orisha gods and goddesses pdf

Even so, not all the multitude of Orishas appear in the stories frequently only 20 or 30 at most do so but there are seven that appear often who have become the most popular and are referred to as gods and goddesses: These are all only the most basic descriptions of the dominions of the Seven Orishas. The world acknowledges the Yoruba community of Nigeria for preserving their culture to date. Grieving, her tears created the Oba river which intersects with the Oshun river. Cuocos use of the male pronoun is for convenience as Olodumare is All Things and so both male and female. In a third account, Erinle became a divinity after kicking a poisonous stone. They emanated directly from God without any human aid. Each caught powers that enabled them to participate in the creation and oversee different spheres of influence. 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. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Yoruba mythology states that Olodumare is the most powerful god. WebLooker Studio turns your data into informative dashboards and reports that are easy to read, easy to share, and fully customizable. Erinle by Mod Nomad He subsequently becoming a river god. (From Milton Daviess novel Woman of the Woods). Eshu by Akili Mansa Richards. Renewed and grateful deities in turn bless their supportive wor- With your support millions of people learn about history entirely for free, every month. Although there is much variation in the details of the rituals and mythology of these deities among these West African peoples, the underlying religious concept is essentially the same. Web. Mark, Joshua J.. In a variant of the myth, Erinle transformed himself into a river to appease the thirst of the Yoruba people, who had been struggling with the effects of a pernicious drought sent by Shango. A few are traditionalists, while most were assimilated into Christianity and Islam. (represents wind, lightning, fire, and magic) (Shango's third wife). 16 Orishas are male and the 17th, Oshun, is not only female but the youngest among them. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. This beautifully illustrated exploration of Afro-Brazilian spirituality introduces you to the gods of the African diaspora known as the Orishas. 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The ile ori seems to say that a good head (i.e., good character and a good mind) constitutes true wealth. orisha, also spelled orixa or orisa, any of the deities of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. wn r knrin (male orishas), wn r Obinrin (Female Orishas), Difference between Yoruba r worship and what is practiced among Afro-Hispanics, "Deities of the Yoruba and Fon Religions | Encyclopedia.com", "Yoruba gods and goddesses: their history explained in detail", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Yoruba_deities&oldid=1131964538, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. WebLooker Studio turns your data into informative dashboards and reports that are easy to read, easy to share, and fully customizable. 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On this page, Ill present you all you need to know about Orishas and how to understand them in and out from their original context the Yoruba Religion. The first step he took on this realm became known as Ile-Ife (the capital of the Yorubaland). A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. Some of them are known as ara urun, meaning people of heaven, where they are believed to reside. The Orishas are never represented as perfect beings, and there are a number of stories of them behaving badly, but they are depicted as trying their best to do what is expected of them in very human terms. Orisha worshippers see the tamed natural force and the deified ancestor as indissolubly linked. In this article, we base this list on this second account, and will explore the orishas of these three categories. World History Encyclopedia, 06 Oct 2021. 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. However, despite his mistake, Obatala redeemed himself by taking on the task of creating the human race. Oduduwa by Jianing Hu As a water divinity, Erinle is believed to reside at the places where his river meets the sea. An Orisha is a God or a Goddess from the Yoruba Religion and Mythology. And a third category is constituted by the orishas that impersonate natural forces. Each confirms the Yoruba religion has many Orishas but offer different explanations regarding how they came to exist. fertility, and death (a trickster and a psychopomp). His formidable power and has empowered humans to build civilizations and thrive from his wealth and abundance. Ayao by Navate An Orisha is a God or a Goddess from the Yoruba Religion and Mythology. Aje is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. He embodies the power of the sun, essential for the growth. Oshun is the goddess of love, intimacy, and marriage. Ogun by Eran Fowler Who is the strongest Yoruba god? Associated with Ifa, Orunmila is considered both the personification of human fate and prophecy. The rest is spent in the farm with Oko (a farming god). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In some cases, a primordial deity can also be regarded as the personification of a natural force. Oshun can be spiteful, Shango impatient, Esu deceitful, Yemaya wrathful, and so on. Olokun by Lule Bel They were mainly captured from Oyo, Dahomey and Benin by the Portuguese and Brazilian slave traders and brought to Brazil. (2). In Yoruba mythology, Erinle, also called Inle, was a hunter (or sometimes an herbalist) that took the first king of Ilobu to where the first town was destined to be founded. Orisha. Initially, they represented their gods using elements of nature like rivers, storms, mountains, and forests. 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. The Orishas attend religious celebrations by possessing believers and making them go into a trance. Originally their gods represented the raw elements of nature, such as rivers, storms, and forests, but with the advent of farming, metallurgy and city building, the Yoruban gods took on a more anthropomorphic appearance. He created the Orishas to be mediators between himself and the people. Please support World History Encyclopedia. As master of the deep, he has a great insight into the mysteries of nature. A fourth version of the myth suggests that Erinle was turned into the first elephant (its unclear by whom), and only after he had spent some time living like this, was the hunter granted orisha status. The other Orishas followed this same pattern with many of the females associated with the Virgin Mary under her different epithets in various regions. Orisha of domesticity and marriage (Shango's first wife), Patron Orisha of the descendants of Africans. Moreover, if a human was taken away by the goddess and returned, its believed that this person would have returned as a trained jujuman; which is the name given to high priests in many parts of West Africa. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. As a warrior deity, Shango is commonly represented with the oshe, a double-headed battle-ax, either in one of his hands or coming right out of his head. Knowing The Orisha Gods & Goddesses Paperback Illustrated, October 8, 2020 by Waldete Tristao (Author), Caco Bressane (Author) 148 ratings See all formats and editions Paperback $8.99 5 Used from $8.99 15 New from $4.99 She resides over the Ogun river, whose waters are said to cure infertility. 