two animals – Agu (leopard) for its strength and charisma and Mbe (tortoise) for its wisdom and cunning.
The leopard is clearly described in Igbo folklore as a strong animal with spots on its skin, aggressive and charismatic. Agu is said to be the king of animals, but here comes the question that opposes this view – can Agu (leopard) be the king of animals and the strongest in the presence of the lion (Odum)?
It seems unlikely! The leopard has no chance in a combat against a lion.
Now, here is a point to ponder. Did a typical Igbo person thousands of years ago know what a lion is? Did they come in contact with the beast?
In most Igbo towns and communities, including my town Uturu, the leopard is still recognized as the king of animals.
Whoever kills Agu is regarded as a great hunter with the title – Ogbu Agu (the killer of leopard).
To hit the nail on the head, it is likely that the lion (Odum) is not recognised in ancient Igbo folklore because our people never came in contact with it.
Odum as a name might not be over 200 years old, while Agu is clearly thousands of years old.
Leopard skin has been existing in Igboland for ages, they still exist today, and one thing is clear – they have spots.
The lion cannot be Agu because the lion does not have spots.
The cheetah is called Agu Awara because it looks like a leopard (Agu) and has outstanding speed (awara = speed). Remember what I said earlier about Igbo naming similar animals. The cheetah seems to be a new animal to Igbo.
Agu Owuru (tiger?) also has spots like the leopard but is much bigger and stronger. The tiger is also a new animal to Igbo.
The lion (Odum) seems not that popular like the leopard because ancient Igbo might not have been aware of its existence. This is the only reason why the leopard would be named the king of animals instead of the lion.
Lion is Odum while leopard is Agu. Igbos say Odum na-egbu Agu (the lion that kills the leopard).
Wall gecko is called Agu-ulo because it has spots like a leopard.
Crocodile is called Agu-iyi because it has patches that look like the spots of a leopard.
The body of a lion is brown with no spots or lines.
In the Bible, Daniel was put in the lions’ den. The Igbo Bible calls it “olulu odum.” The lion of the tribe of Judah is interpreted in the Igbo Bible as “odum nke ebo Juda.” When the Bible asks if the leopard can ever change its spots, the Igbo Bible interpreted it as Agu (Jeremiah 13:23). Please look for an Igbo Bible and confirm this.
Chinua Achebe published “Chike and the River” in 1966. What killed Chike’s father was a leopard, not a lion. Chukwuemeka Ike published “The Leopard’s Claw” in 1950 and “The Bottled Leopard” in 1985. The generation of Achebe and Chukwuemeka Ike had no confusion over Agu and Odum.
It was rare to find any old Igbo novelist writing about the lion. It was always the leopard that was written about. The reason is simple: The leopard was more common among the Igbos than the lion. It may seem small to us today because we watch animal documentaries, but in the days of our forefathers, the leopard evoked fear in the villages.
It killed people. Once it was sighted, an alarm would be sounded. Women and children would not go to the stream or farm alone. Strong men would go out in search of it to kill it. The community would not be at rest until it had been killed or there was news that it had left the community. Anybody who killed a leopard was honored as an Ogbu Agu.
Yet, the Igbos admired the leopard because of its beauty, strength, and agility. Many people took the name or sobriquet of Agu because of this admiration…..Seê _ Morê
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