The great sacred crown, or adenla, was the most important representation of the power of Yoruba kings and queens in Nigeria. The Yoruba believed that àse, or divine life force, resided in the head. Since the crown encapsulated and elongated the head, the king or queen was no longer simply human when wearing it. A crowned ruler was thus a powerful mediator between the physical world and the spiritual world. On this adenla, the birds represent the mystical powers of women. The faces represent royal ancestors and the continuation of the divine royal line. When not in use, the adenla was treated as a living spiritual being and kept in a sacred shrine.