African Origin of the word “Nike”

African Origin of the word “Nike”
By Asar Imhotep (October 23, 2013  revised October 29, 2013)
The MOCHA-Versity Institute of Philosophy and Research
luntu/lumtu/muntu
This paper is an examination of the Greek word nike (Νίκη). which has become famous, in modern times,
as a result of the sports apparel company by the same name (created by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight).
Practically all of the dictionaries that have examined this word suggest that the word nike is Greek.
However, beyond Greek, these same dictionaries are unsure of its ultimate etymology.1 In this brief essay,
we suggest that the term is not of Greek derivation, but is indeed African and that this term is a borrowing
into the Greek language from Egypt.
Before we can get into the heart of our discussion, we must first properly define this term in
Greek. The Online Etymological Dictionary (OED) has the following examination:
Nike: Greek goddess of victory (identified by the Romans with their Victoria), literally "victory,"
probably connected with neikos "quarrel, strife," neikein "to quarrel with." As a type of U.S.
defensive surface-to-air missiles, attested from 1952.
Wikipedia has the following:
In Greek mythology, Nike (Greek: Νίκη, "Victory", pronounced [nǐːkɛː]) was a goddess who
personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was
1
See for instance The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, ―Nike: Victory, Greek noun of
unknown origin. [Eunice, Nicholas, (Nickel), Nike.]
Page 1 of 23
Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of Pallas
(Titan) and Styx (Water),[1][2] and the sister of Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal). [1]
Nike and her siblings were close companions of Zeus, the dominant deity of the Greek pantheon.
According to classical (later) myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when the god was assembling
allies for the Titan War against the older deities. Nike assumed the role of the divine charioteer, a
role in which she often is portrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding
the victors with glory and fame. Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. Most other
winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess
of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena, and is thought to
have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. [3] Nike
is one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins. [4] Names stemming from Nike
include among others: Nikolaos, Nicholas, Nicola, Nick, Nicolai, Nikolai, Nicolae, Nils, Klaas,
Nicole, Ike, Niki, Nikita, Nika, Niketas, and Nico.
Statuette of goddess Nike found in Vani, Georgia.2
Some of Nike‘s attributes can be summarized as follows:
Symbol: wings; often depicted with a wreath of victory or a staff; the chariot
Strengths: very fast runner, swift flyer, able charioteer
Weaknesses: can be capricious (inconsistent) in dolling out victory
Parents: daughter of Styx, called a nymph but actually the presiding spirit over the major river of
the Underworld, and Pallas, a Titan. He has three brothers: Zelos ―rivalry,‖ Kratos ―strength,‖ and
Bia ―force.‖
Other: Some sources give her father as Ares, the God of War. The most famous statue of Nike is
the Nike of Samothrace, a Greek island in the northern Aegean. This statue is now in the Louvre
Museum in Paris.3
2
Retrieved from Wikipedia October 22, 2013.
See ―Fast Facts: Nike‖ by deTraci Regula. http://gogreece.about.com/od/greekmythology/a/mythnike.htm
(retrieved October 23, 2013)
3
Page 2 of 23
In other words, the word nike is a Greek term that means ―victory‖ and it has been personified as a
winged goddess with the same name. Research has uncovered that many of the Greek gods, in fact, derive
from ancient Egypt (Obenga 1992, Bernal 1987, Diop 1991). This is definitely the opinion of Herodotus
who took great advantage of the opportunity, in his Book II, to hammer down this belief of the adoption
of Egyptian gods by the Greeks. As Herodotus suggests:
The names of nearly all the gods came to Greece from Egypt. I know from the inquiries I have
made that they came from abroad, and it seems most likely that it was from Egypt, for the names
of all the gods have been known in Egypt from the beginning of time, with the exception (as I
have already said) of Poseidon and Dioscuri—and also of Hera, Hestia, Themis, the Graces, and
the Nereids. I have the authority of the Egyptians themselves for this. (Herodotus, Book II 50.2)
We suggest here that the goddess Nike, meaning ―victory,‖ derives her name from an Egyptian word, and
that Herodotus is correct in his assessment—at least with this goddess—as it regards the origin of the
name of Greek gods.
An African Examination
Other sources accessible to the author for the word nike ―victory,‖ in Indo-European, do not posit a
derivation of the term beyond the Greek language. Therefore, it is assumed that this word is a Greek
innovation. Pierre Chantraine (1968-75), the prominent linguist and etymologist of Greek, argues that the
origin of nike (and its derivative neikos ―dispute, battle‖) is ―unknown.‖ It is my contention that the word
nike is a loan from Egyptian and is rendered nxt
―strong, victory, victorious, mighty, stiff, hard,
stiffen, become hard, successful‖; Coptic nchot "victory, become hard and strong."
Martin Bernal, in his Black Athena Vol. III: The Linguistic Evidence (2006: 384-385), suggests
that nike is also a loan into Greek, and he too suggests nxt.t and nxtw ―victory‖ as its origin. Bernal,
however, connects neikos with reflexes in Semitic: Arabic naky ―to be defeated,‖ nak‟ya ―inflicting of
injury‖; Hebrew nakah ―to smite (the passive or niphal perfect form: nikkah). My analysis in the original
incarnation of this article was independent of Bernal (2006), and this essay can now be seen as a
supportive text with a more expansive analysis on the subject.
The Egyptian form provides us with a wider range of meanings and a central theme can be
ascertained from an examination of variant forms provided in the following table.
Table 1: nxt
Hieroglyphs
Lexeme
Meaning
nxt
victory, strong, victorious, stiff, hard, obdurate [ adjective ]
nxt
hack up, cut up [ verb ]
nxt
powerful [ adjective ]
nxt
strong, victorious, mighty, stiff, hard, stiffen, become hard, successful [
adjective + verb ]
nxt /
nxtw
strength, force, power, victory [ noun ]
Page 3 of 23
nxt
strong man, champion, bully [ noun ]
nxt
a strong of arm, adult, a champion [ adjective + noun ]
nxt
to be stiff
nxt
a heroic [ adjective ]
nxtw ib
courage, valour, bravery [ noun ]
nxtw
strength, victory, hostages [ noun ]
nxtw
stronghold, fortress [ noun - arch. ]
nxtt
power, strength, triumph, stiffness, rigidity (of organs etc) [ noun - bod. ]
nxt
to protect [ verb ]
As we can see here, the variety of associations ranges from ―courage, bravery, strength, power‖ to
―protection.‖ The concept of ―victory,‖ as seen here, is associated with having the necessary ―strength‖
and ―courage‖ to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
Although the Indo-European (IE) languages have another word for ―victory,‖ the range of
meaning for such terms mirrors that which we find in the Egyptian variations of nxt. For example,
Mallory & Adams, in their book The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-IndoEuropean World (2006: 281), provides the following commentary on a conceptually relatable word to nxt.
