Uremma the River Goddess

t Nwangele River washing sliced cassava for her mother when a handsome young man walked into the river to fetch water. Some young men who were washing their clothes at the river began t

d his grandmother from starving to death. This time of the year, the Ukeh youth wrestling festival was about to begin. Every young man in Ukeh had taken to the chief priest a strong and healthy c--k, for the chief priest to perform a ritual which

word to them; he simply held his udu (earthen pot) under the river so water could fill it. Meanwhile, Urenma could no longer bear the taunts hurled at Obinze; though she had not met him before nor had heard of him, her heart went out to him in compassion. From her task of washing sliced cassava tubers, she raised her head like a cobra a

ed because he had grown accustomed to their taunts. Urenma told him that she meant what she said and asked Obinze to wait for her to finish washing her sliced cassava. As Obinze and Urenma walked home and chatted about the wrestling festival she took Obinze's hand like a woman would take that of her lover. Obinze was

be the next big thing in Ukeh, she, would make sure it happened. Urenma told Obinze to

in and see the chief priest. Let him offer the ritual for your safety in the wrestling festival, by tomorrow you will be breaking bon

t be at the village square. I will be the one watching over the wrestlers and w

ame out of the shrine and met Urenma. Ure; as she was fondly called, was happy for him. She gave him a pile of new clothes hidden in a bask

rned to take a walk away from her, Urenma pulled him back and asked, "Can I kiss you? You will need it tomorrow to win your matches?" Obinze was speechless, he stood starring at the beauty in front of him, and then as if nudged by an unseen hand, Obinze grabbed and kissed her passionately. When he was done he felt energy surging through him like the power of thunder; he shook and fell to the ground. Urenma began to laugh at him and sat beside him on the ground. Obinze asked "What was that Urenma?" "Tell me the truth, well I already know it, was that your first kiss?" "Yes it was. I have never kissed a woman before". "You should not have felt all that energy now. It should not h

the full power of her beauty. She knelt before the gods and asked to be permitted to speak, the eldest god waved at her to speak," Lords and gods of the spirit world, I have come with a burden, my heart is heavy; I need you to make it light for me. I have found a man amongst mortals whom my heart has gr

was that the permission to be born as a mere mortal also gives you the right to love a man.....but!" the eldest gods bellowed, "........you mu

tell her parents about her love for Obinze. She knew they would protest because of his abject poverty, but she knew that would be no problem; she would turn his fortune a

gle gliding through the sky. She prayed under her breath to the gods she had spoken to some hours earlier that by the time she had reached home from the river; her parents must have woken up so she could tell them about her love for Obinze. The concept of love was new to her, it made her want to walk in the air and fly without wings. It was one thing she never felt as a princess of the gods. "If m

ama, i

d of the gods. What did you see

istaken her for an ancestral spirit. But when Urenma spoke he realized she was his daughter, so he came over to know the reason for the radiant look on her face. "U

ama, I have found love!" She waited for them to take in the full weight of her words; she could see from their eyes that they wanted to hear more, so she continued, "The man who has found favor in my eyes is Obinz

otten how poor you were before I was born? You have told me the story several times papa. Look at you now, aren't you

Urenma", respon

chest man in Ukeh and all the land surrounding us. I have seen it and not only that, from today his fame shall beg

ect them during wrestling

a wrestler breaking the bones of fe

wrestled before. How then could he become a bone-br

gendary Ojadili look like a beginner". Okeke and Ngbankwo had seen a lot about their daughter to know that her words never fail. There was no b

at year's wrestling championship and that he was coming to take revenge for all the ridicule he and his clan had suffered. Every year his clan had managed to send three wrestlers who always were beaten at the early stages of the wrestling competition. While the people waited for all the wrestlers to arrive they were entertained by dance groups and masquerades. Obinze was the last wrestle

amongst them had seen him neither practice nor wrestle before, but with Urenma by his side, they could not deny him. Her beauty was such that

ement that followed it, the dru

petition took center stage and announced to all pres

When it was time for the Umu Umeh clan to wrestle, Obinze stepped into the center square and the crowd booed.

abbed him with his left arm and swung him around in the air like a rag and then flung him to the ground like a log of wood. T

square, when they found out he had broken bones, they p

ecades. There was no one alive in the land to testify of having seen that at any time. Meanwhile, Obinze took his position for another round of wrestling matches w

t his chest with pride and zest. Obinze didn't take any interest in his