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Characters / Yoruba Mythology Orishas

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The Orishas

Orisha is a term literally meaning "Owners of heads". This is in reference to the fact that the head is considered the seat of the soul in Yoruba belief. The Orishas are a broad category of spirits ranging in stature from great cosmic beings who manage the universe down to the god of the human stomach. Some Orishas are personifications of natural phenomena, and others are the spirits of departed ancestors. The most important of the Orishas number 16, in correspondence with the 16 sacred "Odu" or ritual recitations of the Ifa divination system.

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     Olorun/Olodumare/Olofi 

Olorun

Owner of the Sky. Olorun is the supreme deity of Yoruba mythology. Aloof and mysterious, he is associated with the heavens. All powerful and all knowing, he stopped involving himself with the affairs of the world long ago. Unlike the other Orishas he has no shrines, images, or offerings. Olorun is traditionally only invoked out of utter desperation as he is not known to respond to anyone's cries. His counterpart in Gbe Mythology is Mawu.

  • Above the Gods: In comparison to Olorun the Orishas are functionally equivalent to Abrahamic angels or saints.
  • Have You Seen My God??: According to Yoruba Muslims and Christians he was with us all along, we just don't listen to him. According to traditionalists he really just doesn't care most of the time.
  • He Who Must Not Be Seen: Olodumare is beyond anyone's understanding.

     Oramfe 

Oramfe

The Almighty. Oramfe is the sky father and storm deity, this role was later passed onto Shango.

  • Breath Weapon: Oramfe breathes fire at his enemies
  • God of Thunder: Less well known than Shango, but still very important in the Holy City of Ife.
  • The Maker: Shared this role with Olorun in that Olorun is the origin of all things, but it was Oramfe who shaped the universe as we know it.
  • Top God: Used to rule over the pantheon.

     Obatala/Orisha-nla 

Obatala

Lord of the White Cloth. Obatala is the god of purity, visions, creation, and the unborn.

  • Anti-Interference Lock Up: Obatala does this to Olokun, chaining the sea god with seven silver shackles when they attempted to flood the newly-created earth.
  • Composite Character: The human Obatala who once ruled Ife and the primeval Orisha Obatala.
  • Cosmic Egg: A variant of this. He and Odudua were inside a calabash in the beginning of the universe.
  • God of Good: Associated with peace, serenity, wisdom and compassion.
  • God Is Inept: Usually once got drunk on palm wine and became responsible for creating human beings with different disabilities. However, upon seeing his creations, he loves and cares for them, becoming the patron of the disabled. And he swore to never drink palm wine again.
  • Good Wears White: The Lord of the White Cloth, clad in white and is also the Orisha associated with purity, clarity, and serenity.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: How he is depicted in many legends.
  • Seers: Associated with divination, prophecies, and destinies of all humans.
  • She's a Man in Japan: Obatala is a woman in some paths of Santeria. Obatala is also associated with Saint Mercedes.
  • Stern Old Judge: Obatala controlled an oracle in Porto Novo that determined whether the accused is guilty or innocent.
  • Sibling Rivalry: With Oduduwa.
  • The Maker: Created the land using only sand from a conch shell and a hen and made humans from clay.
  • The Power of Creation: Creates human souls from clay.

     Odudua/Odua 

Odudua

The Black One. Odudua is the goddess of motherhood, love, and the earth.

  • Blind Seer: A goddess associated with destiny and is sightless.
  • Cosmic Egg: A variant of this. Odudua and Obatala lived inside a calabash in the beginning of the universe.
  • Earth Mother: The Earth personified.
  • Love Goddess: Odudua is the goddess of motherly love.
  • Non-Human Non-Binary: There is a lot of discussion on whether Odudua, the Earth goddess and the Yoruba king, Oduduwa are similar.
  • The Power of Creation: Associated with creative energy and life. She is praised as Yewajobi, the mother of all things.
  • The Rival: With her twin, Obatala.
  • Words Can Break My Bones: Created the world into existence through words.

     Aganju 

Aganju

The Wilderness. Aganju is a warrior god who is associated with volcanic activity by Cuban worshippers.

  • Composite Character: Perhaps a combination of the spirit, Aganju and that of the mortal king, Aganju.
  • Cool Boat: Invented the first boat and used it to traverse the rivers.
  • Cool Old Guy: Aganju Shola is described as elderly yet strong and virile for his age.
  • Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: After inventing the boat, he charges anyone who relied on the rivers exorbitant fees for transportation becoming extremely wealthy.
  • God of Fire: Commands fire and volcanoes in Santeria and other African diasporic religions.
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: Traps Obatala (who is in disguise) on the boat and demands to bed her for a fee. From this union, Obatala gives birth to Shango.
  • The Hermit: Lives in the wilderness and is the god of uninhabited drylands.

