Band 2

Oba Ohen, who ruled in the 1400s, was a very handsome man. After he broke a divine law, the gods paralyzed Ohen's legs to punish him, according to one legend. A sick or weakened oba is considered dangerous, so Ohen hid his disability. His followers carried him into council chambers before other officials arrived; they carried him out after everyone had gone. Soon the senior town chief, or the Iyase, became suspicious. He hid behind a door and watched while Ohen was carried away. But Oba Ohen's servants saw the Iyase. Ohen had him killed on the spot.

The Edo were horrified by what Ohen had done. To kill the people's representative, the Iyase, was a crime against all the Edo. The people stoned Ohen to death with lumps of purifying white clay. Ohen's son Ewuare defended his father Years later, Ohen's son Oba Ewuare gave the people a new explanation for why his father couldn't walk. Ewuare said that the god Olokun had sent power, like the electrical charge of dangerous mudfish, into Ohen's legs. Since then, the fish-legged figure has become the central symbol of Benin kingship.

It reminds the Edo people that the Oba is divine; it also cautions the Oba not to overstep the limits of his powers.

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Map courtesy of Office of the Director of Central Intelligence.

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