Ceremonial Sword Eben
Edo Kingdom (Kingdom of Benin), Nigeria
Iron, bone, leather
Mid 20th century

This type of ceremonial sword was known as Eben, and could be carried before any chief of Benin as a symbol of his authority. The looped handles and broad blades (which are very thin) have provoked some speculation as to the type of functional model from which - like most ceremonial swords - they must have evolved. Fagg (1970) suggested that they may have been derived from large fans, but it seems more likely that they may have developed from the design of the loop dagger, found throughout Nigeria.

At the annual rite of Ugie Erha Oba, said to have been instituted in the mid-fifteenth century by Oba Ewuare (the first of the warrior kings), each chief danced with his Eben in honor of the Oba’s dead father. At the climax of the ceremony, the Oba himself danced with his Eben to honor his father and ancestors, even twirling the blade and tossing it high into the air.

Eben swords are depictied in a number of centuries-old brass plaques from the Kingdom of Benin (Spring, African Arms and Armor, 1992).

40.5 in :: 103 cm

InventoryID #13-2291

SOLD