“One does not look at a mirror with bad eyes; if you are angry or hostile, you do not want to look into the mirror” ( ).

Ughegbe (mirrors) were not only utilitarian objects in the Benin Kingdom but also spiritually and symbolically potent. Their reflective surfaces were understood as a means of seeing spirits and deities ( ; Okunoghae in Bradbury 1960, 4). Mirrors are also associated with Olokun, their reflective surfaces being compared to the smooth, shimmering surface of the water in Olokun’s realm. They are associated with beauty and peace and are understood to have a protective function, allowing users to see danger before it arrives and to “scatter evil away” ( ). When depicted on Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), such as brass Urhotọ, Ughegbe are often held up by attendants around figures such as the Iy’Ọba, seemingly serving as a form of protection.

Ughegbe were among the trade goods brought to the Benin Kingdom by European merchants and were therefore also valuable prestige objects ( ). They were usually placed inside carved wooden frames with sliding covers that protected the mirror when not in use. Barbara Blackmun ( ) suggests that, given the spiritual nature of mirrors, these covers served more than a practical protective function: they also closed “the cosmic window,” thereby shielding the owner from beings that might otherwise emerge undetected from the reflection.

Ẹkirẹ is the Edo term for frog ( ; Ọbazee 2025, p. 135). The Ẹkirẹ carries significant and often ambiguous symbolic importance, primarily linked to its liminal nature and association with spiritual and magical powers. As an amphibian that lives on the threshold between water and land, the Ẹkirẹ is seen as a messenger of Olokun. This connection reinforces the Ọba’s (king’s) ability to bridge the human and spiritual realms, a concept consistently present in Benin art.

While not as common as the mudfish, frogs appear on various Benin artworks, including Aken'ni Elao (carved tusks), pendant plaques, and Ẹrhẹ (royal stools). Their presence often relates to medicinal and occult practices. Frogs can be used in powerful curses, with a jumping frog signifying failure, and a frog, along with a coiled fish, used in rituals to release such curses. They are also associated with Osun, the deity of medicine, and scenes of snakes swallowing frogs can represent supernatural attacks or strong spiritual powers. For warriors, the Ẹkirẹ could even symbolise an aspect of their protective equipment and was used in palace rituals to encourage success in battle ( ).

Iwu are facial and body markings (scarifications) that were historically worn by Edo men and women. However, since the 1960s, the practice has been nearly extinct (Aisien 2011). In the past, Iwu were used as a way of proving that one was an Edo citizen, and the ceremony of having Iwu completed was an important rite of passage for men and women. The Osiwu, who also practised circumcision and other surgical procedures, would carry out the procedure of adding Iwu. There are different types of Iwu: ‘blades’ worn on the torso (Iwu-eko), and those worn on the face, such as Ikharo (three or four markings above the eyebrows), Irho (two narrow ‘blades’ worn on each cheek), Ovbihue (nasal ‘blades’), Ovbi-agbanmwen (chin ‘blade’), and Igho-okpa/Ukpgho (three forehead ‘blades’) (Aisien 2011, p. 22).

The number of Iwu also varied depending on the identity of the person wearing them. For example, royal men would wear six ‘blades’ on their torso, whilst men who were not royal would wear seven ‘blades’. Meanwhile, the Ọba’s female children would wear fifteen ‘blades’, and all other women would wear sixteen (Aisien 2011).

Odigba (coral-beaded collar) is a rigid neck collar made of coral beads, worn as part of ceremonial attire only by senior princes who have been made Enigie (Inneh 2007, p. 107). Although Ibafe (2007, p. 43) argued that the Odigba was introduced during the Ogiso period (c. 900–c. 1170 AD) by Ogiso Ere, along with other symbolically important Emwin Arhe, such as the Ada (ceremonial sword) and the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword), this seems unlikely, as coral was only introduced in the late 15th century through trade with Portuguese merchants.

The Ukpan obọ eva (coral-bead crossed baldrics) were worn as part of the ehaingbehia, the full ceremonial regalia, by only high-ranking members of the palace, including the Ọba himself, the Iy’Ọba, the Edaiken, and the Ezọmọ (Ben-Amos 1999, pp. 68, 141; Osadolor in Plankensteiner 2007, cat. no. 70, pp. 322–323).