To conquer one‘s enemy is indicated by *seĝh- and its derivatives which mean ‗conquer‘,
‗victory‘ (e.g. OIr seg ‗strong‘, NHG Sieg ‗victory‘, Grk ekhurós ‗Wrm, strong‘, Hit sakkuriya‗overcome‘, Skt sáhas- ‗victory‘, sáhuri- ‗victorious‘), and ‗hold fast‘ (it supplies the basic Greek
verb ékhō ‗hold‘). The word was also a popular element in personal names among the Celts (e.g.
Gaulish Sego-marus) and Germans (ON Sigurðr). Probably originally a nominal root, *gwyehawhich means ‗physical force‘ in both Greek and Indic can also mean ‗overcome‘ (e.g. ON kveita
‗make an end to, kill‘, Grk bíā ‗physical force, violence‘, Skt jyắ ‗force, violence‘, jinắti
‗overpowers, suppresses‘).4
We see here that ―victory‖ is connected to ―strong, conquer, physical force and violence.‖ As
demonstrated above, fundamentally, these meanings for *seĝh- are inherent in the word nxt. The cognate
term for Egyptian nxt or Greek nike in ciLuba-Bantu is nke "solid, hard, fixed" (syn. ndendende "tenacity,
toughness, persistence").
The Strong‘s Greek Dictionary (1890) provides some added clarity and support for our
connection. Strong records the following entries:
4
If we are to assume that the s- in *seĝh- ―conquer‖ is a ―causative prefix,‖ then * seĝh- and nxt might share the
same historical root: i.e., -g- and -x- respectively. Compare the PIE -gh- segment to Egyptian kh-A ―strong blow‖
(storm), kh-b ―name of Set; encounter (the bull), damage,‖ kh-sw ―malevolence,‖ kh-s ―haughty, rough.‖ More
investigation is needed here. The root of nxt will be discussed further below.
Page 4 of 23
SG3529 nike (nee'-kay) "apparently a primary word; conquest (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) the
means of success:--victory."
SG3528 nikao (nik-ah'-o) "from 3529; to subdue (literally or figuratively):--conquer, overcome,
prevail, get the victory."
SG3534 nikos (nee'-kos) "from 3529; a conquest (concretely), i.e. (by implication) triumph:-victory."
We observe here that nike primarily means ―conquest,‖ and it is from this notion of a successful conquest
that ―victory‖ becomes its secondary meaning. We see this same type of connection in another unrelated
Greek word from Strong‘s Dictionary.
SG2358 thriambeuo (three-am-byoo'-o) "from a prolonged compound of the base of 2360; and a
derivative of 680 (meaning a noisy iambus, sung in honor of Bacchus); to make an acclamatory
procession, i.e. (figuratively) to conquer or (by Hebraism) to give victory:--(cause) to triumph
(over)."
Therefore, we can see a pattern in associations between the concept of ―conquering‖ and ―victory.‖ I posit
here, given the Egyptian connection, that nike ultimately comes from the concept of ―strong,‖ and that
―strong arming‖ was the original thought associated with ―conquering.‖ The underlying meaning of
―victory‖ here is to (successfully) ―overpower‖ something.
The -t in the C3 position of nxt is a suffix. This is often mistaken as a feminine affix, but this is
not the case. This suffix brings about a secondary meaning (gerund) on a noun or adjective that does not
have the suffix originally.5 It also serves as a nominalizing affix on verbs (i.e., turns verbs into nouns).
Moreover, the suffix can also act as a definite or indefinite article like in the Kalenjiin (Nilo-Saharan)
language: e.g., chii ―man,‖ chiito ―a man‖; ko ―house,‖ koot ―a/the house.‖ A few examples are in order:
Egyptian: sr ―sheep‖; sr(j).t ―a particular sheep‖
Kalenjiin: kechiir ―sheep‖; kechiiryet ―a sheep‖
Egyptian: aw ―large‖; aw.t ―largeness‖
Kalenjiin: oo/woo ―large‖; oo-into/oo-indo ―largeness‖ (t>d)
Egyptian: bjn ―bad, evil‖ (adjective); bjn.t ―‖evil‖ (noun)
Kalenjiin: bunyoon ―enemy‖ (adjective); bunyoot ―an/the enemy‖ (noun)
Kalenjiin: boon ―witching‖; bondit ―an/the evil‖ or ―the witchcraft‖
Egyptian: am ―eat‖; am.t ―food‖
Kalenjiin: am ―eat‖ (verb); amiit ―food‖ or amdit ―the food‖ (noun)
Egyptian: msyt ―evening meal‖
Kalenjiin: amisyeet ―any meal‖ (both terms deriving from the verb root am ―eat‖)
Egyptian: mn ―be ill‖; mn.t ―sickness, disease, wound‖
Kalenjiin: mian ―be ill‖; mian-eet ―the state of being sick,‖ mion-to/mion-do ―sickness, disease, illness‖
Egyptian: mtw ―to speak, talk‖; mt.t ―speech, decree, word‖
5
Dr. Taaita araap-Toweett, in his Kalenjin Nouns and Their Classifications master‘s thesis (1975) introduced the
terms inclusive singular nouns (i.s.n) to refer to all Kalenjiin singular nouns that are in their primary form and do
not, therefore, have the grammatical /-t/ suffix. The Kalenjiin are modern descendents of the ancient Egyptians who
speak a Nilo-Saharan language (see Sambu 2007, 2011).
Page 5 of 23
Kalenjiin: mwa ―speak‖; mwaeet ―speech‖ or mwaitaaet ―announcement.‖ (see also, amda (amta) ―preach,
inform,‖ which becomes amdaaet (amtaaet) ―sermons, lessons and information‖) (Sambu, 2011: 145-146)
With this being said, we suggest that the form nxt is a secondary derivation on a primary form; one by
way of the suffixal /-t/. Forms without the -t suffix can be seen below:
Hieroglyphs
Lexeme
Meaning
nx
succor, protect, protection [ verb + noun ]
nxw
protector, defender [ noun ]
nxw
helper [ noun - title ]
The /x/ and /S/ sounds in Egyptian often interchange (see Imhotep 2013, Bilolo 2011). With that said, the
following terms may be relevant: nS
―expel (from), disown (a woman)‖; nS
―to
drive out.‖ The n- in nxt is another morpheme. This leaves -x- as the root and can be seen in the word xw
―protection‖; xwj
―protect, exclude, exempt, set aside, avoid, prevent, equip with.‖
The -x- root ultimately derives from a word for ―arm,‖ and the arm can even be seen as a
determinative in the hieroglyphic renderings of nxt
. Campbell-Dunn (2009b) provides the
following entries:
Sumerian á ―arm, strength‖
ARM
KA “arm”, “strength”
PWS ka, bua (ba) ―arm‖ [BU = β]
Sumerian kalag ―strong‖
C-loss [k > h or b > v]
Sumerian a5, aka ―make‖
PWN BUAK, GWAL, KA (KYA), KWÁN ―arm‖
Sumerian Á-KAL ―strength‖
Bantu gado ―arm‖, bóko ―arm‖
Sumerian áh, ahi ―arm strength‖
―Holoholo‖ bokó ―arm‖, kal‟ ―to cut‖
Mande bolo, bolo-kala, kãmba-kala ―arm‖, wa ―arm, strength‖
ES Didinga kalkic ―armpit‖, kom ―be strong‖
*K = #
*A = a
MIGHTY, TO BE
KA “hand”
LA “hand”
*B = #
*A = a
Sumerian kalag (kala) ―be mighty‖
-g
PWS ka ―hand‖
PWS gán ―big‘
PWN KA, (KYA) ―hand‖
PWN GÀ ―hundred‖
Bantu kod ―be strong‖
Indiki ne-kara ―hand‖
Ngala nkasu ―strong‖
Mande bar‟ ka-le ―strong‖
Mangbetu kwakwara ―strong‖
PCS *kpa, *gba ―hard‖
Page 6 of 23
*K = k
*A = a
*L = l
*A = a
Sumerian a, kal ―strength‖
STRENGTH
KA “hand”
-l
PWS ka ―hand‖ (―May God make my right hand strong‖ )
PWN KA, (KYA), KWAN, GWAL ―hand‖
Mande (Delafosse 1929) gbere, B gere, M gete ―strong‖; gbesi, M gese ―force‖
Mangbetu kwakwara ―strength‖
Khoisan : Sandawe //ga ―stand‖ ?
