Mythology of the Benin Delta

The Mythology of the Benin Delta brings together the following peoples and kingdoms of Central Africa: Edos, Kingdom of Benin, Urhobo, Isoko, Ijaw 

The Edos are a West African population living in South-Central Nigeria, particularly Edo State. Depending on the sources and the context, we encounter multiple forms: Addo, Benim, Benin, Bini, Binis, Do, Edos, Oviedo, Ovioba, Oviobo. The Edos are part of the descendants of the kingdom of Benin.

the kingdom of benin, which lasted from the xii^e century until its invasion by the British Empire in 1897, was a state in coastal West Africa dominated by the Edos, an ethnic group whose dynasty survives to this day.

The extent of the Kingdom varies depending on the era, but a compilation of European sources from the 18th century^e century indicates that it was limited to the west by the kingdom of Ardra whose capital was Allada (located in the current Republic of Benin), to the south by the sea as well as the countries of Overry and Calabar.

The Urhobo are a West African population living in southern Nigeria, Delta State. Often farmers or fishermen, they are linked to the Edo, their neighbors.

The Isoko are a West African population living in southern Nigeria, in Delta State. They are linked to the Urhobo, their neighbors.

The Ijaw are a group of peoples from West Africa, especially present in the south of Nigeria, in the Delta Niger. At the beginning of the fifteenth^e century they will migrate further west of the continent to form the Krou peoples of Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.