ABSTRACT
Ewe religious beliefs centre round three different types of supernatural being : a High God, Mawu, in various manifestations, usually associated with the heavens ; numerous spirits called trowo (sing, tro) who are usually associated with the earth and who act as intermediaries between God and man ; and the ancestral spirits, who inhabit the underworld. Corresponding to these three groups of supernatural beings are three apparently distinct groups of ritual officials. Available information, however, does not clearly define or describe either the concepts or the rituals associated with them, and throws little light on the roles of the various types of priests, or on the relation of these to the secular authorities. The main source of information is Spieth's Religion der Eweer, which is an interpretation of Ewe religious texts rather than a systematic analysis of Ewe religion. It contains many vague statements and apparent contradictions, which may or may not be inherent in Ewe religious belief : Spieth does not make this clear. The presentation of his material in summary form must therefore involve a certain amount of over-simplification.
