A metaphorical view of God, the gods and the supernatural among the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Based on insights from the tenets of conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) this study examines the metaphorical conceptualization of God, the gods and the supernatural among the Igbo speakers of Southeastern Nigeria. This study accepts the notion that metaphor is primarily conceptual/cognitive and most times draws from the cultural worldview and ideological orientation of the people, hence the way we understand our physical and spiritual worlds, and our everyday actions, shape the form of language we use to express them. The data under consideration represent the Igbo as religious people who in their language and thought consciously recognize the existence of God and other supernatural forces. The Igbo express God and the supernatural in metaphors that show their relationships with these entities. God is metaphorized variously as a mountain/hill, river, king/wealthy person and so on while the lower gods are framed as mass killers/cleansers, destroyers and so on. Metaphors in Igbo...