Igbo (west Africa) ‘Om’
ọm! int. salutation of respect to an old man (especially a pagan)
— Dictionary of Ọ̀nị̀chà Igbo. Kay Williamson, Ethiope Press, 1972.
[An] ancient Igbo principle (stemming from another mythic account) […] holds that Chukwu created the world by uttering two words, Ọm and Om
These two Divine expressions, according to the ancient Igbo, became “The Two Sacred Words “i.e. Okwuabuo Chukwu ji were ke uwa”. Again, the basic notion here is duality—but specifically this time; duality dealing with the two Igbo mystical principles of Akwu na Obi (Stillness and Motion). It is remarkable to note that these two principles unified, remains one of the most utilized and infinitely explored of all Igbo mystery teachings.The “Two Sacred Words” as explored in another Igbo mystery cult is also held as the “Two Primordial Sounds”. In this respect, it expresses one of the most esoterically studied of all Divine expressions i.e. sound. In Igbo mystery circles, the naturally produced human-sound (phonetically molded continuously from birth, eventually condensed into a specific lingual form as the child matures) is held to be a mystery of its own. Hence, the ancients explored it in a separate, dedicated cult where its latent creative powers were synthesized for use in invocations, spiritual chants and several forms of oracular practices.
— Nze Izo Omenigbo. Chukwu Bu Ulidereuwa: Odinala, Igbo Antiquity and the Esoteric Roots of Human Expressions.
Ọm is pronounced similarly to ‘um’ in ‘umbrella’, and om like ‘om’ in ‘home’, in addition to ọm being a salutation for elderly men, om or omo is the greeting for elderly women.