     Yemoja/Yemaya/Yemo'o-Oboto 

Yemoja

Mother of Fish. Yemoja is the guardian over rivers, women, and children.

  • Animal Motifs: Associated with fish.
  • Attempted Rape: Her son, Orungan attempted to rape her. She fled his advances and shattered into multiple pieces.
  • Berserk Button: In one tale, she and Ogun marry under one condition: they do not speak to each other about their shortcomings. Ogun had eyes that were constantly bloodshot. Yemoja had only one breast. One day, Ogun tried to cook her some soup but since he had no talent for it and broke the pot, spilling the soup all over the floor. Yemoja seeing the mess cried out that someone with bloody eyes was ruining her kitchen. Ogun struck her but regretted it. So to comfort her, he stroked her breast. Yemoja felt so ashamed at her physical defect that she fled, undergoing metamorphosis to become the river Ogun.
  • Big Beautiful Woman: Depictions of Yemoja's form emphasizes her stature and fullness and is well regarded by the devotees as the epitome of beauty.
  • Composite Character: Yemoja eventually took on tales and legends of other similarly associated water goddesses, such as Olosa and Olokun.
  • Driven to Suicide: In one tale, when her sons return after saving their brother from Osanyin, Yemoja refuses to let them in. In retaliation, they abandon her. This drives Yemoja to suicide and become a river.
  • Healer God: Associated with health, fertility, and womanhood.
  • Lord of the Ocean: In some aspects, Yemoja controls the oceans and is associated with Olokun.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: After being tired of Obatala, Yemoja takes Erinle/Inle, a mortal fisherman as her lover. It does not go well for either of them.
  • Mother Goddess: She is the mother of the countless Orishas that populate the world.
  • Our Mermaids Are Different: Portrayed as a mermaid and dwelling in her underwater palace.
  • Third-Party Peacekeeper: Mediates relations between multiple Orishas.
  • Water Is Womanly: She is the personification of the Ogun River, associated with childbirth, motherhood, fertility, and health.

     Shango/Chango/Xango/Jakuta 

Shango

Wild Striker. Once a king of Oyo, Shango is now the god of thunder and lightning.

  • Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Upon his mortal time as a king, Shango ascended to become an Orisha.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: He is the king of the Yoruba and the Orishas and one of the powerful Orishas.
  • Anti-Hero: How his character is portrayed in his mortal epic. Shango begins as a tyrant king before regretting his actions and becoming Driven to Suicide
  • Back from the Dead: Shango eventually becomes resurrected, becoming the thunder itself.
  • Battle Couple: With Oya.
  • Composite Character: Perhaps there existed a Shango as a personification of thunder and lightning before there was Shango, the King of the Yoruba people.
  • Covered with Scars: Introduced the art of scarification during his time as king.
  • Dance Battler: Shango exchanged his prophetic powers for Orunmila's drumming and dancing capabilities.
  • Distressed Dude: When imprisoned in his home by Oya, leaving Oshun to come to his rescue.
  • Driven to Suicide: When his plot to kill Gbonka and Timi fails, he exiles himself and ends his life out of shame.
  • Elemental Embodiment: Of Thunder.
  • Fire Is Masculine: Shango represents masculinity and is heavily associated with fire.
  • God-Emperor: As the third Alaafin of Oyo Empire.
  • God of Thunder: The archetypical lord of thunder and lightning, replacing Oramfe in many respects.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Easily upset and angry.
  • Let's You and Him Fight: Shango with the help of Oya tricks his two strongest generals, Gbonka and Timi into killing each other.
  • Multiple-Choice Past: There are numerous stories around Shango's birth. One suggests that he is the son of Obatala and Aganju. In another, he sprung from Yemoja when she escaped Orungan's advances.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His plot to secure his rule and eliminate both Gbonka and Timi backfires, leading to his exile and death eventually.
  • Really Gets Around: Shango is known for his wandering eye which infuriates his wives, Oba and Oya.
  • She's a Man in Japan: In Haiti and other Caribbean countries, Shango is associated with Saint Barbara.
  • Shock and Awe: As the Orisha associated with lightning.
  • The Rival: Of Ogun
  • Thunder Drum: Shango is associated with the bata drum which he introduced during his reign.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Shango is deathly afraid of the dead and otherworldly spirits. Oya uses this to keep him with her inside the house.