[ Sumerian a has lost the initial k]
*K = #
*A = a
*L = l
*K = k
Sumerian gu2 ―talent‖
TALENT (weight)
KU “big”
PWS kuì ―big‖
See PWS guà ―much‖
[PNC ku ―grow, big‖]
PWN KWUL ―be big‖
Bantu kúd ―become strong‖
Bangi nguya ―strong‖, Soko ngulu ―strong‖
Mande gyā ―big‖
Mangbetu kwokwo ―big‖
*K = g
*U = u
The primal noun is Proto-Western-Sudanic (PWS) *ka ―arm, hand‖ and the ―actions of the arm/hand.‖ Its
subsequent adjectives share the same linguistic root (see discussion in Imhotep 2013 Appendix A). The
root -k- (Egyptian -x-) can be seen in the following reflexes in Egyptian.
anx
captive
sqr anx
Prisoner of War, Captive, Living Prisoner [ noun ]
nxtw
stronghold, fortress [ noun - arch. ]
nxtw
hostages, securities [ noun ]
nxtw
strength, victory, hostages [ noun ]
Page 7 of 23
nxrw
(something that is harmful ?) [ noun ]
nxnx
to attack [ verb ]
nD
save, protect [ verb ]
The underlying theme of these terms is the ―actions of the arms.‖ To make someone a ―prisoner‖ is to
―strong arm‖ them or ―hold‖ them ―captive‖ (Greek nikao ―subdue‖). One ―attacks‖ (nxnx) with one‘s
arms. Even today in English we call weapons ―arms,‖ as they are extensions of our physical arms. To
―save‖ and ―protect‖ (nD) also requires one‘s arms. I included this term because the /D/ sound originally
derived from /g/ [g>D], which itself is just a voiced /k/.
A dialectical variant of /x/ is /q/ in Egyptian and we can see the root -x- > -q- in the following
reflexes:
HqA
captive [ noun ]
HqA
to capture, to plunder, to take captive [ verb ]
HAqw
captives [ noun ]
HAqw
spoils (of war) [ noun ]
HAqt
booty, loot, spoils (of war) [ noun ]
This secondary notion of strength (from arm) is then transferred to other concepts. For instance, strength
and power is often connected to ―bigness‖ and this can be reflected in Egyptian with nxti
―the
giant.‖
Because this root extends to mean ―valor, strength, victory, courageous, protection, etc.,‖ these
characteristics are often associated with ―battle‖ and ―war.‖ The -x- root can be seen in such related terms
as r a xt
―war, combat, battle‖6; xrw
―battle, war.‖ The /x/ sound also corresponds to
/H/ in Egyptian (dialectical?). Therefore, we have reflexes of aHA
―war, combat, battle, fight‖;
aHAwty
―warrior, male, man‖ (x>H). Notice how the -ty suffix provides a secondary
meaning on the primary root in the later example.
The x-r variations of the root in Egyptian are given as k-l in Bantu. The following is from the
Bantu Lexical Reconstruction 3 (BLR3) online database. Note that Proto-Bantu (PB) /l/ is realized as /d/.
6
The word xt can mean ―stick, staff, cane‖; ―wood, timber, tree, woodland, mast, stick, pole, rod‖ and is used in
battles or fights. We also have the word xt a ―a weapon.‖ So r a xt, basically, means to ―use a weapon‖ (go to war).
Page 8 of 23
MAIN
be strong; be hard; be difficult
H (V)
1874
être fort; être dur; être difficile
Total Distribution: Regions: 5: NW SW Ce NE SE Zones: 12: B D F G H K L M N P R S
MAIN
1874
H
V
DGHLMNRS
V
be strong; be hard; be
difficult
intoxicate
DER
1877
H
DER
1878
H
V
become intoxicated
BDFGHKLMNR
DER
7002
H_
N
strength
R
DER
7026
N7
drunkard
HLM
GHLMP
See also:
MAIN
1872
HL
N 9/10
lion
BCHLR
MAIN
1875
H
V
work
DFJ
MAIN
1876
H
V
choke
EN
MAIN
1883
HL
bird of prey spp., hawk
spp.
ABCDGJKLMNRS
MAIN
6999
H
N (5/6),
(7/8),
9/10,
11/10,
(12/13),
(19/13)
V
take; touch
CGJMN
MAIN
7008
HL
N9
crocodile
C
We should take some time to note how this root in Bantu is applied to and becomes the word for certain
animals that are known to be ferocious and skilled hunters: i.e., *kóci ―lion,‖ *kódì ―crocodile,‖ *kódì
―bird of prey‖ (hawk). As stated earlier, the /x/ and /H/ interchange or are variants of each other. We
should also note that the /A/ sound was historically a /r/ or /l/ (Imhotep, 2013).
With that said, Proto-Bantu *kódì ―bird of prey‖ (hawk) is a dialectical variant of the Egyptian
word Hr or Hrw
―The god Horus,‖ which is personified as a ―hawk/falcon.‖ He is known for revenging
the death of his father and engaging in a long drawn-out battle with his uncle Set. The linguistic
phenomenon of paronymy is at play in this story. Paronymy involves a perceived relationship between
words that sound alike or are similarly pronounced. Egyptologists call this ―punning.‖ Thus, Hr ―hawk,
Horus‖ (< PB *kód ―be strong‖) is associated with aHA
―war, combat, battle, fight‖ and xrw
―battle, war.‖ A reflex exists in ciLuba as –kolè(à) ―hard, drive, tough‖ (> mwoyo mukolè ―courage,
boldness‖; Egyptian nxt jb
―courage, valor, bravery‖).
In Egyptian, the /r/, /A/ and /n/ sounds interchange (Lorpieno, 1995: 33). Often these interchanges
in sound provide slight shades of meaning on the root. It is also my contention that the Egyptian sounds
/q/, /x/, /k/, /H/ and /h/, are in reality variants of each other. With that said, I argue that Egyptian nxt
―victory‖ is just a variant of the word qnt ―victory‖ by way of metathesis on the velar and nasal
consonants in the C1 and C2 positions, respectively. The following table provides the following reflexes of
qnt.
