Orisha

Part of a series on
Yoruba religion
Deities
Olofin The Orisha: Aganju Agemo Ajaka Ayao Babalú-Ayé Elegua Erinle Eshu Ibeji Oduduwa Ogun Olokun Ori Oko Oshumare Ọba Ọbatala Ọranyan Ọrunmila Ọsanyin Ọṣọọsi Ọṣun Ọya Shango Yemọja
Beliefs
Aṣẹ Ayagunna Cosmology Egbere Irunmọlẹ Ifá Ori Oriṣa
Practices
Ajere Ifa Babalawo/Iyalawo Cowrie-shell divination Egungun Epa mask Gẹlẹdẹ Letra del año Obi divination Osanyin staff
Variants
African Theological Archministry (United States) Candomblé, Ketu (Brazil) Kélé (Saint Lucia) Quimbanda (Brazil) Santería (Cuba) Tambor de Mina (Brazil) Trinidad Orisha (Trinidad) Umbanda (Brazil) Yoruba religion (Nigeria)
Sacred sites
Ile Ife Oyo Osun-Osogbo Yorubaland
Legendary figures
Oduduwa Oranyan Moremi Ajasoro
v t e

Orishas (singular: orisha)^[1] - correct spelling: singular - òrìṣà, plural - òrìṣàs - are divine 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 Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The preferred spelling varies depending on the language in question: òrìṣà is the spelling in the Yoruba language, orixá in Portuguese, and orisha, oricha, orichá or orixá in Spanish-speaking countries.

According to the teachings of these religions, the orishas are spirits sent by the supreme creator,

as human on Earth. Irunmole took upon a human identity and lived as ordinary humans in the physical world, but because they had their origin in the divine, they had great wisdom and power at the moment of their creation.

The orishas found their way to most of the

Number

Yoruba tradition often says that there are 400 + 1 orishas, which is associated with a sacred number. Other sources suggest that the number is "as many as you can think of, plus one more – an innumerable number". Different oral traditions refer to 400, 700, or 1,440 orishas.[4]^[5][6]

Beliefs

Practitioners traditionally believe that daily life depends on proper alignment and knowledge of one's Orí. Ori literally means the head, but in spiritual matters, it is taken to mean a portion of the soul that determines personal destiny.^[3]

Some orishas are rooted in ancestor worship; warriors, kings, and founders of cities were celebrated after death and joined the pantheon of Yoruba deities. The ancestors did not die but were seen to have "disappeared" and become orishas. Some orishas based on historical figures are confined to worship in their families or towns of origin; others are venerated across wider geographic areas.^[3]

Ase

The concept is regularly referenced in Brazilian capoeira. Axé in this context is used as a greeting or farewell, in songs and as a form of praise. Saying that someone "has axé" in capoeira is complimenting their energy, fighting spirit, and attitude.^[6]

Pantheon

The orisa are grouped as those represented by the color white, who are characterized as tutu "cool, calm, gentle, and temperate"; and those represented by the colors red or black, who are characterized as gbigbona "bold, strong, assertive, and easily annoyed". Like humans, orishas may have a preferred color, food, or object. The traits of the orishas are documented through oral tradition.^[5]