     Orunmila/Ifa 

Orunmila

Witness of Fate and Second to Olodumare, Orunmila is the god of wisdom as well as prophecy.

  • The Archmage: Only Eshu can contest his powers over divination.
  • Composite Character: With Ifa, the god of knowledge and Ori.
  • Foil: To Eshu.
  • God of Order: Responsible for correcting and enforcing destinies of Orishas and mortals alike.
  • Happily Married: To Iwa, the Orisha of Integrity and Good Character.
  • High Priest: His role as the chief divination deity.
  • Odd Friendship: His closest companion is Eshu, the God of Chaos and they are an inseparable pair.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: The Orishas and mortals alike seek his counsel.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue Oni to Eshu's Red. Orunmila's knowledge guides people through Eshu's constant changes to one's destinies.
  • The Omniscient: The keeper of all the knowledge in the world. Invented divination as well.
  • The Smart Guy: Function as this in many of his legends.
  • The Witch Hunter: Orunmila detests witches. In one tale, he helps Obatala when pesky witches attempted to murder him.
  • Weak, but Skilled: Orunmila is noted as the physically weakest but divination was his major strong suit.
  • You Can't Fight Fate: Warns a lot of the Orishas in his divinations what would happen if a choice is taken. Not that many of them in the legends follow what he has declared.

     Eshu/Esu/Elegba/Elegbara/Elegua/Shigidi/Osetura 

Eshu

He who seizes. Master of force. Eshu is the trickster of the Orishas and master of mischief.

  • Angel Unaware - Devil in Disguise: As an Orisha, he takes on many faces.
  • At the Crossroads: He is associated with crossroads and choices.
  • Balance Between Order and Chaos: He is associated with balance, mediating between change and stability.
  • Chaos Is Evil: Averted. While Eshu later became associated with evil and malice, he is much rather associated with transformation.
  • Chaotic Neutral: His whole character balances the forces of the universe and is not afraid to challenge authority to bring about change.
  • Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Eshu's biggest feat has been tricking Olorun, the primeval creator of universe into having a more reserved role in the universe. He did this by stealing Olorun's slippers and sneaking into his garden to take some yams for fufu. When Olorun discovered the theft, he called the other Orishas and demanded that the culprit be banished forever. Olorun discovered that he had been framed for the theft but had no evidence to prove it. So he retired to the heavens with Eshu as his own confidante.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Willing to start a fight and conflict between anything that dares to neglect his worship.
  • God of Chaos: Eshu is the personification of mischief. He produces disorder and undermines order.
  • Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Eshu is the divine enforcer punishing those who fail to make sacrifices to the Orishas and personally dispenses justice.
    • When Ogun breaks a taboo and kills a gatekeeper, Eshu drives him into the forest.
    • When the Kola tree refuses to sacrifice to Eshu, he cursed her children, the kola nuts to forever be used as ritual tools.
  • Multiple-Choice Past: Eshu is either a son of Yemoja or Olodumare or born from Oshun after the gods properly offered their offering to her.
  • Those Two Guys - Odd Friendship: Eshu and Orunmila are constant companions and partners. In one tale, Olodumare reveals that they are intrinsically linked to one another that one cannot live without the other.
  • Trickster God
  • Troll: Chief provocateur amongst the Orisha. Once caused a huge quarrel within a happily married husband and two wives just because he found the situation unsatisfactory.
  • Winds of Destiny, Change!: The god of fortune and controller of all destiny.

     Ogun/Ogum/Ogou 

Ogun

The one who pierces. Ogun is the god of iron and warfare.

     Olokun 

Olokun

Owner of the sea. As the name indicates, Olokun is the sea divinity.

