{"id":3715,"date":"2017-02-22T21:32:14","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T21:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=3715"},"modified":"2017-08-22T12:06:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T12:06:20","slug":"orishas-shango-unchained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/orishas-shango-unchained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Orishas, and Shango Unchained"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is an old man in Africa. You might find him interesting, especially as this is Black History Month<\/em>. Today we’re talking African myth and lore. And we’re visiting the Yoruba and the Orishas, which means we have to mention Shango. We’re also joined by Ziki Nelson<\/strong>, who shares a media take on orishas later on below. And we throw in some black superhero thrills.<\/p>\n

That old man’s name is Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III<\/strong>, and he is said to be the traditional ruler of the Oyo Empire, in south-west Nigeria. As an alaafin<\/em>, he is the inheritor of Oranmiyan, Great Prince of Ife, who found the Oyo Empire some time early in the 14th<\/sup> Century (CE).<\/p>\n

What has this to do with the price of salt-cod? Hang in there…<\/p>\n

\"product-18313-1468956297-640x360\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are about 44 million Yoruba people(which is about the same as the population of Spain if you need a European reference point), most of them living in Nigeria. That might be enough to talk about in itself, but what catches the attention is way in which the Yoruba belief system spread much wider than that. During the transatlantic slave trade, some black peoples, including the Yoruba, managed to preserve something of their native religions and lore.<\/p>\n

One aspect of this is the continued reverence of orishas (oricha or orix\u00e1 in Brazil). Put simply, orishas are spirit beings who may be anywhere from intangible to fully manifest in the flesh. They represent facets of God, the Supreme Deity – manifestation of God’s many faces and natures, if you like.<\/p>\n

To some they are demi-gods or gods in their own right. They are key in various religious movements, often worshipped or prayed to for their particular areas of patronage \u2013 war, justice, fertility, healing and so forth.<\/p>\n

We’re not Yoruba experts here at greydogtales<\/em> (in fact we know more about the Igbo, from eastern Nigeria, oddly enough). However, we do know that orisha worship continued across various parts of the United States, the Caribbean and South America, especially Brazil. Santeria<\/em> and Candombl\u00e9<\/em> are two variants, and as so often happened in and around the Caribbean, Roman Catholicism got mixed in there as well.<\/p>\n

\"yansa,<\/a>
yansa, by eurico zimbres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So who are the Orishas themselves? There are a lot\u00a0 \u2013 anywhere from 401 to 17,000, and their exact names vary over time, and between Yorubaland and the branches of belief developed in the Americas. Different branches have slightly different interpretations. These are a few examples, to give you a taste:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ellegua\/Eshu<\/strong> is the male Orisha of roads and the crossroads, probably the basis of Legba in Haiitian vodu.<\/li>\n
  • Oya\/Yansa<\/strong>, female Orisha of winds and lightning, change and rebirth.<\/li>\n
  • Oshosi\/Ox\u00f3ssi<\/strong>, male Orisha associated with the hunt, forests, animals, and wealth.<\/li>\n
  • Oba<\/strong>, female Orisha of marriage and domesticity, supposedly once the wife of Shango.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Each orisha has an associated colour, an appropriate offering and other associations. Some have a number of secondary areas of power or concern. Ox\u00f3ssi, for example, is associated with blue or green, and suitable sacrifices include goat and guinea-fowl. He’s also linked to contemplation and the arts.<\/p>\n

    Which brings us to maybe the most ‘popular’ of the Orishas, Shango or Shaango. If people know only one orisha, it’s usually him. And the reason we introduced you to Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III at the start is this \u2013 Shango was once the alaafin<\/em> of the Oyo Kingdom, the third or fourth alaafin<\/em> depending on who you read. We’re back in the 14th<\/sup> Century again, by the way.<\/p>\n

    \"Shango-Canva-Art\"<\/a>
    shango, canvas art from ifareo.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    more from ifareo here<\/a><\/p>\n

    A mortal man, he became an orisha because of his deeds. Shango rules over lightning, thunder, fire, the drums and dance. He’s a fighter, a warrior orisha with quick wits, a quick temper and is the epitomy of virility. In Santeria he is the master of dance and a sorcerer who spits fire. He is often depicted as a powerful young man with a double headed axe, or with two axes. He can also be called Sango (in Nigeria), Chango and Xango.<\/p>\n

    We’re mentioning the Orishas now because recently, along with a rise in the production of black speculative fiction, there’s been an upsurge of interest in the Orishas \u2013 incomic books, games and writing. Which is cool.<\/p>\n

    So now, not being black ourselves, we hand over to Ziki Nelson, who kindly put together a few examples of orishas in action for greydogtales <\/em>(the section titles should give you extra links as well).<\/p>\n

    \n

    Five modern depictions of the Orishas you need to see<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

    When it comes to African mythology, most writers and filmmakers never seem to look past Egypt. However, a group of Yoruba deities known as the Orishas are starting to give the likes of Set and Anubis a run for their money. The Orishas are a group of divine spirits that represent different aspects of reality and nature. From Brazil to Nigeria, the Orishas are loved and revered across the world and this has inspired a number of independent creators to reimagine these deities in a modern context.<\/p>\n

    1)Shaango<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n