Language and Literary Studies in Society, A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Eno Nta, 2021
The pre-colonial African society functioned within an organised system whose sustenance was hinge... more The pre-colonial African society functioned within an organised system whose sustenance was hinged on the unscripted beliefs, values, norms, customs, festivals and traditions unconsciously imbibed and orally transmitted through folktales, proverbs, fables, songs, myth, artefacts, festivals and rituals. Through these media, heroes were immortalised in traditional societies as their adventures and exploits transcended their immediate existence owing to their communal significance and subsequent glorification. In most cases, the hero would have evinced impressions of his uniqueness and difference from infancy (Okpewho 89). In the Africa worldview, it is an established truth that the desires of the classical hero are invariably interwoven with those of his society. The mission of the hero may either be signalled with a call from birth or emerge as a personal mission undertaken with a view to forestalling undesirable events (Okpewho 97; Bowra 112). Chukwuma Azuonye describes the hero as a “selfless lamb of sacrifice who submits to suffering or lays down his life in the pursuit of a common cause” (26), so that he functions as an agent, not acting on his own accord but functioning within the ambits of the society so that his actions align with the dictates of his society. Basically, this informs the heroic essence and more importantly averts any form of excess, since he is capable of being punished if he runs afoul of social law or violates the requirements of reasonable revenge, even if his aim is to bring benefits to the society. This is further highlighted by Mazisi Kunene who notes “the African heroic conception is [based on] a community that remains all-powerful …We are reminded that the African epic seeks to teach some of the highest values of society and one of these involves the sacred idea of balance” (555-556).
Language and Literary Studies in Society, A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Eno Nta, 2021
The pre-colonial African society functioned within an organised system whose sustenance was hinge... more The pre-colonial African society functioned within an organised system whose sustenance was hinged on the unscripted beliefs, values, norms, customs, festivals and traditions unconsciously imbibed and orally transmitted through folktales, proverbs, fables, songs, myth, artefacts, festivals and rituals. Through these media, heroes were immortalised in traditional societies as their adventures and exploits transcended their immediate existence owing to their communal significance and subsequent glorification. In most cases, the hero would have evinced impressions of his uniqueness and difference from infancy (Okpewho 89). In the Africa worldview, it is an established truth that the desires of the classical hero are invariably interwoven with those of his society. The mission of the hero may either be signalled with a call from birth or emerge as a personal mission undertaken with a view to forestalling undesirable events (Okpewho 97; Bowra 112). Chukwuma Azuonye describes the hero as a “selfless lamb of sacrifice who submits to suffering or lays down his life in the pursuit of a common cause” (26), so that he functions as an agent, not acting on his own accord but functioning within the ambits of the society so that his actions align with the dictates of his society. Basically, this informs the heroic essence and more importantly averts any form of excess, since he is capable of being punished if he runs afoul of social law or violates the requirements of reasonable revenge, even if his aim is to bring benefits to the society. This is further highlighted by Mazisi Kunene who notes “the African heroic conception is [based on] a community that remains all-powerful …We are reminded that the African epic seeks to teach some of the highest values of society and one of these involves the sacred idea of balance” (555-556).
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festivals and rituals. Through these media, heroes were immortalised in traditional societies as their adventures and exploits transcended their immediate existence owing to their communal significance and subsequent glorification. In most cases, the hero would have evinced
impressions of his uniqueness and difference from infancy (Okpewho 89). In the Africa worldview, it is an established truth that the desires of the classical hero are invariably interwoven with those of his society. The mission of the hero may either be signalled with a call from birth or emerge as a personal mission undertaken with a view to forestalling undesirable events (Okpewho 97; Bowra 112). Chukwuma Azuonye describes the hero as a “selfless lamb of sacrifice who submits to suffering or lays down his life in the pursuit of a common cause” (26),
so that he functions as an agent, not acting on his own accord but functioning within the ambits of the society so that his actions align with the dictates of his society. Basically, this informs the heroic essence and more importantly averts any form of excess, since he is capable of being
punished if he runs afoul of social law or violates the requirements of reasonable revenge, even if his aim is to bring benefits to the society. This is further highlighted by Mazisi Kunene who notes “the African heroic conception is [based on] a community that remains all-powerful …We are reminded that the African epic seeks to teach some of the highest values of society and one of these involves the sacred idea of balance” (555-556).
festivals and rituals. Through these media, heroes were immortalised in traditional societies as their adventures and exploits transcended their immediate existence owing to their communal significance and subsequent glorification. In most cases, the hero would have evinced
impressions of his uniqueness and difference from infancy (Okpewho 89). In the Africa worldview, it is an established truth that the desires of the classical hero are invariably interwoven with those of his society. The mission of the hero may either be signalled with a call from birth or emerge as a personal mission undertaken with a view to forestalling undesirable events (Okpewho 97; Bowra 112). Chukwuma Azuonye describes the hero as a “selfless lamb of sacrifice who submits to suffering or lays down his life in the pursuit of a common cause” (26),
so that he functions as an agent, not acting on his own accord but functioning within the ambits of the society so that his actions align with the dictates of his society. Basically, this informs the heroic essence and more importantly averts any form of excess, since he is capable of being
punished if he runs afoul of social law or violates the requirements of reasonable revenge, even if his aim is to bring benefits to the society. This is further highlighted by Mazisi Kunene who notes “the African heroic conception is [based on] a community that remains all-powerful …We are reminded that the African epic seeks to teach some of the highest values of society and one of these involves the sacred idea of balance” (555-556).