ABSTRACT
Benin ideas about man's place in the cosmos and in human society are expressed symbolically in myths, legends and other forms of verbal art, and in a very complex system of religious beliefs and practices. Three cults stand out from the rest of Benin religion in that they are directly and explicitly concerned with the individual, as a unique person, making his or her way through life and being judged according to the values of the society. The Hand, however, is itself the object of a separate cult and its symbolic reference is to manual skill, physical strength and general vigour and enterprise. The Benin people, like any other, vary tremendously in the degree to which they understand the implications of their own symbolism. The three stories given below illustrate an idea about human life which can be roughly translated by the word 'Destiny'. The stories are Us, Ai s'agbn hi and hi-will-enrich-me.
