The power of sacrifice and word in Igbo magical powers

Abstract

Sacrifice is a religious act in which an object is offered to supernatural beings in order to build up, maintain or restore a right relationship of men to pure or perfect order. It is an essential means of restitution of vital force. Sacrifice is an important aspect of every religion and occultic practices. Magicians are seen performing different kinds of sacrifices. These sacrifices are performed at different times of the day; in the morning, at noon and/or in the midnight when everyone including spirits are believed to must have returned from their daily engagements. While offering sacrifices, the magician utters words, incantations and prayers. The word is indispensable in the practice of magic. Considering the inevitability of these two; sacrifice and the word in the magician's practice of his calling, one begins to wonder what role they play. What is the role of sacrifices in magical powers? Why are these sacrifices performed with vocalized prayers? Are uttered words really indispensable in the practice of magic? Why are most of their prayers and supplications during the sacrifice voiced? A hermeneutic approach to this study reveals that sacrifice revitalizes the potency and the efficacy of the magic and also a way of manipulating nature to achieve the magician's goal. It also shows that voiced words of prayer are more potent than silent words of prayer.