  • Adaptational Gender Identity: Olokun's gender is ambiguous. They present as male or female or androgynous depending on the interpreter.
  • Awesome Underwater World: Rules over one.
  • Big Brother Instinct: When Shango pursued Oya for stealing his magic powers, Olokun sheltered her and used powers of the waters to hold Shango back.
  • Break the Haughty: Once Olokun declared that they were the most beautiful and luxuriously-dressed amongst all the Orishas. They could weave beautiful fabrics and dresses that amazed all the Orishas except Olodumare. To humble Olokun, Olodumare sent his messenger, the chameleon, Agemo who could mimic all the colors that Olokun wore. Conceding his defeat, Olokun declared that he can best the Orishas but not Olodumare.
  • God of the Dead: Shelters humans who drowned or lost their lives at sea.
  • Lord of the Ocean: Olokun is the ruler of the primordial sea and has been chained in the depths since times immemorial.
  • Mood-Swinger: Noted to be a temperamental and moody Orisha.
  • Our Mermaids Are Different: Images of Olokun portrayed the Orisha with mudfish legs.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: For all the destruction Olokun could cause due to their enmity with Obatala, the Orisha is chained at the ocean floor unable to escape from the seven silver chains.
  • Secret-Keeper: Olokun is the protector of secrets.
  • The Great Flood: Attempts to unleash one when Obatala created land.
  • The Rival: With Obatala.
  • Woman Scorned: In one tale, Olokun loved Orisha Oko but when she revealed that she was a mermaid, Oko rejected her. From then on, she would destroy farmlands that dared approach her domain.

     Olosa 

Olosa

Owner of the lagoon. Goddess of the lagoon of Lagos.

     Sopona/Shopona/Shankpanna/Babalu-Aye 

Sopona

Smallpox. Father of the Earth. Lord of pestilence, infectious diseases, and madness.

  • All of the Other Reindeer: Sopona is shunned by the rest of the Orishas. Even more so after he spread smallpox when they made fun of his dance.
  • Back from the Dead: Killed by Olodumare for sleeping with his concubines on a holy day. Revived after Oshun forced Olodumare to forgive Sopona and revive him.
  • Disabled Deity: In some tales, he has a limp.
  • Earth Father: His name, Babalu Aye means "Father or Lord of the Earth."
  • Plaguemaster: The god of primarily smallpox but encompasses all forms of infectious diseases.
  • The Dreaded
  • The Exile: Banished after he struck the Orishas with a plague of smallpox.
  • The Swarm: Associated with flies and mosquitos.
  • Touch of Death: Has an alternative epithet, "One who kills and is thanked for it"

     Olarosa 

Olarosa

Protector of house and home from the forces of evil.

     Dada 

Dada

God of fertility both human and agricultural.

     Oya 

Oya

Goddess of the mighty Niger River.

  • And Now You Must Marry Me: In one story, Ogun or Shango sees Oya in a guise of an antelope or a water buffalo. He seized the skin in which she used to transfrom and forced her to marry him.
  • Animal Motifs: The water buffalo or antelope.
  • Battle Couple: With Shango.
  • Blow You Away: As Iansan in Cuba and the Caribbean, Oya is the goddess of the winds.
  • Breath Weapon: Once stole sacred medicine meant for Shango. When she spoke to him, she expelled flames from her mouth.
  • Color Motif: Depicted in red.
  • Destroyer Deity: Goddess associated with destruction, change, and transformation. She is also a goddess of storms, whirlwinds, and other destructive atmospheric phenomena. Her name literally means "She Tore" or "The Tearer"
  • God of the Dead: Guards the entrance between life and death. Begrudgingly, since Yemoja long ago tricked her into switching places.
  • Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: Like the typical Swan Maiden tale, Oya undresses from her guise as a water buffalo to go swimming. Only for her skin, the water buffalo form to be stolen by Ogun/Shango.
  • Night of the Living Mooks: Creates an army of the dead to keep Shango in the house.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red oni to Oshun and Oba's blue oni.
  • Shock and Awe: A goddess associated with lightning.
  • Tragic Stillbirth: Oya is often also called Iya Mesan, due to her giving birth to nine stillborn children.
  • Undying Loyalty: When Shango becomes The Exile, only Oya follows him and even establishes his worship.
  • War God: Oya is associated with warfare and has used her powers to help Shango win battles.

     Oshun 

Oshun

Goddess of the Oshun River.

