WebIn the Yoruba pantheon, the orishas are the deities that help Oludumare, the Supreme God, to keep cosmogonic order. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! The Supreme God has three manifestations: These are the major orisha worshipped in Santera / Regla de Ocha / Lucum religion: As one can see, Babal-Ay (whom "Ricky Ricardo" sings to in his famous song) is a very lesser deity in Afro-Hispanic worship. Author of. Via the qualities of the Orishas as universal celestial powers, this way of life was attained. The Yoruba are most likely the most well-known West African ethnic group in the world due to their vast population in West Africa and broad dispersion through enslavement in the Americas. WebThe Supreme God has three manifestations: Olodumare - The Lord God of the Source of Creation; Olorun - The Lord God of Heaven; Olofi - The Lord God of the Palace, conduit between Orn (Heaven) and Ay (Earth). The Orishas wailed in repentance in vain. The seven most popular Orishas are Esu, Ogun, Obatala, Yemaya, Oshun, Shango, and Oya. The number of orishas varies among believers. Her followers often hold festivals in her honor to commemorate the dead. Its worth noticing that, in the case of certain Yoruba divinities, these categories can be overlapped. Olodumare created the Yoruba people through Oduduwa. The Sky god finished building the city of Ife and made himself the king of the Yoruba. Other orishas are irunmole, the earths first inhabitants that are now sacred beings dwelling on and in the earth. Similarly, Oya is regarded as the protectress of women. During his lifetime, he was married to three wives (Oshun, Oba, and Oya). Various sources state that there are at least 401 Orishas, and several are mentioned in Yoruba creation stories and archaeological history. We want people all over the world to learn about history. Orisha of crossroads, duality, beginnings, travellers. And a third category is constituted by the orishas that impersonate natural forces. Oduduwa joined with the humans and begat a new bloodline of kings (the Yoruba called him Ooni of Ife, the progenitor of the Yoruba people). This unity is represented by a witnessing object that acts as the material support of an orishas power to command and cause things to happen. For instance, the Yoruba are thought to have a pantheon of up to 6,000 deities.[3]. The orishas are the gods of Santeria, the beings that believers interact with on a regular basis. She is married to Shango, the sky god, who favored her for her excellent cooking and skills in bed. Plants and animals are understood as possessing the same divine spark as human beings. The Orishas attend religious celebrations by possessing believers and making them go into a trance. Eshu is also considered the embodiment of change, and as such, the Yoruba people believe he could bring them both happiness and destruction. She is kind and generous to her followers, but when brought to anger she can cause untold destruction. The Orishas give people Ashe/Ase (life) and Ayanmo (fate). Copyright Ancient Code. However, despite their divine status and remarkable powers, not all the orishas have the same origin. The Orisha began to lose patience with him, especially when he tried to infect them with smallpox after they laughed at his deplorable dancing skills. Legit.ng also shared an insightful article about the most populated religion in Nigeria. Like the volcano, Aganju is noted for his legendary strength and his ability to bring about drastic change. The Yoruba people are based in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. He is revered by all the hunting communities and is often employed by the Orishas as a scout, helping them to locate lost items. The best examples of this are the stories in which the Orishas rebel against Olodumare in the belief that the supreme deity is too old to manage the maintenance of the world and they could do much better. The Nigerian scholar J. Omosade Awolalu divided the orishas into three categories: primordial divinities, deified ancestors, and personified natural forces and phenomena. Some of these divinities are regarded as primordial spirits. Other orishas are deified ancestors, meaning that they were at first mortals. He created the Orishas to be mediators between himself and the people. Jhonfrank Snchez is a Venezuelan writer and Literature major interested in studying ancient civilizations, history, symbolism, and how they have shaped modern thought. Aja is a patron of the forest and all the animals within it. She possesses an unfathomable wisdom and governs over an esoteric world of dreams, psychism, meditation, and healing. Several primordial divinities have oral traditions stating that they were once the chiefs or kings of still existing Yoruba towns. Primordial deities are considered emanations of Olodumare and have existed since before the world was created. This list includes the major Orishas honored in the United States, according to scholars and practitioners. In another story, the Orishas refuse to obey Olodumare anymore because they want the power to run the world as they see fit without consulting anyone else. Some of these divinities are regarded as primordial spirits. On the given day, Olodumare came to the Orisha hut where the mice were hidden, happily expecting to share a meal with others but, as soon as the threshold was crossed, the door slammed shut, and hundreds of mice were released scampering across the floor. Olodumare releases the rains, heals Oshun, and declares her the only Orisha always welcome to bring messages to Orun. Renewed and grateful deities in turn bless their supportive wor- Photo: @janakesho, However, despite his mistake, Obatala redeemed himself by taking on the task of creating the human race. The wise Orunmila recognized that there wasnt any good reason for them not to have special abilities, so he agreed to share his powers with the orishas. She is a patron of herbs and spell-craft. Olodumare demanded to know who had done this, and Esu pointed out the guilty who were swiftly punished. Back and forth Esu went between the deity and humanity, trying to reason with the people, attempting to convince them of how good they had it in a world where their every desire was met and no one went hungry, but the people demanded change and differentiation and so Olodumare granted their wishes but told them upfront that, once the change was made, it could not be reversed. