82 Ax
with several other similar goddesses. For instance,
in the early period, her attributes were combined
with het-heru, which explains why her totem is
often a cow or why she is displayed with cow
horns on her head with a sun disk between them.
In summary, Auset was a devoted wife, a magi-
cian, a protectoress, and the ultimate mother.
During the Theban era, Kemetians valued her so
much that they assimilated her attributes with
Mut. Later, the Romans assimilated her symbolic
attributes into the Judeo-Christian mother figure
of Mary. Moreover, in that sense, her legend still
lives on in the African Christian tradition.
Khonsura A. WilsonSee alsoAusar
Further Readings
Hart, G. (1986).A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and
Goddesses.London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Meeks, D., Favard-Meeks, C., & Goshgarian, G. M.
(Trans.). (1993).Daily Life or the Egyptian Gods.
Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Mercatante, A. S. (1978).Who’s Who in Egyptian
Mythology. New York: Clarkson N. Potter.
Watterson, B. (1984).The Gods of Ancient Egypt. New
York: Facts on File.
AX
The Ax has great religious significance in the Shango
aspect of Ifa religion. It symbolizes the thunderbolts
that Shango hurls to Earth to strike down wrongdo-
ers. In statues and illustrations, it is often seen on
Shango’s head and is equated with his power,
caprice, and the creative experience of human sexu-
ality. The ax represents a warning against the arro-
gant use of military power to political leadership and
represents a symbol of swift and balanced justice. As
a double-edged emblem, it symbolizes Shango’s con-
stant preparedness for adversaries and is often car-
ried on top of the dance staffs called the Oshe
Shangoduring celebrations and rituals.
The Oshe Shango depicts a female devotee
kneeling in respect to Shango. The balancing of a
double ax refers to an act in Shango initiation cer-
emonies, where the initiate balances a vessel of fire
on top of his or her head to demonstrate Shango
calmness in the face of danger. Its shape also sym-
bolizes the stone axes kept in Shango shrines.
Early axes were made in Neolithic times. These
ancient fabricated objects are believed to be mete-
orites that have fallen to Earth. Africans have
found them lying around on the ground in fields
and picked them up to be placed in covered
vessels on the altars of Shango shrines. Africans
believed that these stones contain the power of
Shango’s fire and that they fell to Earth during
lightning strikes. The image of Shango’s double-
headed ax has been particularly attractive to a
number of African American artists, such as
David Driscoll, Paul Keene, and Jeff Donaldson
as a symbol of resistance and liberation.Khonsura A. WilsonSee alsoIfa; ShangoFurther Readings
Bascom, W. R. (1972).Shango in the New World. Austin,
TX: African and Afro-American Research Institute.
Carvalho, J. J., & Segato, R. L. (1992).Shango Cult in
Recife,Brazil.Caracas, Venezuela: Fundación de
Etnomusicologia y Folklore, CONAC, OAS.
Fatunmbi, A. F. (1993).Shango:Ifá and the Spirit of
Lightning. Bronx, NY: Original Publications.
Simpson, G. E. (1965).The Shango Cult in Trinidad. Rio
Piedras: Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of
Puerto Rico.
Welch, D. B. (2001).Voice of Thunder, Eyes of Fire:In
Search of Shango in the African Diaspora. Pittsburgh,
PA: Dorrance.AZAKA,THELOA
Loas are a part of the Vodun pantheon; they are spir-
its that are part of one’s metaphysical consciousness
and come into play whenever called on from the
realm in which they exist. In other words, one has to
be conscious believers (Voduists) of their (Loas) spir-
itual existence to be in contact with their energy.
Once their energy is manifested, Loas come into exis-
tence as supernatural beings or spirits that can enter
the human body. Azaka, Azake, Mazaka, Papa
Zaka, Mede, Kouzin, or Couzen came into existence
after the Haitian Revolution when enslaved Africans
were allowed to own land.