Mythology· Essay
Do We Live Once, Twice, or Forever?
The distance between the grave and the cradle is not always as wide as it seems in Igbo folklore
By Gospel Okoro· 9 min
Articles
Articles, essays and retellings on mythology, folklore and cultural memory from Nigeria and across Africa.
250 articles
Tradition· Editorial
The Oriire Journal: Call for Submissions
We're opening a short call for original, deeply researched work on mythology, folklore and cultural memory for the first issue of The Oriire Journal. Submissions close on 1 November 2026.
By Oriire· 5 min
Mythology· Folktale & Narrative Retelling
Gizzo and the Two Giants
Gizzo the Spider cannot overpower the Elephant or the Hippopotamus. So he turns their pride against them
By Bilkisu Sabiu· 8 min
Mythology· Encounter
Àkúdàáyà
Five years after her husband’s closest friend was buried, Ujunwa hears a terrifying claim: he has been seen alive in a crowded market
By Chidera Dickson Oji· 11 min
Mythology· Heritage Review
And they tricked ever after…
Sometimes the only way for a powerless person to fight back is to be clever
By Shalom Kasim· 5 min
Tradition· Long-Form Article
Ten Nigerian Traditions Quietly Slipping Away
A look at ten Nigerian traditions that are still around, but not quite the way they used to be
By Star Gurl· 5 min
Tradition· Essay
Beyond Currency: The Enduring Lives of the Cowrie Shell in Igbo Cosmology
A shell once carried from hand to hand as currency, became a vessel through which history, spirituality, and identity continue to speak
By Akunna Danugwu· 6 min
Tradition· Long-Form Article
Eight Ways a Dead Twin Becomes a Bird in Ga Ritual
When a Ga twin dies, the story does not end with burial.
By Benjamin neil Ibrahim· 5 min
Memory· Long-Form Article
Coming Home Through Gborodigondi
A viral TikTok clip of a twenty-year-old Nsukka music video pulls a childhood memory back into focus
By Nneoma Sally· 7 min
Memory· Encounter
The Literal Voice of the Oja
A flute I dismissed as too archaic to notice stopped me mid-stride on an NYSC parade ground
By Nneoma Sally· 6 min
Mythology· Essay
Tales of An Ashanti Father
A British Chancellor's granddaughter marries into Ashanti aristocracy, and spends fifty years in Kumasi writing down spider stories for children
By Inumidun Seyiolapade· 12 min
Tradition· Essay
Trade, Totems and the Invention of Isi-Agu
How the Igbo transformed a Victorian trade commodity into the Isi-Agu
By Somtochukwu Udeozo· 6 min
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