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Oya is also goddess of the Niger River as Oshun is of the Osun River, and both are associated with protection and guidance. Who is the strongest Yoruba god? According to myth, these ancestors would commonly ascend to the sky or sink into the ground before turning into deities instead of dying as normal mortals would. The animating force is known as Ashe (or Ase) and is essentially life itself as it is in constant motion and transformation. Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria. Obatala then began to build a city, but after discovering alcohol (brewed from palm leaves) he became distracted from duties. The Orisha deities now enjoy a global following, flourishing in many parts of Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. Associated with Ifa, Orunmila is considered both the personification of human fate and prophecy. Such a disappearance was not true death; rather, it was the occasion of the ancestors metamorphosis into an orisha. WebOshun, also spelled Osun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Ogun is revered as a mighty god, called upon by warriors for strength in battle. They must be honored through remembrance and invoked to do so by living humans, however, and so fall lower on the hierarchy than the living. Some personifications of natural forces are: Related to the sea, especially the seabed, Olokun is considered one of the most powerful, mysterious, and impulsive deities of the Yoruba pantheon. The Yoruba faith and several other religions that derived from it are also popular in many Caribbean and South American countries. Egungun-Oya is a goddess of divination. The Yoruba people believe that there is a Supreme God, called Oludumare, and that he governs the Earth through a series of minor deities, known as the orishas, that work as his assistants. 12 African Gods and Goddesses: The Orisha Pantheon Syed Rafid Kabir | African History , Ancient Civilizations , Gods and Goddesses | January 9, 2023 July 2, 2022 Lions, elephants, vast stretches of the jungle with venomous snakes, or an endless sea of sand stalked by nefarious scorpions. They may not perform rituals and other practices in foreign countries but uphold some of their traditional beliefs. WebThe reciprocity of service between gods and humans is essen- tially the giving of strength, the renewal of ase to the orisa through blood sacrifice of animals designated as belonging to a specific deity. As time went on, however, people began to complain about this situation noting how, if everyone had everything they needed, and if everyone was equal, no one could be any different from their neighbor and they had no goals to strive for. She is the mother of Yemaja. WebLooker Studio turns your data into informative dashboards and reports that are easy to read, easy to share, and fully customizable. Who is the strongest Yoruba god? Ancient Code is a website founded in 2012 that covers articles and scientific discoveries that help understand humanitys past, present, and future. Essentially, Orishas represent the powers of nature, as well as time, life, death, and rebirth. The Yoruba are religious and liberal-minded people. Yemaya was linked with the V*irgin Mary, Our Lady of Regla, in Cuba. Each orisha has its own powers and domains of authority. She passed near the sun and lost most of her feathers. In some traditions, Aganju is seen as the father or brother of Shango, god of thunder and lightning. Finally, there is Eshu, a trickster God, and patron of crossroads. Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! WebOrishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santera and Brazilian Candombl. The beliefs of the Yoruba faith were passed down orally for generations until committed to writing and so there are a number of different versions of the same stories. Its said that her arrogance made her challenge Orunmila to a duel. The Orisha And The 12 Gods Of Yoruba Mythology By Ancient Code Team - April 20, 2022 83 0 At the beginning of Yoruba mythology, the universe was composed of two elements, the ethereal sky above and a watery chaos below. This worship was passed on from one generation to the next. Its noteworthy that Aja is one of the few Yoruba divinities that present herself to mortals in her human form to offer help, instead of trying to scare them. She works closely with Osain and is a fierce warrior. Corrections? Everything that went into forming these witnessing objectsfrom leaves, earth, metal, pottery, or animal bones to the incantations and sacrifices that praised and coerced the orishas many powers to lodge in one placebecomes part of the objects (and the orishas) secret. Oduduwa by Jianing Hu They were given aid, however, through the efforts of the Orishas. The general idea of the orisha as a deified ancestor whose descendants perpetuate the ancestors practices is reflected in the self-identification of the members of an orisha cult groups priesthood as that orishas children. This idea also undergirds a practice of secrecy that excludes from some part of an