Page 9 of 23
Hieroglyphs
Lexeme
qnt
victory, might [ noun ]
Meaning
qn
Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero [ noun - title ]
qni
powerful (of speech), stout (of heart), active [ adjective + verb ]
qni
be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active [ verb ]
qn
to weaken [ verb ]
qni
eager, strong [ adjective ]
qnw
feats [ noun ]
qnw
brave deeds [ noun ]
qn
offence, audacity [ noun ]
qn
complete, accomplish, cease, bring to an end, to finish off [ verb ]
qnt
brutality, violence [ noun ]
qnqn
castigation, beating, blows [ noun ]
qnqn
to assault [ verb ]
qnqn
to bruise [ verb ]
qnqn
flatten (metal), deal wrongly (with), to be beaten [ verb ]
qnqn
crush, beat (people), kill, pound up (medicines), beat out, to assault [ verb ]
qni
conquer, amount (to), be profuse [ adjective + verb ]
As we can see here, qn(t), and its variations, have the same meanings as nxt mentioned earlier.
Nike = Goddess Hathor/Isis
Some readers may dismiss this connection between the goddess Nike and the Egyptian term nxt; not
because there is any linguistic difficulties, but because they cannot recall a goddess in the Egyptian
pantheon that goes by the same name. However, there is a goddess by the name nxt and she is a variant of
the goddess Hwt Hrw ―Hathor.‖7 The very term itself is deified in many significant ways.
7
Thanks to brother Sonjedi Ankh Ra for helping me find this specific correlation.
Page 10 of 23
―a god‖ (Budge 389a). It in-of-itself is a
For instance, we have in Egyptian: nxt a
variant of nxt
―Divine power‖ (Budge 389a). We note also that our term under examination is
―a form of Ra, the autumn sun‖ (Budge
used in relation to the god Ra, as an aspect of the sun: nxx
387a). We also have the following variation (Budge 387a):
Notice the ―wings‖ on this representation. This is important because the goddess Nike is also depicted
with wings. As wings deal with ―flight‖ and ―movement,‖ we know this form hints to the movement of
the sun and/or light. With that said, we also have the feminine counterpart given with the word:
nxt(t)
―a goddess‖ (Budge 389a)
This form and association can be found in the raw nw prt m Hrw (Words for coming forth into day),
Lepsius Papyrus, Chapter 140, Line 7. This section of the chapter reads:
His Majesty shines as on the First Occasion and the Sacred Eye is in his head; Re, Atum, the
Sacred Eye, Shu, Geb, Osiris, Seth and Horus, Mont, Bah, Re the Everlasting, Thoth who travels
eternity, Nut, Isis, Nephthys, Hathor the victorious, the two Songtress-goddesses, Maat, Anubis
of the land, born of eternity, and the Soul of Mendes: when the Sacred Eye has been reckoned up
in the presence of the Lord of this land, and it stands complete and content, these gods are joyful
on this day; their hands support it and the festival of all the gods is celebrated. (Wasserman, 2008:
120)
The word nxt(t) is an epithet for the goddess @wt @rw (Hathor). We see a variant of this root, in
association with Hathor, with the word: Axt
―Hathor cow‖ (Budge 389a). As noted in the above
citation, these references are in association with ―light‖ as emitted from the sun (―His Majesty shines as
on the First Occasion and the Sacred Eye is in his head‖). Thus we have: iAxt
iAxw
―radiance‖ (as a god); Axt
(epithet of Hathor);
―uraeus serpent‖ (Budge 389a).8 We have to keep in
mind that Hathor is another form of Hrw
, and thus the association with ―wings.‖ As @rw and @wt
@rw deal with the sun, an alternate form is more specific to ―distant‖ suns: i.e., ―stars.‖ This can be seen
with the word AxAxw
appear to be borrowed by the Greeks.
Above we noted nxx
―stars‖; nxx
―a star.‖ This aspect of Hathor doesn‘t readily
―a form of Ra‖ and nxx
―the sun as an old man, the winter sun.‖
This is a play on words (paronymy). In Egyptian we have nxx
“the aged, old”; nxx
―be
old, old age, to last, the old, the aged.‖ Unlike in the West, in Africa, the older you are, the more powerful
you become. This is because one‘s age is associated with wisdom, but not only that, it correlates to
knowledge of certain spiritual technologies that are not generally learned by young people. One also
accumulates more wealth (ideally) the older one gets, and wealth brings you power.
8
We note that the /A/ and /n/ sounds interchange: Axt <> nxt.
Page 11 of 23
This could also explain the paronymic association between nxt a ―a god‖ and nxx ―the aged, the
old.‖ We find a correlation between nxx ―the aged, the old‖ and the Bantu term nganga, which are the
elder arbitrators and medicine-men in African societies. A ―god,‖ in the African sense, is just an elder or
priest (Imhotep 2013). The elders are in charge of the collective healing of the community (Somé 1994,
Fu-Kiau 2001, 2006).
This underlying connotation of power and strength may also have transferred to certain types of
plants. This may be reflected in nxtyw
(a plant); xt
―a drug form‖ (medicinal). To make
medicine, one often has to ―pound‘ and pulverize the plants into a powder. There may be a correlation
there, but there may also be a connection based on the plants ability to ―fight‖ and ―attack‖ disease.
In connecting the Egyptian word qni ―brave, strong (noun), to conquer (verb)‖ with possible
forms in Greek, Bernal provides the following instructive commentary.
According to the ancients, Akoniton, a ―poisonous plant,‖ gained its name from being ―without
dust, or the sand of an arena‖ koni" and, therefore, invincible. Modern scholars disregard this as a
folk etymology. I believe that, in the sense of ―without antidote,‖ it makes good sense. Qn
provides a reasonable etymology for kainumai (H) ―to surpass, overcome‖ and for kaino (5) ―to
kill.‖ Chantraine provides an explanation for neither of these. (Bernal, 2006: 386)
In other words, this notion of ―strength,‖ given by qni (Yorùbá akoni ―brave person, hero‖; Greek -koni-),
became associated with a poisonous plant with an underlying meaning of ―invincible.‖ The Egyptian
word nxtyw
(a plant) may be related. Compare with Egyptian an anx ―sustenance,‖ anx ―garland‖
(a plant), anx.t ―corn.‖ Plants are used for medicine, to cure disease, and we can see a reflex in ciLuba
BwAnga ―medicine, means of protection, support of health.‖ This root, when reduplicated (NgaNga),
means ―doctor.‖ As we noted earlier, nxt can also mean ―protect.‖ This root is present in ciLuba as sungila ―to deliver, protect from; to save‖; sungidila ―to separate, deliver, defend against, to help‖;
sàngaja/sàngalaja ―to cure, return health.‖ A word for ―medicine‖ in the Yorùbá language is òógún; Igbo
ogwu.