List of orisha

Name	Deity Of	Ethnic Group	Religion	Member Of	Homeland
Agemo	Chameleon, Servant	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Aganju	Volcanoes, Wilderness, Desert, Fire	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Akògún	Warrior, Hunter, Wear Straw	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ajaka	Peaceful, Love, Equality	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ayangalu	Drummer, Gángan	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ara Ara	Weather, Storm, Thunder	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ayelala	Punishes Crime	Yoruba People (Part)	Yoruba Religion (Part)	Orisha	Yorubaland (Part)
Aroni	Beauty Of Nature, Spirit Of The Forest, Herb, Plant, Tree	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Alaafia	Peace, Humble, Patience	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Arun	Diseases, Affliction	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Aje	Wealth, Property, Prosperity, Fortune, Success	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Aye	Passion, Environmentalism, Nature	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Aja	Wild, Herb, Plant, Leaf	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Biri	Darkness, Night, Midnight	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Babalu Aye	Smallpox, Epidemic Diseases, Healing	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Bayanni (Dada)	Children, Dread Heads, Prosperity	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Dada	Mischief & Stubborn	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ela	Manifestation & Light & Passion For Charity & Giving	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Edi	Spirit Of Evil, Whisperer Of Undoing And Corruption	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Egungun	Sainted Dead	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Erinle	Hunter, Earth, Natural Force Of Universe	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Eshu	Trickery, Crossroads, Misfortune, Chaos, Death, Travelers, Messenger	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ibeji	Twins	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Iroko	Tree, Wilderness	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Iya Nla	Primordial Spirit	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Iku	Death	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Imole	Sunlight, Soothsayer	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Logunede	War & Hunting	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Moremi	Saviour	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oba	River	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Obba	Passion For Homemaking, Domestic Policies	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Obatala	Creation	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oduduwa	Progenitor, Warrior	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ogun	Warriors, Soldiers, Blacksmiths, Metal Workers, Craftsmen	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oke	Mountain, Hill	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oko	Agriculture, Farming, Fertility	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Olokun	Water, Health, Wealth	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Olumo	Mountain	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ọranyan	Progenitor	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Orò	Justice, Bullroarers	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oronsen	Progenitor	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ọrunmila	Wisdom, Knowledge, Ifa Divination, Philosophy, Fate, Destiny, Prophecy, Babalawo	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Ori	Beforelife, Afterlife, Destiny, Personal Identity	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Osanyin	Herb, Plant, Nature, Herbalist, Magician	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oshosi	Hunt, Forest, Warrior, Justice	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oshun	Goddess of Water, Purity, Fertility, Love, and Sensuality	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oshunmare	Rainbow, Serpent, Regeneration, Rebirth	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Otin	River, Fighter	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Oya	Storms, Wind, Thunder, Lightning, Dead	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Shango	Thunder, Lightning, Fire, Justice, Dance, Virility	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Shigidi	Guardian Of Home & Environment	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Yemoja	Goddess Of Creation, Water, Moon, The Motherhood, Protection	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland
Yewa	Yewa River	Yoruba People	Yoruba Religion	Orisha	Yorubaland

See also

• Alusi
  , the Igbo pantheon.
• List of Yoruba deities
• Loa
• Nkisi
• West African mythology
• Winti
• Yoruba mythology

References

1. ^ "orisha | deity | Britannica". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
2. ^ Kevin Baxter (on De La Torre), Ozzie Guillen secure in his faith, Los Angeles Times, 2007
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Orisha". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago, Ill.: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
4. ISBN 9781442208810
   .
5. ^
   ISBN 9780253021441
   .
6. ^
   ISBN 9780877790440
   .
7. ISBN 978-0-520-06791-2
   .
8. ^ Cynthia Duncan, Ph.D., About santeria

Further reading

• E. Bolayi Idowu, Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief.
  ISBN 9781881316961
• J. Omosade Awolalu, Yoruba Beliefs & Sacrificial Rites.
  ISBN 0-9638787-3-5
• William Bascom, Sixteen Cowries.
• ISBN 0-89729-009-7
• Raul Canizares, Cuban Santeria.
• Chief Priest Ifayemi Elebuibon, Apetebii: The Wife of Orunmila.
  ISBN 0-9638787-1-9
• Fakayode Fayemi Fatunde (2004) Osun, The Manly Woman. New York: Athelia Henrietta Press.
• James T. Houk, Spirits, Blood, and Drums: The Orisha Religion of Trinidad. 1995. Temple University Press.
• Jo Anna Hunter, "Oro Pataki Aganju: A Cross Cultural Approach Towards the Understanding of the Fundamentos of the Orisa Aganju in Nigeria and Cuba". In Orisa Yoruba God and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora, edited by Toyin Falola, Ann Genova. New Jersey: Africa World Press, Inc. 2006.
• Baba Ifa Karade, The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, Weiser Books, York Beach, New York, 1994.
  ISBN 0-87728-789-9
• Gary Edwards (Author), John Mason (Author), Black Gods – Orisa Studies in the New World, 1998.
  ISBN 1-881244-08-3
• John Mason, Olokun: Owner of Rivers and Seas.
  ISBN 1-881244-05-9
• John Mason, Orin Orisa: Songs for selected Heads.
  ISBN 1-881244-06-7
• David M. O'Brien, Animal Sacrifice and Religious Freedom: Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah.
• S. Solagbade Popoola, Ikunle Abiyamo: It is on Bent Knees that I gave Birth. 2007. Asefin Media Publication
• Robert Farris Thompson, Flash of the Spirit.
• Robert D Pelton, The Trickster in West Africa chapters on Eshu and Legba. 1989. University of California Press
• J Lorand Matory, Black Atlantic Religion. 2009. Princeton University Press

External links