Today i would like to take you back a few centuries in my country Ghana. To a time where kings reigned supreme and queen mothers were warriors. A time where earth moving machines weren't needed to mine gold; all we needed was rain to unearth the mineral. A time where my country was called gold coast... a time where our culture was undiluted and gods sipped palm wine at every gathering. So allow me to take you back in time. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the time travel.
A subgroup of Akans; the Asantes, were the most dominant in mid 15th century. They conquered southern Ghana (then Ghana empire) and moved further north. They were resilient and tactical in battle so they won many wars and brought down many empires. The most iconic thing about Asantes and their kings is their gold. They adorn their royals with gold ornaments to signify authority,vigor and purity.
The Asantehene (King of Asantes) is the ruler and law maker of the Asante Kingdom. He is a very important figure in the Akan setting and has many servants, guards, priests and sub-chiefs. Every Asantehene is supposed to have a soul washer or soul washers. Yes you heard me right, a soul washer.
i know you'll be saying "what the hell is a soul washer?"
well, let's dive a bit into the paranormal and get some answers to this because you and i don't think the soul needs a
spa bath, do we? lolx
As the name suggest, a soul washer's main duty is to protect and cleanse the soul of the Asantehene (King of Asante). They wear spiritually fortified gold discs around their necks called 'Soul Discs'. The King rules till he dies so the duty of the soul washers is to protect the King from untimely deaths and diseases during his reign.
The soul washers act like spiritual shields of the King. They absorb every spiritual attack directed at the King with the help of the fortified soul disc. You can think of them as modern day nuclear bomb deflectors. The disc is made of gold and it is a talisman which is part of the motifs of the Asante regalia.
In other to qualify as a soul washer, one must be born on the same day of the week as the king and must be a very important member of the court. The soul washers must be born on the same day as the king because in the Akan culture, your 'soul name' (Kra din) is given based on the day one was born (kra da) and if anyone can attack you spiritually, your soul name (kra din) must be mentioned before the charm or attack can take effect. So the soul washers act as body doubles or decoys. This should tell you how important the role of the sole washer is in the Asante Kingdom. They literally 'take bullets' for the king.
The famous Soul Disc was even featured in the 2013 edition of Assassin's Creed. The Assassin's Creed: Pirates, featured the soul washer's disc as a treasure in the game. They even gave a brief description about the disc and where it originated.
This speaks volumes about the significance and importance of the artifact to the people of Asante. So the next time you ever visit Ghana, make it a point to visit the Menhyia Palace to have a glimpse of the famous Soul Discs.
@derletwinsFrom #teamghana
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