This -x- root meaning ―arm, power, strength‖ is also present in another word s-xm meaning
―power, authority‖ (Kalenjiin kiim or giim ―strength, power, might‖; ciLuba nkama ―power, force, might,
strength‖; Egyptian gm ―power, strength, might‖). The reflexes of this term can be seen in the following
table:
sxm
power, grimness [ noun ]
sxm
gain control, have control [ verb ]
sxm
to be stout, undertake (works) [ verb ]
sxm
with powerful arm [ noun - title ]
sxm
to be powerful, to be terrible of, possessed of [ verb ]
sxm
mighty one, power [ noun ]
Page 12 of 23
sxm
mighty one [ noun ]
sxm
a Power (personified as a diety) [ noun ]
These hieroglyphs reaffirm this association between the ―arm‖ and ―power‖; as we can see a good number
of the examples above contain the arm glyph. We can also see that sxm was also deified as a god. This
masculine god has a female counterpart known as %xm.t
. This goddess is most frequently depicted
in semi-anthropomorphic form as a lioness-headed woman. She often wears a long wig and usually has a
solar disk balanced atop her head in this aspect. She is associated with the sun in her aspect as the "Eye of
Ra" (or Ptah) and in this aspect is the personification of Hathor as well (Wilkinson, 2003: 181).
Sekhmet (%xm.t) is known for her dual nature: as a destructive force and as a protective force.
The destructive force is linguistically built off the root xm "demolish (buildings), harm (someone), dig up
(earth), debar (from), exclude, attack (enemy), to force (open)." These are all actions of the harnds/arms.
The goddess also had the power to ward off pestilence and she could function as a healing deity, even
being called 'Sekhmet, mistress of life' (Wilkinson, 2003: 181). The goddess %xm.t corresponds to the
deity Sakpatá / ʃɔ̰̀̀ ̰̀̀ kpɔ̰̀̀ ná among the vodun practitioners in the Bight of Benin (Eʋe, Fon, Aja, Pʰla, Pʰeɖa,
Gun, Maxi, etc.).9 In the Ancient Nile Valley, as well as in the Aja-Tado area, Sakpatá and %xm.t, were
considered as the most feared deities of their respective pantheons. Sakpatá is associated with ―smallpox‖
as a controller of the disease, but (like %xm.t) is also invoked to cure from and prevent epidemics. Another
correspondence between the two is that %xm.t is often depicted as a lioness that emerged from the uraeus
snake. Sakpatá is often symbolized by a furious leopard and is said, in some legends, to change into a
snake.
We will now explore parallels of the linguistic term nxt and of the goddess Nike with the Yorùbá
god of iron Ògún (<qn.t) of Nigeria.
Nike and Ògún
In this section, we posit that the goddess Nike (n-k) of the Greeks is a distant variation of the Yorùbá god
Ògún (g-n). Although the genders are different, the names and function of each are practically the same:
the consonants are just switched in their names respectively (metathesis). We suggested earlier that Heru
(Horus) is a variation of Nike (they share the same root). Here the /r/ in Heru and /n/ in Nike interchange.
With that said, it would stand to reason that, fundamentally, Nike = Ògún = @rw. To understand the
connections between these deities, we must first examine the attributes of Ògún among the Yorùbá of
Nigeria. The following summary and linguistic examples will come, primarily, from two sources. The
first is Modupe Oduyoye‘s Words & Meaning in Yorùbá Religion: Linguistic Connections in Yorùbá,
Ancient Egypt & Semitic (1996: 79-94). The second is Africa‟s Ogun: Old World and New (1997), edited
by Sandra T. Barnes. Other insights are included using myself, as a practitioner of the tradition, as a
resource.
Origins of the Ògún Myth
Ògún is typically associated with the creation of iron that has been forged through the smithy. He is also
the personification of war and technology in general. However, his roots are more ancient and the myth
9
See Sandro Capochichi‘s article ―Un essai comparatif sur quelques divinités traditionnelles du golfe de Bénin et de
la vallée du Nil ancienne,‖ ANKH n° 16 - Année 2007, Gif-sur-Yvette: Khepera.
Page 13 of 23
associated with him is the way our most ancient human ancestors came to terms with the natural
phenomenon of a volcano.
Ògún, in Yorùbá liturgical conceptualizations, is the òrìṣà of ―creative transformative energy.‖
He is popularly known as the deity/spirit of hunting, iron, and warfare. His characteristics have expanded
over the years, which range from modern technology to highway safety: anything that includes danger,
metal or transportation. We come to discover through the many myths associated with Ògún that he is
also a farmer, an artist, an inventor, protector of orphans, a roof over the homeless, a terrible guardian of
the sacred oath, and the ―lord of the road‖ to sacred wisdom.10
He is a spirit that embodies two images. On the one hand he is a terrifying specter: a violent
warrior, fully armed and laden with frightening charms and medicines to kill his foes. On the other hand,
Ògún is society‘s ideal male: a leader known for his sexual prowess, who nurtures, protects and
relentlessly pursues truth, equity and justice.
The early Yorùbá postulated that an agent on top of the volcanic mountain existed to explain the
phenomenon of fire. This agent is Ògún. This is proven by examining the story in which Ògún, on one
day, was coming down from the hill-top wearing clothes of fire and covered in blood (Oduyoye, 1996:
146 n.2, Barnes, 1997: 106). On top of the mountain, the Yorùbá posited a town of fire—symbolically
named Ìrè (Cf. Yorùbá ààrò ―fire pot‖, Arabic „araa ―to burn‖, Hebrew ir ―heat‖, Afar ur and Bari yur
―set on fire.‖). Other myths affirm directly this fact; stating that he came to the world from a volcano as it
was erupting and brought with him the ability to forge weapons and tools (Turner and Coulter, 2001:
360). In the Ijebu dialect of Yorùbá, red hot charcoal from the fire is called ogunná.11
Ògún (g-n) is not only known among the Yorùbá, but also among the Sanskrit speakers of India
as Agni (g-n): The Indian god of fire. Sanskrit has a host of terms with this root that relates to fire:
agni/agniH ―fire,‖ agniparvataH ―volcano, volcanic cone,‖ agnishalaakaa ―matchstick,‖ agnishhu ―in the
fires,‖ agnau ―in the fire consummation.‖ Also the Slavic god of fire is named Ogoni (Patricia and
Coulter, 2001: 360). There is also Agnar (Norse; Teutonic) hero who is the God of Light.
Turner and Coulter, in their book Dictionary of Ancient Deities (2001: 25), also note that Agni is
spread across many countries with attributes and associations that will become familiar to us throughout
this text, which we can cross compare with Ògún amongst the Yorùbá of Nigeria.
