Orisha

Part of a series on
Yoruba religion
Deities
God: Ọlọrun / Olodumare / 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
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Orishas (singular: orisha)^[1] 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 Haitian Vaudou, 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, Olodumare, to assist humanity and to teach them to be successful on Ayé (Earth). Rooted in the native religion of the Yoruba people, most orishas are said to have previously existed in òrún—the spirit world—and then became Irúnmọlẹ̀—spirits or divine beings incarnated 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 New World as a result of the Atlantic slave trade and are now expressed in practices as varied as Haitian Vodou, Santería, Candomblé, Trinidad Orisha, Umbanda, and Oyotunji, among others. The concept of òrìṣà is similar to those of deities in the traditional religions of the Bini people of Edo State in southern Nigeria, the Ewe people of Benin, Ghana, and Togo, and the Fon people of Benin.^[2][3]

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]

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 is the life-force that runs through all things, living and inanimate, and is described as the power to make things happen. It is an affirmation that is used in greetings and prayers, as well as a concept of spiritual growth. Orìṣà devotees strive to obtain Ase through iwa-pele, gentle and good character, and in turn they experience alignment with the ori, what others might call inner peace and satisfaction with life. Ase is divine energy that comes from Olodumare, the creator deity, and is manifested through Olorun, who rules the heavens and is associated with the Sun. Without the Sun, no life could exist, just as life cannot exist without some degree of ashe. Ase is sometimes associated with Eshu, the messenger orisha.^[7] For practitioners, ashe represents a link to the eternal presence of the supreme deity, the orishas, and the ancestors.^[8]

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]

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]

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

• 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.
• Lydia Cabrera, El Monte: Igbo-Nfinda, Ewe Orisha/Vititi Nfinda. 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