Orisha

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 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.[2] In the Lucumí tradition, which evolved in Cuba, the orishas are synchronized with Catholic saints, forming a syncretic system of worship where African deities are hidden behind Christian iconography. This allowed enslaved Africans to preserve their traditions under colonial religious persecution.

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.[3] 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.[4][5][2]

In diaspora communities, the worship of Orishas often incorporates drumming, dance, and spirit possession as central aspects of ritual life.[2] These practices serve to strengthen communal bonds and foster direct spiritual experiences among practitioners.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Number
* 2 Beliefs
* 2.1 Ase
* 3 Pantheon
* 4 List of orisha
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
* 8 External links

## 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.[6][7][8][2]This symbolic numbering system reflects the complexity and vastness of the spiritual world in Yoruba cosmology. The phrase "400 + 1" represents the idea that the divine world cannot be fully quantified or comprehended by human minds.[2]

## 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.[5]

[2]Offerings, prayers, and self-reflection are all means by which a devotee can align with their Orí, thereby ensuring balance, success, and fulfillment in life. Without proper alignment with one's Orí, even the assistance of the orishas may prove ineffective.[2]

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.[5]

### Ase

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.[9] For practitioners, ashe represents a link to the eternal presence of the supreme deity, the orishas, and the ancestors.[10] Rituals, prayers, songs, and sacrifices are all ways to invoke or transfer ase. In this way, every action and word becomes potentially sacred, carrying spiritual weight and consequence.[2]

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.[8]

## 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.[7]

Each orisha governs specific aspects of nature and human experience—for example, Ogun governs iron and war, Oshun rules over love and rivers, and Yemoja is associated with motherhood and the ocean. Their symbols, offerings, and ritual practices are carefully preserved and transmitted through generations of initiates.[2]

## 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  | Children, Vegetables  | 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" (in en). Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/orisha. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Awo, Ifagbemi (2024) (in English). The Yoruba Spiritual Training Manual (First ed.). United States: Michael Perez. pp. 11-14. ISBN 979-8-9909018-1-0. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Yoruba_Spiritual_Training_Manual_The/_5o3EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT6&printsec=frontcover.
3. ↑ "What are Orishas in Santería?" (in en). 2025-01-18. https://santeriawitchcraft.com/articles/orishas-in-santeria.
4. ↑ Kevin Baxter (on De La Torre), Ozzie Guillen secure in his faith, Los Angeles Times, 2007
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Orisha". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago, Ill.: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc..
6. ↑ Clark, Mary Ann (2002). "Children of Oduduwa". Then We'll Sing a New Song: African Influences on America's Religious Landscape. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 93. ISBN 9781442208810. https://books.google.com/books?id=3Tl3vqx-BX0C&q="plus+one+more"+orisha&pg=PA93.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Falola, Toyin (2016). Encyclopedia of the Yoruba. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 9780253021441.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "African Religions". Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. 1999. p. 20. ISBN 9780877790440. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440.
9. ↑ Robert D. Pelton (1989). The Trickster in West Africa: A Study of Mythic Irony and Sacred Delight. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06791-2. https://archive.org/details/tricksterinwesta0000pelt.
10. ↑ 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.
* 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

## External links

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Afro-American religion

Religions|

* Abakuá
* Arará religion
* Candomblé (Bantu
* Jejé
* Ketu)
* Comfa
* Convince
* Cuban Vodú
* Dominican Vudú
* Haitian Vodou
* Jamaican Maroon religion
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* Winti

Practices|

* Hoodoo
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* Macumba
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Diverse roots|

* Ifá
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