Such an elaborate ritual would necessarily
includelibations,cleansingoftheenvirons,purifi-
cation of the statue, anointing with oils, laying
on of hands on the statue, and touching of the
statue’s eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, with special-
ized objects to ensure that the deceased could see,
eat, smell, and hear. Furthermore, the tools used
in the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony were tra-
ditional, such as thepesesh-kef, a type of knife
thathadabladesimilartotheaxeofShango,and
thenetjeri, a blade made of iron, and the right
leg of a special ox. Without the Opening of the
Mouth, no energy could emanate from the sacred
objects and, hence, nothing could be accom-
plished. It was to the benefit of all involved that
theceremonybecompletedwithdispatchanddig-
nity, and the diligence with which the priests or
priestessesoperatedsuggestedtherelativestrength
of the object.
Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoCeremonies
Further Readings
Asante, M. K. (2003).Egyptian Philosophers. Chicago:
AA Images.
Erman, A. (1971).Life in Ancient Egypt. New York:
Dover.
ORACLES
Human beings often ask ontological questions
about their health, their professions, and their
financialsituations.Theymayaskquestionsabout
the essence of life, about time past, time present,
andtimefuture.Whoismyguardian-godandpro-
tector? Why did my friend die so young? Why am
I not prosperous? How do I recover my health?
Whenismybusinessgoingtoflourish?Whatdoes
the future hold for me? People may be able to
explain or interpret certain occurrences to them-
selvesandtopeers.However,forotherphenomena
that are beyond their understanding and that
remain a mystery, they seek answers in various
ways.Onewayisthroughreligion.Thissearchfor
answers from the Unknown or God or gods is a
core foundation of religion. In the course of their
religiouspractices,humanbeingsseek,receive,and
heed to communications from God or gods. In
some religions, these communications are known
as oracles. However, the word oracle can have
many meanings. It can denote God, the divinities,
the priests or priestesses of these deities, or the
templesordwellingsofthedivinities,aswellasthe
divine messages or prophecies.God/Gods as Oracle
Each of the divinities that human beings may con-
sult for answers to various questions is known as
an oracle. InThings Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
introducesthereadertotheoracleAgbala,anIgbo
goddess who is the Oracle of the Hills and Caves.
In addition, there is the OracleFa(Ifáin Yoruba),
the god of divination who is the youngest of all
deities, the last born of Mawu-Lisa’s children. In
the Fon cosmology, the Fá is the Messenger of the
Supreme God, Mawu-Lisa, and the spokesperson
of all deities. The Fá is the spirit who enlightens,
guides, and controls human destiny. It sheds light
on people’s past and present, predicts the future,
andprescribestheappropriateconductforahappy
life. As a system of divination, the Fá speaks in
parables, and only his priest can translate and
explaintheseparables,recommendproperrecipes,
and perform relevant sacrifices.
In ancient Egypt, there were several oracular
gods, including Heru of the Camp, Heru-khau at
el-Hiba, Seth at Dakhla, Auset at Koptos, and the
deified Ahmose at Abydos. The ancient Egyptians
soughtanswerstobigandsmallproblemsthrough
the instrumentality of these oracles. Oracles
permeated all aspects of the lives of the ancient
Egyptians. Even in legal matters, the role of the
ancientEgyptianoracleswasfundamental.Witha
strong influence from ancient Egypt, oracular
gods, according to Herodotus, abounded in
ancient Greece as well. The most ancient Grecian
oracle is the oracle of Jupiter at Dodona. Several
accountsexplaintheestablishmentoftheoracleof
Jupiter. According to one account, the oracle
was established in the following manner: two
black doves took their flight from Waset in
ancientEgypt.OneflewtoDodonainEpirusand,
alightinginagroveofoaks,proclaimedinhuman
language to the inhabitants of the district that496 Oracles