ALA

[African] Ala is the Ibo (Nigeria) goddess of the earth. She is the daughter of the supreme god Chuku and is considered to be the mother of all things. She is both the goddess of fertility and the goddess of death. She gives birth in the beginning and welcomes the dead back to her womb. In Nigeria, where she is still worshipped, she has temples situated in the center of the villages, where she has a statue surrounded by the images of other gods and animals. Amongst the Ibo people, she is one of the most popular divinities.