Editing Adroa

{{Short description|Adroa is the supreme god or spirit of the Lugbara people of central Africa}}
'''Adroa''' is the [[King of the Gods|supreme god]] or spirit of the [[Lugbara people]] of central [[Africa]].<ref name="Britannica"/>

Adroa is a god they worship, and this aspect of the god was known as ''Adroa 'ba o'bapiri'' ('God the creator of men').<ref name="Middleton1999"/> Adroa was said to have created the first man, [[Gborogboro and Meme|Gborogboro]], and the first woman, [[Gborogboro and Meme|Meme]]. Gborogboro and Meme were also twins, and they were considered the ancestors of the Lugbara.<ref name="Lynch2004"/> Adria is also credited with the establishment of [[social order]], by communicating his laws to the tribal ancestors of the Lugbara.<ref name="Oxford"/>

Adroa has two main aspects, Adroa the good ([[Lugbara language|Lugbara]]: ''onyiru''), and Adro the bad ([[Lugbara language|Lugbara]]: ''onzi'').<ref name="Oxford"/> These two dual aspects can be further broken down into different smaller aspects. Adroa, the good aspect, is [[Transcendence (religion)|transcendent]] and far-removed from mankind.<ref name="Lynch2004"/><ref name="Oxford"/> This aspect is sometimes called Adronga or Adrogoa.<ref name="Dalfovo1998"/> This aspect includes Adroa in different roles, including ''Adroa 'ba o'dupiri'' ('God the taker away of men') as a [[death deity]] and ''Adroa 'bija'' ('God in the sky'), a [[sky deity]].<ref name="Middleton1999"/> Adro, the bad aspect, was described as tall, white and only having half a body, and he travels by jumping around on one leg. He is described as earthly, and dwells on the earth along with mankind, especially in rivers. Adro is usually invisible, but will appear to those who are close to death, and is thus also associated with death. Adro was worshiped through [[child sacrifice]], but since the 1930s a [[Sheep|ram]] was substituted as the victim.<ref name="Lynch2004"/><ref name="Oxford"/> Some versions do not consider Adro to be the evil equivalent of Adroa, but as a class of earthly spirits who are "refractions" of the good aspect.<ref name="Dalfovo1998"/><ref name="Middleton1979"/> Both Adroa and Adro are part of a Lugbara man, as a sign of divine creation. In this aspect, the Adroa is also known as Tali. Women are thought to have no Tali. Upon a man's death, the Adro aspect was thought to leave his body, rejoining with Adro in the rivers and becoming [[Adroanzi]]. Meanwhile, Tali rejoins Adroa in the sky.<ref name="Middleton1999"/>

==See also==
* [[Lugbara mythology]]
{{Portal|Traditional African religion}}

==References==
{{reflist|
refs=
<ref name="Oxford">{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.2011081010432121 |title=Adroa - Oxford Reference |website=[[Oxford Reference]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|accessdate=2020-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520061438/https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.2011081010432121|archive-date=2020-05-20}}</ref>
<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lugbara |title=Lugbara |author=((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521020202/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lugbara |archivedate=2020-05-21 |accessdate=2020-05-20 }}</ref>
<ref name="Lynch2004">{{cite book|author=Patricia Ann Lynch|title=African Mythology A to Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=191KzEw_heMC&pg=PA4|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1988-5|page=4}}</ref>
<ref name="Middleton1999">{{cite book|author=John Middleton|title=Lugbara Religion: Ritual and Authority Among an East African People|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbf9gkWoe_UC|year=1999|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-8258-4033-4}}</ref>
<ref name="Middleton1979">{{cite journal|last1=Middleton|first1=John|title=Rites of sacrifice among the Lugbara|journal=Systèmes de pensée en Afrique noire|issue=4|year=1979|pages=175–192|issn=0294-7080|doi=10.4000/span.475|doi-access=free}}</ref>
<ref name="Dalfovo1998">{{cite journal|last1=Dalfovo|first1=A. T.|title=The Divinity among the Lugbara|journal=Journal of Religion in Africa|volume=28|issue=4|year=1998|pages=468–493|issn=0022-4200|doi=10.2307/1581561|jstor=1581561}}</ref>
}}

[[Category:African gods]]
[[Category:Creator gods]]
[[Category:Lugbara mythology]]
[[Category:Death gods]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]