  • Animal Motif: Associated with peafowls, bees, and buzzards.
  • Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Tricked Death and Olodumare on different occasions. She uses her specially-crafted honey to force Olodumare to revive Babalu-Aye.
  • Color Motif: Depicted in yellow or gold.
  • Divine Punishment: When Oshun gives the people of Osogbo children but the people neglected her. Shecaused the people to get fevers and cures them when they restored her worship.
    • The male Orishas when the world was created,sidelined Oshun and for their malice, nothing they created or worked on came into fruition. When the Orishas acknowledged the power of Oshun, she brought good fortune to the Orishas, allowing for the Earth to flourish.
  • Fun Personified: The goddess of joy and festivities.
  • Heroic Seductress: Oshun is associated with love and sexuality. She uses her charms and sexuality to get what she wants or assist others.
  • Intentional Heartbreaker
  • Lady of War: Praised in songs as carrying a cooling brass fan in one hand and a brass cutlass in another.
  • Launcher of a Thousand Ships: Associated and married to many male Orishas, Shango, Orunmila, and Ogun are among the many.
  • Love Goddess: Associated with love, desire, and fertility. The patron of romantic and sexual love.
  • Patron God: The town of Osogbo is where her principal sanctuary is located.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Oshun is the Blue Oni, associated with cool and sweet freshwater to Ogun's Red Oni, the heat and flames of the forge and industry
    • She is also the Blue Oni to her rival wife, Oya.
  • Sweet Tooth: A goddess associated with honey and enjoys it more than anything else.
  • The Medic: Healer goddess, uses her waters to cure fevers.
  • The Almighty Dollar: Oshun is associated with luck, wealth, and prosperity.
  • The High Queen: Oshun is perhaps the first woman to be referred as an Iyalode, a high ranking female chieftain.
  • Top Wife: Shango's favorite wife among Oya and Oba. Playing With this trope, Oshun also has multiple husbands.
  • Trickster God: Her famous exploits revolve around seducing and tricking foes and using guile to punish those who have offended her.
  • Water Is Womanly: As the goddess of the cool freshwater and the embodiment of the Osun River

     Oba 

Oba

Goddess of the Oba River.

  • Heroic Sacrifice: In another tale, Oba sacrifices her ears to feed Shango when Ogun's forces invaded his territory and cut off all food supplies.
  • Love Goddess: Oba is the goddess of marriage and fidelity.
  • Love Makes You Crazy: In another, Oba sacrifices her ear under the instructions of Orunmila to tie Shango to her forever.
  • Love Makes You Dumb: Oba desired Shango's love so much that Oya or Oshun tricked her into cutting off her ear and put it in his meal as an aphrodisiac. When Shango discovered that act, he chased Oba unti she transformed herself into a river.
  • The Almighty Dollar: Oba is the goddess of the marketplace and commerce.
  • Water Is Womanly: As the goddess of the Oba River.

     Aje Shaluga 

Aje Shaluga

God of wealth.

  • Adaptational Gender Identity: Either a god or a goddess depending on the story.
  • Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Inverted. Aje Shaluga is the gentle Orisha that comforts Oshun in her time as a widow.
  • Happily Married: To Oshun.
  • Making a Splash: The divine deity of water and fell in love with Oshun from watching her from their river abode.
  • The Almighty Dollar: The deity of wealth, commerce, and luxury. In one story, Aje Shaluga's riches were what uplifted Oshun's status and made her a goddess of luck and wealth.

     Orisha Oko 

Orisha Oko

Farm God. The primary spirit of agriculture and fertility.

  • Foil: To Osanyin and Oshosi, the Orishas associated with wilderness.
  • Country Cousin: Depicted as such as in some legends.
  • Demoted to Extra: While in Yorubaland, Oko continues to hold worship. His popularity diminished largely in the religions of the African diaspora.
  • Fertility God: As the Orisha of agriculture and fertility.
  • Food God: He is the god needed for human sustenance.
  • Gag Penis: Fertilizes the Earth with it.
  • Green Thumb: As the Orisha of cultivated plants.
  • Stern Old Judge: The arbitrator in Orisha affairs. The god associated with justice and settlements.

     Osanyin 

Osanyin

Beneficial god of medicine and healing.

  • Animal Motifs: Associated with birds.
  • Disabled Deity: A tale from Santeria explains how it happened. Once he selfishly hoarded his knowledge of plant life from the Orisha. When Eshu heard of this, he knocked over Osanyin's house, crushing the god and leaving him only with one arm, one leg, and one eye. He only hears with one ear yet so acutely that he can hear the subtle movements of the world.
  • Caring Gardener: Lives in solitude tending to his groves in the rainforests.
  • Charm Person: In a Brazilian tale, Osanyin once charmed one of Yemoja's sons, transforming him into Erinle and wiping his memory.
  • Green Thumb: Called the "Lord of Leaves" and is asssociated with herbs, plants, and wild vegetation.
  • Healer God: The god of botany, medicine, and herbalism.
  • Super-Hearing: One ear can even hear wings of a butterfly flap.
  • The Medic: As a mortal before becoming a god.
  • Ventriloquism: Priests of Osanyin are assisted by small puppets who speak in thin, squeaky voices, play whistles, or ring bells as they prophesy for the patients who come to consult them.