Agni/Ogni (Agne, Agnis [Brahamanic, Hindu, tantric, Vedic; India) is also known as Ag, Agni
Yavishta, Agoni (Slavic), Anala, Asani (Lightining), Bhava (Existence), Brhaspati (Lord of
Devotion), Dhumakety, Grahapati, Grhapati (Lord of the House), Hotar (the Invoker), Isana
(Ruler), Jatavedas (All-Knowing), Mahadeva (Great god), Moloch, Narasamsa (Praise of Men),
Ogoni (Slavic), Pasupati (Lord of Cattle), Pav, Pavaka (The Purifier), Pramati, Tudra (Roarer),
Sarva (All), Skambha (Support), Slayer of Rokshasas (Slayer of Evil Spirits), Surya tanunapat
(Son of Self), Trita, Tryambaka, (Three-Mothered or Three-Eyed), Ugra (dead), Vaishwanara
(Universal Man), Yavishta.
The myth of Ògún is a record of the varied philosophizing of the Yorùbá on the natural phenomenon of
wild fire put to use by man—for heating, lighting, cooking, hunting, war, metallurgical work and metal
crafts (Oduyoye, 1996: 80-81). The above renderings in Indo-European helps to further demonstrate that
Ògún‘s origin is in fire and not in hunting (specifically) as proposed by Robert G. Armstrong in his essay
―The Etymology of the Word Ògún‖ in Barnes (1997: 29-38). The association of hunting with Ògún is
probably the result of an old African method of hunting, which scorched the forests in an effort to drive
out the wild-life. This made the animals easy targets for hunting as they would get caught running out of
10
See Clyde W. Ford, A Hero With An African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa (1999:166). Bantam
Books. New York, NY.
11
Westermann (1927) reconstructs many monosyllabic stem words (after his Proto-Western-Sudanic (PWS) roots),
many with optional consonantal Auslaut, or even alternate Auslaut forms, with a following nasal or resonant: ka, kal
―crab‖, ka, kan ―side‖, kà, kàn, kàl ―charcoal.‖ Therefore, Yorùbá ogunná ―charcoal‖ is just a variant of PWS *kàn
―charcoal.‖
Page 14 of 23
the forest from the fires. It may also be a rendering of the word for ―kill,‖ from the Niger-Congo root kú,
kúá ―kill‖ (Sumerian hul ―destroy‖) (Campbell-Dunn 2009a: 168). The concept of paronymy is not only
characteristic of ancient Egyptian, but is characteristic of African languages and myth-making in general
(see Imhotep 2011, 2013). Thus, they may have seen a commonality in the pronunciation of words for
―fire, volcano‖ and ―killing.‖
It should be noted that the ancient Irish goddess by the name of Morrigan is associated with
volcanoes, death, creation, violence, sex and war. The popular consensus argues that the word Morrigan is
comprised of the words Mor (great) + rgan ―queen.‖ I think this is folk etymology. We have a similar
issue with the origins of the word gun (pistol, cannon, rifle, etc.) in English. The current literature
speculates that the word gun derives from Gunnhildr, which consists of gunnr + hildr, both meaning
―war, battle.‖ Are we seeing a pattern here? Both Morrigan and Gunnhidr are associated with war and
battles, and the word Morrigan is associated with practically all of the known attributes of Ògún:
volcanoes, death, creation, violence, sex and war. It is my contention that both the -gan in Morrigan and
the word gun derive from the g-n root for charcoal/fire, which later became associated with iron weapons.
Because fire and the creation of weaponry became associated with violence, power and war, this
later was associated with army generals of war and can be seen in the Japanese word Shogun. The word
Shogun is a contraction of seii taishogun (征夷大将軍), which literally means a ―commander of a force.‖
It is a military rank and historical title for a hereditary military dictator of Japan. Seii could mean ―correct
location, correct position, sincere, true heart, correct meaning, good faith.‖ The word taisyo means
―general, admiral, boss, or leader.‖ The word gun means ―army, force, troops‖ (Egyptian qnyt
―the Braves (a military corps d'elite)‖; qn 'Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero"). Remember that Ògún is a
warrior and the Japanese word Shogun sounds a lot like Yorùbá Aṣẹ́gun ―conqueror, vanquisher, victor.‖
Compare Yorùbá Aṣẹ́gun with PIE *seĝh- ―conquer, victory.‖
There are many terms attached to the Yorùbá term ògún that bring about shades of meaning
associated with warfare: ounogun (weapons), ologun (brave warrior), olori ogun (general of the army),
egbe omo ogun (army), ohun elo ogun (arms), opa ogun (war staff), ija ogun (fight or battle), aṣàgun (a
rebel, a revolter) and balogun (war chief). It is apparent that Ògún is a very ancient deity; traceable
possibly to when man first left the continent of Africa to populate the rest of the earth.
It will be later demonstrated (Imhotep forthcoming) that the Egyptian title km wr, ―an epithet for
Wsir,‖ is equated with Ologun (wr km) ―a warrior chief‖ of the Yorùbá. The word km is an ―epithet of the
god of Athribis.‖ Athribis (in lower Egypt) was one of the military nomes assigned to the Calasirian
militia under the Pharaohs. The Egyptian word km is a dialectical variant of Yorùbá ògún, where n>m.
We also have in Kalenjiin (Nilo-Saharan) kiim ―strong, hard‖; kiimnoteet ―strength, power‖; kimkim
―strong, stiff, firm, fundamental‖; ciLuba nkama ―force, might, power, strength‖; Egyptian gm
―strength, power, might.‖ We note also in Egyptian jkm ―shield (protective device) [Wb 139 I]. We
suggest that km wr ―Great Black‖ is not the proper translation, but something more along the lines of
―Powerful lord‖ or ―Great warrior.‖ We are supported with a variant, with slight change in meaning, gn
wr
―the great ruler.‖ Compare also to kmA wr
―God‖ [Wb V 37].
Ògún: God of War
Fire and weaponry are instruments of power, and the g-n root can be seen in the following Egyptian
terms: gn
―powerful, respected,‖ gm
―strength, power, might.‖ It is my contention that the
Egyptian words gn and gm are variants of the word qnj ―be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active.‖
Strength and valor are characteristics of a warrior/hunter. Iron, steel and other metals, all forged in the
smithy, are also symbols of strength given the hard texture of the metals. Ògún, as previously stated, is
the patron of iron and war.
Warriors saw the advantages of going to war under the sign of such a patron: Ògún could ensure
an inexhaustible supply of iron implements of war. Therefore, since Ògún is the spirit behind fire and
Page 15 of 23
weapons, he becomes the ―God of war‖ among warriors. The volcanic origins of the myth are still
invoked to imbue a warrior with the violent temper of a volcano. The Egyptian name for their elite
military unite was qnyt
―the Braves (a military corps d'elite).‖ The word is a reflex of the name
of the ancient Middle East clan of smith, the Kenites. The name means, ―belonging to the copper smith.‖
This word for copper is reflected in Egyptian as gn
―copper objects,‖ gnw
―metal pots or
vases.‖
As noted previously, Ògún is the patron of both warriors and hunters. The difference between war
and hunting is that in war violence is directed at human beings, whereas in hunting the violence is
directed towards animals. In each endeavor, the same weapons are used: e.g., spear, arrow, javelin, sword,
and now-a-days, the gun (Ògún). In Yorùbáland, the hunters predominate in the worship of Ògún.
