My Fascination with Ancient Religions

Personal beliefs aside, ancient religions have always stood out to me as the greatest reflection of our societies.

I'm always generally intrigued by the ways of different communities pre-colonisation. And what exacerbated my interest in old religions were my father's stories about ancient Igbo beliefs.

Now I'm no expert in the old ways, but the spirituality of old ethnic beliefs holds a beauty to me that I can't describe. For the Igbo, my father described the belief that each natural matter on earth, from the littlest ant to the gentlest river, strongest winds and even a stagnant rock - all had a distinctive spirit within them.

All spirits (even in us humans) are distinctive and ever-flowing, with the all-encompassing spirit, Chukuwu, that permeates through all beings. What I found even more beautiful was how these beliefs shaped how we, Igbo, are named.

From my father naming me "Ihuchi", an amalgamation of "face" and "god"; most would be literal in interpreting that name. No, my father doesn't think I have a face of a god. Instead, he named me that by thinking to himself, "God has given me face with the birth of this child".

Papa and a curious baby

Starting both his daughters' lives on earth with a beautiful poem - my father's the best.

On my mother's end, it's sad to say that I don't know enough of Old Malay beliefs. But what I can appreciate is how historians and archaeologists continue to unearth old stone tablets that could give a better inclination on how we lived centuries ago.

Even more interesting, I can see ancient Malay religions even in just the nicknames we used for our elders. I've heard an elder being called "Nyai' before and proceeded to asked my mom what it meant. It seemed like no one knew at first but after using my bestfriend Google, I saw that "Nyai" came from the term we used to call the spirit/goddess of the sea in Sundanese and Javanese mythology.

Her name was "Nyai Roro Kidul" (Source)

Of course, I'm romanticising quite a lot of this history, but I'm also sharing how it opened my mind as to why we believe in what we believe. Whether to worship an embodiment/embodiments of good or to not worship anything at all, it seems to me that we live through life finding our own versions of a purpose.

These spiritual beliefs also opened my eyes to the the wider realm of reincarnation, and how the idea of it lends the idea that life on earth could be everlasting - but with different narratives. Narratives that can be shaped by our past actions, or the randomness of our environments, we could never know.

Perhaps my love for storytelling also derived from being told these stories. There are so many things that continue to grab my interests till this day. And I only hope that one day, I can unearth and understand more of these beliefs with more travels!