     Aroni 

Aroni

The one with a withered limb. Dangerous god of the wilderness.

     Aja 

Aja

Wild vine. Benevolent goddess of the wilderness.

     Oye 

Oye

God of the Harmattan wind.

     Ibeji 

Ibeji

To beget two. God and protector of twins.

  • The Almighty Dollar: The gods of good luck and prosperity.
  • Animal Motifs: Monkeys are sacred animals associated with the Ibeji.
  • Deity of Human Origin: Kahinde and Taiwo were the first twins to be born in the world and eventually achieved apotheosis.
  • Happily Adopted: By Oya or in some tales, Yemoja.
  • Healer Gods: Associated with healing and protection.
  • Odd Job Gods: The Orisha and protectors of twins.
  • Parental Abandonment: When Oshun gave birth to the Ibeji, the people shunned her and called her a witch. Out of shame, she abandoned the twins.
  • Patron Saints: Associated with Saints Cosmas and Damian, who are also patron saints of twins.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Represented by two colors, red and blue.
  • Trickster Twins: Usually noted as mischievous and playful pranksters.
  • Twins Are Special: Yoruba peoples have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world. As a result, the Ibeji are the patron of twin births. Twins are also considered sacred and honored in carved memorials upon death.

     Oshunmare 

Oshunmare

The Great Snake of the Underneath. The god of the rainbow.

     Oke 

Oke

Mountain. God of mountains, rugged terrain, landslides, and rockslides.

     Ochosi 

Ochosi

God of the hunt, justice, and fishing.

  • Classical Hunter: Associated with hunting and marksmanship.
  • Color Motif: Green.
  • Healer God: Associated with herbs and medicine.
  • Forest Ranger: Lives alone in the forests, spending his days in solitude.
  • Sacred Bow and Arrows: Depicted with one.
  • The Dreaded: Associated with justice and retribution.
  • The Power Of Three: Represented by the number, three. He wields a bow with three arrows.
  • The Quiet One: Usually depicted as stern and silent.
  • The Stoic
  • Tragic Mistake: In one story, Ochosi discovered that the partridge he had caught for Olorun went missing. He used his magic justice-seeking arrow to strike the culprit and kill them. When he discovered that his mother Yemoja was the culprit and has been shot in the heart. He decided to retire from civilization and live in the rainforest.
  • Worthy Opponent: Ogun once challenged Ochosi to a duel. However, when they were unable to defeat each other, they held a truce and became close friends.

     Orun 

Orun

The Sun god.

     Oshu 

Oshu

The Moon goddess.

     Olori-Merin 

Olori-Merin

Owner of four heads. Protector god of towns. Or representative of the four gods of the cardinal directions.

     Oduduwa 

Oduduwa

The source of existence. Divine king and ancestor of the Yoruba race.

  • Earth Father
  • Foil: To the celestial Obatala.
  • God-Emperor: As the brother of Obatala, Oduduwa snuck down from heaven and finished up his work while Obatala was drunk on palm wine. When Obatala discovered this, he attempted to kill him, causing a great war that nearly devastated the world. Olorun arbitrated on the case, giving Obatala the power of creation of humans while Oduduwa would become their first ruler.

     Oranmiyan 

Oranmiyan

My issue is resolved. Grandson of Oduduwa. The first Alaafin of the Oyo empire. Warrior god.

     Erinle/Inle/Eyinle 

Erinle/Inle/Abatan/Eyinle

The elephant. Erinle is the god of healing, fertility, and abundance. The god of the Erinle River.

  • Adaptational Gender Identity: Either a male river god or goddess, depending on who you ask.
  • Beneath the Earth: Erinle lives in a palace beneath the crust of the Earth.
  • Healer God: Associated with healing and medicine.
  • Honorable Elephant: When the town of Ilobu had a drought, he changed into an elephant and then sank into the Earth and became the Erinle River.
  • Metamorphosis: Erinle in one tale transforms into the river after Shango drives him away violently for seeking Shango's wife, Oba's hand in marriage.
  • The Speechless: In some tales, Erinle was rendered mute by the water goddess, Yemoja.
  • Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: Erinle's gender as noted is rather vague. In Santeria, Inle is worshiped as a beautiful androgynous youth.

     Moremi Ajasoro 

Moremi Ajasoro

The legendary Yoruba queen who assisted in the liberation of Ife from a nearby hostile kingdom.

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