Ògún = Cain of the Bible
As noted by Oduyoye (1996), the name Qayin (Cain) of the Bible is linguistically cognate with Ògún of
Yorùbáland. Cain, for the Hebrews, is the patron of violence and was depicted as the being that executed
the first murder. While the Africans venerated Ògún ―the patron spirit of iron and war,‖ the Hebrews
vilified him and cursed him to forever be a wanderer.
The word Cain (Qayin) is simply a word designating a craftsman, a metal worker or farmer. It is
seen in the name Tuwbal-Cain, who in Genesis 4:22 was the one who first forged various implements of
copper and iron. The connection between Ògún and Qayin is beyond simple parallelism, but is a matter of
themes built off of cognate terms.
Comparative linguistics demands that this type of assertion be backed by evidence that will show
a phonological correspondence between the corresponding sounds in the two words. They must both
stand on both legs: in both form and meaning. We need to show, therefore, that Yorùbá g-n corresponds
with Semitic q-n/q-m. This can be seen in the following table.
Hebrew
qum ―rise up, stand up‖
qomah ―height‖ standing
place
qemah ―flour‖
qaneh ―stalk‖
Qayin = Cain = Ògún
Yorùbá
gùn/gun (òkè) ―climb‖ (hill)
gùn/gun (akaba) ―climb‖ (a ladder)
gùn/gun (esin) ―ride‖ (a horse)
O gùn ―he is tall‖
i.e. ―it is long‖
Ò gún ―it is erect‖
Ò gún ‗yàn ―she is protruding at the breasts. Her breasts
have become erect.‖
Arabic
qaama ―he rose‖
ogún ―war‖
maqama ―combat‖
gún lè ―to settle‖
a-dá-gun-odò ―stagnant waters‖
aqama ―to settle, to stay in
place‖
gún ―to pound‖ (pulverize)
gún yán ―to pound iyán‖
àgúnmu ―medicinal herbs‖ (pound into a powder)
àgàn ―barren (woman)‖
aqama ―sterile‖
gún ―to prick‖
ẹ̰̀̀gún ―thorns (sharp point)
igun ―edge‖ (sharp corner)
„qamh ―stalk‖
Page 16 of 23
Qayin ―Cain‖
qanah ―he acquired‖
miqneh ―acquisition‖
qinyah ―property‖
Ògún ―god of iron‖
ogún ―property, inheritance‖
Qayn ―smith‖
As we can see, the sound correspondences are regular. Further data exemplifying the correspondence
between Semitic /q/ and Yorùbá /g/ can be seen below.
―foolish‖
―wall‖
―fetters‖
―villages‖
―ape‖
Arabic
hamuq
Hebrew
qiyr
qe:d
qura
qird
Yorùbá
òmùgò ―fool‖
ògiri
àgádágodo ―padlock‖
egurè ―village, countryside‖
lágídò ―monkey‖ (metathesis)
Ògún/Akin “God of war/bold, valiant man”
While the phonological correspondence of Hebrew /q/ with Yorùbá /g/ seems to have no complications, it
should be noted that the voiced velar /g/ alternates with its voiceless counterpart /k/ in Yorùbá: in much
the same way as with the /l/ and /r/ liquids in Yorùbá. For example, in Hausa we have the word gama ―to
be complete.‖ Yorùbá not only has ogún ―twenty‖ and ìgàn ―finished product, highest quality,‖ but also ó
kún ―it is full‖ (Egyptian qm ―total up to, amount to, complete‖; qn ―complete, accomplish, cease, bring to
an end, to finish off‖). Compare to ciLuba nko "fullness, completion, perfection."
In utterances, such as found in the structure of Yorùbá gin, the /g/ tends to be devoiced to /k/.
Hence, Agin- does not occur in Yorùbá; it is Akin. The Ògún/akin situation is reflected in Ol-ógìnní/ekùn
―cat/tiger.‖ This alternation between /g/ and /k/ has been utilized within Yorùbá to achieve semantic
shading. We posit that this same process is present in the Egyptian language (e.g., nkt/qnt ―victory‖;
qnj/gm ―powerful‖; gm ―power‖).
Yorùbá /g/
Yorùbá /k/
Egyptian
ciLuba
Ogún ―God of iron, war,
hunting‖
akin―bravery, brave,
valor‖
Okun ―strength‖
akoni ―brave person,
hero‖
okàn ―(lion) heart‖ –
heart
qn/qni ―be brave, be
strong‖
qn.t ―brutality, violence,
valor‖
di-kima, bu-kitu, mu-kale
―brave‖
lu-kana ―brutality‖
Cye-nge ―war‖
bu-kole ―force, energy,
strength‖
xrw ―battle, war‖
xrw.yt ―war‖
xrw.yt ―war‖
xrwyw ―war, rebellion,
revolt‖
Hrw ―terror, dread,
fright‖
gún ―to pound‖
kàn ―to hammer‖
kúná ―to be powder –
smooth‖
qny(t) ―elite corps‖
qn ―brave man, hero,
soldier, mighty, capable,
active‖
qma ―to hammer out, to
create‖
Kanda "to refuse permission,
forbid, prohibit, restrain,
command or order not to do,
disapprove" [n+l>nd]
kala ―strength, power‖
nkama ―force, might, power,
strength‖
Mu-kanda ―to pound‖
ka-koono(u) ―powder‖
(<koona ―scrape, shave,
grate‖)
Page 17 of 23
ogún ―twenty‖ (cf. Hausa
gama)
kun ―to be full‖
gún ―finished product‖,
grade1
okan ―1‖ – integer
igun ―angle, edge,
extremes‖
òógun ―perspiration‖
(moisture)
ègún ―thorns‖
ológìnní ―cat‖
èkun ―ends, limits‖
ikun―moisture in the
nostrils‖
ikín ―stalk, reed‖
ekun ―tiger‖ (cat family)
qm ―complete, total up
to, amount to‖
km ―complete, total up
to, amount to‖
km ―finished, end,
complete‖
xm ―to bring to end‖
hn ―to limit‖, km ―put to
an end‖
qn ―mat‖
nkum ―end‖
Nkamukilu<kamuka(<kama
―finished‖)
nkum ―finished‖, -kama
―stop‖ le-kela ―to quit‖
-kama ―end‖, mu-kalu ―limit‖
Cya-shima ―moisture,
humidity‖ (k>sh)
Mu-nkan-gi ―thorns‖
kìnníún ―lion‖ (cat
family)
As we can see here, the Yorùbá g-n root semantically and phonetically corresponds with Greek nike and
Egyptian nxt/qnt in terms of ―bravery, strength, violence and war.‖ The ciLuba-Bantu /l/ sound also
corresponds with Egyptian /n/ and the above themes can be seen in ciLuba hale (also kule) ―to be crazy,
deranged, wild, foolish, mad, reckless, vicious, violent‖ (to become…<hala). The /k/ sound can also
alternate with /sh/ in ciLuba, so we have the following reflexes: -shilè(à) "severe, hard, tough, scary,
stiffened, stiff, strong, solid"; 〈-kolè -shilè(à)〉 "a great strength." This corresponds to Egyptian xrw ―war,
battle,‖ which has a reflex: kAhA
―difficult, strong, wild.‖ We also have in Egyptian
Drj ―firm, hard, efficient‖ [Wb V 599], where /D/ historically derives from /g/. See also nTrt ―fixed‖ [Wb II
366]. The /T/ sound in Egyptian derives from Afro-Asiatic /k/.