orishas ceremonies people who have not been initiated into its priesthood. Yoruba mythology states that Olodumare is the most powerful god. 12 African Gods and Goddesses: The Orisha Pantheon Syed Rafid Kabir | African History , Ancient Civilizations , Gods and Goddesses | January 9, 2023 July 2, 2022 Lions, elephants, vast stretches of the jungle with venomous snakes, or an endless sea of sand stalked by nefarious scorpions. The males ignore her efforts and suggestions and wind up failing in their task. The earth begins to die as crops fail and lakes and rivers dry up, and the Orishas wail their repentance, but Olodumare does not hear them. Yemaya came to be linked with the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Regla in Cuba while Oshun was associated with the same figure as Our Lady of Mercy. Eventually a local orishas cult might spread to other towns and become more widely known. Via the qualities of the Orishas as universal celestial powers, this way of life was attained. Some of these divinities are regarded as primordial spirits. In one account, Erinle sank into the ground and became simultaneously a river and a water deity. Ogun was linked with Saint Peter because of his association with strength as Peter was known as the 'rock' upon which Jesus Christ would build his church. Oshun is the goddess of love, intimacy, and marriage. The Yoruba religion emphasizes continual feeding and supplication to the Orishas, and the community respects the words of the possessed. Copyright Ancient Code. Two gods rule over both these primordial realms. Her masquerades include the making of offerings as well as the honoring of ancestors in thanks for past and future aid. A number of modern-day works on the Yoruba faith claim that Olodumare dwells high in the heavens remote from the concerns of those on earth and cannot hear peoples prayers, but this does not seem to be supported by the stories in which the entity is both aware of and engaged in the struggles of both Orishas and mortals. When associated with the latter, Eshu is the deity of mischief. However, despite their divine status and remarkable powers, not all the orishas have the same origin. The number of orishas varies among believers. ARTWORK: Orisha of rainbow serpent associated with creation and procreation. Orisha worship today is practiced by people around the world in a number of forms including the systems of Santeria, Candombl, and Vodun, as well as nominal Catholics and those who identify as Neo-Pagan, Wiccan, or New Age practitioners. (2021, October 06). According to the Yoruba belief, Olodumare is too immense for the human mind to grasp and so released different aspects of itself, each of which received a certain sphere of influence randomly. Because of the importance of culture and geography in defining the worship, there will never be a comprehensive list of Orishas one should not conclude that other Orishas are not Olodumare then took care of the act of creation through the Orisha (or god) Oduduwa, who made the Yoruba people and established life at the city of Ife (also Ile-Ife) as well as the concept of cultural identity and kingship. This is the case of Yemoja, also called Yemaya, who is considered both a primordial deity and the personification of a natural force. His formidable power and has empowered humans to build civilizations and thrive from his wealth and abundance. License. The number of orishas varies among believers. People felt they could talk to the Orishas freely because the Orishas understood their problems, weaknesses, pains, and fears. The third king of the Yoruba Oyo Empire, Shango was considered a violent ruler, but also one with notorious military achievements. Submitted by Joshua J. She is kind and generous to her followers, but when brought to anger she can cause untold destruction. One of the most complex characters of the Yoruba pantheon, Eshu, also called Elegba and Elegua, is the messenger of the gods (he is especially at the service of Olodumare), and the intermediary between divinities and humans. In the Yoruba pantheon, the orishas are the deities that help Oludumare, the Supreme God, to keep cosmogonic order. In their native areas, people formed groups that worshipped and venerated these orishas and secured a place for their cult group in the religious and social organizations of the towns where they lived. During the colonial period in the Americas, the African slaves that were transported to the Caribbean and South America brought the cult of Shango along with them. Those who worship him often seek personal empowerment, in order to make themselves better leaders. Their number is usually given as 400 + 1 as a kind of shorthand for "without number" or innumerable. Using these sacred materials, he created fields, forests, hills, and valleys. Olokun is the mother of Odudua, an ancient Earth Goddess, and battle maiden. In one, far back at the beginning of time, Olodumare created the Orishas and spread powers between them randomly. There are at least 401 recognized Orishas in the Yoruba pantheon. In the Yoruba pantheon, Aja is the orisha of the woodland and the animals that reside in it. The shell contained a magical soil and a divine cloth. During the 18th and 19th centuries thousands of Yoruba, Bini, Ewe, and Fon people were enslaved, uprooted, and transported to the Americas. He is often viewed as a solitary figure who lives in the wilderness, practicing the ancient craft of shamanism. She passed this skill to the Yoruban people, who practice her craft to this very day. The ori-inu exists before birth; it comes from God and determines an individuals character and fate. Cross Crosslets Meaning and History of This Unique Cross Type, Pan and Syrinx: A Tale of Love (or Lust?) Orisha worshippers see the tamed natural force and the deified ancestor as indissolubly linked. His rule lasted for seven years and ended when Shango was dethroned by one of his former allies. 