17 Apr 2023. In one, far back at the beginning of time, Olodumare created the Orishas and spread powers between them randomly. Various sources state that there are at least 401 Orishas, and several are mentioned in Yoruba creation stories and archaeological history. 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Yoruba mythology states that Olodumare is the most powerful god. Her emblem is a large seashell which she uses as a currency. Keep reading to know more about them. (2021, October 06). Among them are the earth; rivers, lakes, and lagoons; and mountains, certain trees, and the wind. In another story from the Yoruba religion, after the world was created and populated, every human was equal, and no one wanted for anything. Corrections? The understanding is that, even if one thought one knew every Orisha and could name them all, there would always be one more one had missed. The Orishas give people Ashe/Ase (life) and Ayanmo (fate). In the original African belief system from which Santeria originates, there are hundreds of orishas . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The number of orishas varies among believers. anting him with a profound wisdom. She guides her followers between the world of the dead and the living, preserving the memories of their ancestors. Age, which is priority in time, is highly valued and respected, and it is also an important aspect of status and ranking. Luckily, Obatala exiled him to the wilderness, where he has lived as an outcast. His reign ended when he inadvertently destroyed his palace with lightning. Yoruba Oshun statue, Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Nigeria. Last modified October 06, 2021. Similarly, Oya is regarded as the protectress of women. Two gods rule over both these primordial realms. Like the stories told by the Yoruba in West Africa, different Orishas were linked to different saints in different regions, and it is not possible to definitively say which Orisha came to be identified with which saint. Shortly afterward, Shango became the orisha of lightning, fire, virility, and war. Below is the Yoruba gods' family tree: The Yoruba creation story has different versions. Each orisha has its own powers and domains of authority. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha, or goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is also the patroness of herbal healers. Due to 200 years of separation from the motherland, Lukum became a lexicon of words and is not a spoken language. In some locations in the Caribbean and South America, they were able to reestablish the worship of the orishas and maintain it during slavery and after its abolition. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Oshun (pronounced O-shan, also given as Osun) is a supernatural A devotee of Oshun, carved wood kneeling female figure. 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. Download Knowing the Orisha Gods and Goddesses Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle. This beautifully illustrated exploration of Afro-Brazilian spirituality introduces you to the gods of the African diaspora known as the Orishas. We want people all over the world to learn about history. However, since most Yoruba beliefs are based on oral traditions, there are many different accounts regarding how the orishas came to be. 50+ fashionable Yoruba native dress styles for men and women. The number of orishas varies among believers. The number of orishas varies among believers. This list includes the major Orishas honored in the United States, according to scholars and practitioners. Ogun is able to destroy as easily as heal, as is Oshun when she is displeased, and Shango can lash out in anger with thunder and lightning as often as he does in justice. Weborisha, also spelled orixa or orisa, any of the deities of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. 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. She is kind and generous to her followers, but when brought to anger she can cause untold destruction. Using these sacred materials, he created fields, forests, hills, and valleys. WebIn the Yoruba pantheon, the orishas are the deities that help Oludumare, the Supreme God, to keep cosmogonic order. Oya is a storm goddess who wields fire and magic (which she stole from her husband, Shango). He created the Orishas to be mediators between himself and the people. Ogun is revered as a mighty god, called upon by warriors for strength in battle. Egungun-oya by Another Wanderer Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. Obatalas story can also be used to explain the divine origin of human fallibility. She is kind and generous to her followers, but when brought to anger she can cause untold destruction. Olokun is the mother of Odudua, an ancient Earth Goddess, and battle maiden. 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. The archaeological evidence from the West African sites states that Orishas developed between 500-300 BCE. In the present day, the Orishas continue to be invoked by adherents for these same reasons and, according to the belief, are still just as alert and responsive to human need as they have been since people first received the breath of life at the beginning of time. Orisha of crossroads, duality, beginnings, travellers. Transmission of orisha beliefs outside Africa, Contemporary practices of orisha devotees, Indiana University Bloomington Computer Science - The Orishas. Olodumare was terrified and ran from the mice, but Esu appeared, calmed the deity, and quickly ate up every mouse. Each orisha has its own powers and domains of authority. Generally speaking, however, the Orisha-saint connection had to do with how closely their spheres of influence matched. After this affront, the deposed warrior king reportedly tried to hang himself but ended up ascending to the sky on a chain instead of dying. This category comprises divine spirits that were initially associated with a natural force or phenomenon, but were later granted the status of orishas, for the significant role that their representative element played in Yoruba society. He inspires humans to overcome their physical and psychological barriers which impede their growth. The Orishas are not always causing trouble for Olodumare, however, and most of the time are attentive to their responsibilities. Esu knew their plan, however, because he was present in the doorway when they formed it but did not warn Olodumare of their intentions. Esu was rewarded with the gift of being able to do whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased, without restraint or consequences, enabling him to become a trickster figure who freely interferes in others lives (for reasons known only to him) encouraging transformation. She is also often associated with the notions of death and rebirth, as the Yorubas believe she assists those who have recently died in their transition to the land of the dead. Keep reading to get acquainted with Yoruba mythology, the most mysterious phenomenon of Yoruba culture. Its worth noticing that, in the case of certain Yoruba divinities, these categories can be overlapped. 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