Conclusion
The Greek word nike means ―victory‖ and was personified as a goddess that was associated with war,
politics, sport, courting, love and childbirth.12 We posited that this term is actually African and derives
from the Egyptian term nxt ―victory, mighty, obdurate, stiff, hard, support, stiffen, become hard,
successful, strength, force, strong man, champion, bully, strong of arm, adult, a hero, to protect." This
term was personified as a goddess nxt.t (a form of Hathor) and it was this deity that was directly borrowed
into the Greek pantheon. This term is reflected in ciLuba-Bantu as nke "solid, hard, fixed" (syn.
ndendende "tenacity, toughness, persistence").
Some semantic shading occurs with an alternation of phonemes, and by way of metathesis, which
can be seen in the word qnt ―victory, might, brutality, violence"; qn 'Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero"; qnj
"be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active, conquer, amount (to), be profuse." This form of the word is
cognate with the patron of war and violence in Yorùbá: Ògún, which has by-forms of the word rendered
akin ―bravery, brave, valor‖; okun ―strength‖; akoni ―brave person, hero‖; okàn ―(lion) heart‖– heart.
Ògún, like the goddess Nike, was also associated with war, politics, sport, courting, love and childbirth
(as a god of fertility).
Another association with Ògún is his role as a fertilizing agent of the earth. In Imhotep
(forthcoming), I have demonstrated the linguistic correspondence between Yorùbá Ògún and Igbo
ogwu.13 His role as a spirit of fertility corresponds with the Igbo goddess of fertility Ogwugwu.14
12
See www.goddessnike.com/goddess_nike_and_her_roles.php (retrieved October 23, 2013)
Linguistically, names that correspond with ògún (g-n) in Yorùbá will drop the final -n in Igbo (-g-).
14
Ogwugwu is also the spirit of the ―dark forests.‖
13
Page 18 of 23
Ogwugwu literally means ―well or hole or pit‖ (Umeh 1997). In the town of Ekwulumi, the spirit of
fertility is named Uku, and helps barren women to bare children. Ògún, in his positive creative aspect,
symbolizes order. Ògún is also involved in procreation (as farming is an act of creation). Ògún presides
over the beginning of life and the cutting of the umbilical cord, and he is there at the end of life as well.
Ògún, it is said, ―is the hoe that opens the earth to bury you‖ (Ògún okoko yeri ogu).
Praise poems associated with Ògún are often sexual in nature. The themes are aimed at
illuminating the generative aspects of Ògún. For example:
O ṣe‘pọ̀n janna bi‘mọ s‘ilé Ijanna.
A gbọ̀ s‘okó luku oko èrò ojà!
He made his penis lengthen to father a child in the house of Ijanna.
We heard how the penis struck those in the market!
We therefore equate the goddess Nike with Yorùbá Ògún. Both names come from a root cognate with
Egyptian nkt/qnt. Although the Egyptians did not deify the latter terms, they deified a variant of this root
as the god @rw (Horus), where x>H and n>r. As noted in Proto-Bantu, *kódì ―bird of prey‖ (hawk) is a
dialectical variant of the Egyptian word Hr or Hrw
―The god Horus,‖ and derives from the same root
as PB *kód ―be strong; be hard; be difficult.‖ In ciLuba we have Nkulu, Nkole, Ngal, nGole, Cyal, Kal;
ciKololo ―hawk, bird, raven.‖ These terms can also refer to a ―prominent man.‖ We note as well that the
goddess Nike is depicted with ―wings,‖ just like @rw (Horus) among the ancient Egyptians.
Egyptian H-r is k-l in ciLuba. The k-l root in ciLuba has the following reflexes:
kale, kala15: to be strong, strong, well, vigorous, arduous, firm, steady, solid, hard, immovable,
fixed, steadfast, powerful, robust, tough (as meat), violent, severe, serious (matter), fertile, or rich
or productive (soil), loud (voice); kala (v): to be strong, be full grown, be mature, be firm, be
steady, be stable, be solid, develop, grow, be mature, to exist, to be.
Thus, Nike is a variant of Ògún (Akin; Qayin/Cain), which are both variants of @rw (Horus). They refer
to the courage, strength and valor needed in times of war and in the hunt. The inspiration comes from
witnessing the wonder and damage done by ancient volcanoes. When surmounted by immeasurable
challenges, it is the ―spirit of the volcano‖ (an erupting fire; bravery) that allows one to triumph over
adversity. These terms also refer to the instruments of war, which are needed to ensure ―victory‖ or
―success‖ in any battle. The one who has the most advanced weapon, and can wield the weapon most
efficiently, will have the upper hand in a fight.
It is strength, determination and the willingness to never give up (persistence, be stubborn) that
will ensure success in life. These are the characteristics needed in all sports and that is the spirit of what is
captured in the name for the modern sports apparel company: Nike. Although Nike and Ògún are different
genders, it should be noted that Ògún is also a goddess in Yorùbáland (Barnes 1997). We noted that
Yorùbá g-n can also correspond to Egyptian k-m. Therefore, worthy of consideration is kmjt ―goddess‖
[Wb V 130].
Another interesting parallel exists between Ògún and Nike. However, it is not between the deities
themselves, but between Ògún and the Nike ―swoosh‖ symbol on the logo for the apparel company.
15
It should be noted that within ciLuba, the /l/ is often interchangeable with /m/. The /l/ corresponds to Egyptian /m/
and /n/ as well.
Page 19 of 23
The famous swoosh looks like a ―check‖ sign. But it also looks like the traditional swords of Yorùbáland,
which can be seen in the image below.
Above is a figure carrying a ceremonial sword called udamalore ―sword of the well born,‖ from the
Yorùbá people of Owo, Nigeria | Ivory | Late 19th century. The udamalore is a ceremonial sword worn
by the Olowo, ruler of Owo, and his high-ranking chiefs. It shows the wearer is considered well born,
mature, powerful and influential, a person who is like the elephant. This fragment is from the tip of the
sword blade and portrayed a chiefly figure crowned with a coral openwork cap holding a sword. The cap
originally had a bird, the emblem of spiritual powers, projecting from its side. The shape of the blade may
be inspired by the shape of an elephant‘s trunk. The figure above is currently being held in the
Smithsonian‘s National African Museum of Art, Washington, DC (Object Number: 2005-6-80).
As we can see here, the Nike swoosh and the Yorùbá udamolare sword are very close in shape. I
do not argue that the Nike Company ―borrowed‖ this shape and modified it from Africa; just that it is
ironic that an instrument of Ògún (the sword) would find symmetry in design with a modern sports
company that bears its name unknowingly. Millions of consumers are walking around with a bit of
African religion at the soles of their feet. Maybe this is the secret to Michael Jordan‘s success!
—Asar Imhotep
Page 20 of 23
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