2023 All Rights Reserved. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Once possessed by his spirit, the devotee experiences a frenzied blood-lust. WebThe Orishas Gods Book PDF | Download Or Read Online The Orishas Gods This book PDF is perfect for those who love Electronic Books genre, written by Danso Tangara and published by Independently Published which was released on 11 February 2021 with total hardcover pages 128. These devotees often commit violent acts of self-harm to demonstrate their tolerance to pain. The twelve goddesses described here are known as the Orisha (divine spirits) who are protective deities, often teaching their followers the secrets of the natural world. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. After being defeated, Iku lost her status as an orisha, however, Yoruba practitioners still regard her as one of the primordial forces of the universe. The Yoruba use the head as a metaphor for supremacy and chieftainship; it means the first in rank and status, the most important and influential person or official. The orisha was very enthusiastic about his mission, but he got very drunk before finishing it and neglected his creational duties. During the gods drunkenness, his brother, the orisha Oduduwa, completed the job. The people were sorry for having questioned the plan of the supreme deity but understood they had received exactly what they had asked for and would have to live with it. and Loss. All humans, therefore, are connected to each other no matter their appearance, religion, or location because all owe their existence to the same divine breath that animates them, and all humans are related to other living things for the same reason. She is also a guardian to the underworld, helping people transition from the world of flesh to the realm of spirit. Olorun agreed and gave Obatala a shell to help fashion this new world. Nana Buluku by Mshindo9 She presides over womanhood, fertility, and life. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In some tales, she is said to be a mermaid. Orishas, like the saints, were relatable because they were fallible. orisha, also spelled orixa or orisa, any of the deities of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. In West African religions and in traditions that have been influenced by them, primordial divinities are those that existed long before the creation of the world as it is now known. The male Orishas confess they ignored her because she was a woman and much younger and are told only she can complete the work. World History Encyclopedia. Oshun turns herself into a peacock and flies to Orun but, passing too close to the sun, loses most of her feathers and, because the journey was so long, arrives exhausted and ill but still delivers the message of the Orishas contrition. Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. World History Encyclopedia. There is always the other partthe part of the natural force that can be explored but never completely known, the aspect of nature that will always remain wild and escape definition. Esu, for example, as a deity of crossroads, acts as a psychopomp a guide for the souls of the dead bringing them to the afterlife and comforting them while, at the same time, he may have had a hand in the circumstances that led to their death. WebOrishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santera and Brazilian Candombl. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. Omissions? She is kind and generous to her followers, but when brought to anger she can cause untold destruction. It is the orishas who are the guardians and explicators of human destiny. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Orisha/. An Orisha is a God or a Goddess from the Yoruba Religion and Mythology. WebOrisha embodies. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. The Yoruba were able to continue practicing their religion by nominally becoming Catholic as the saints served the same purpose in Catholicism as the Orishas did in their native faith, as intermediaries between a believer and the supreme deity. They can be counted on, however, to deliver the messages of mortals to Olodumare and so they came to be associated with the saints of Catholicism when the Yoruba people were brought as slaves to the so-called New World. In the original African belief system from which Santeria originates, there are hundreds of orishas . They are also venerated by the Edo of southeastern Nigeria; the Ewe of Ghana, Benin, and Togo; and the Fon of Benin (who refer to them as voduns). He represents the power of fortune. Creator of human bodies (represents light, spiritual purity. Rituals invoking his spirit require the rapid beating of drums, which often cause his followers to fall into a deep trance. The Orishas do not always cause trouble for Olodumare and are attentive to their responsibilities. Olorun eventually forgave his son and gave Obatala the responsibility of creating the human race (which he brought into being via his breath of life). In the original African belief system from which Santeria originates, there are hundreds of orishas . The Orishas Gods GET BOOK Download The Orishas Gods Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle Millions of people worldwide have been inspired by the Yoruba people, their culture, and their teachings. The head also has other values associated with it that derive from the hierarchical nature of Yoruba social life. In this context the altar may be referred to as the orisha or as the orishas face. 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