The Umwenkhen (fluted gourd) is a symbolically potent and multifaceted motif. The gourd in question is known by the Latin name Telfaria occidentalis and has a distinctive fluted shape. The leaves and shoots of this plant are used in cooking, while the large fruits are associated with “good things” such as “success, unity, and longevity” (Curnow 2007, pp. 434–435). It is used as a sacrifice for the gods Osanobua and Olokun and can even be used as a cheaper substitute on occasions when a divination requires a cow to be sacrificed. As a consequence, the Umwenkhen is sometimes called the “poor man’s cow”, and when it is being offered to Olokun, a rope will even be tied around the pumpkin (Curnow 2007, pp. 434–435).

The Umwenkhen is one of the very few inanimate objects depicted as a focal motif on Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques) and is also depicted within scenes showing the ceremonial gathering of the gourd, indicating the fruit’s spiritual significance.

Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).