Spirit that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare (God) in the Yoruba religious system
For other uses, see Orisha (disambiguation).
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
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, 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 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]
Orishas (singular: orisha) - correct spelling: singular - òrìṣà, plural - òrìṣàs - are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West...
Trinidad Orisha, also known as Orisha religion and Shango, is a syncretic religion in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, originally from West Africa...
number of religions in the New World, notably Santería, Umbanda, Trinidad Orisha, and Candomblé. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of Itàn (history), the...
have a pantheon of up to 6,000 deities. The following is a list of Yoruba orisha (òrìṣà), or deities. The supreme being in Yorùbá culture is known as Olódùmarè/Elédùmarè...
as Eleguá in Latin America and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands) is an Orisha, a deity of roads in the religions of Santería, Winti, Umbanda, Quimbanda...
religion, Ogun is a primordial orisha in Yoruba Land. In some traditions, he is said to have cleared a path for the other orisha to enter Earth, using a metal...
Oshun (also Ọṣun, Ochún, and Oxúm) is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in...
are associated with Ọya, the female orisha of storms. In Nigeria, the plant is commonly linked with Ògún, the orisha of war, and is used in rituals to remove...
Xangô in Latin America; as Jakuta or Badé; and as Ṣangó in Trinidad Orisha) is an Orisha (or spirit) in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is...
trade. He has become known as Babalú-Ayé, among many other names, in the Orisha religion that developed in the Americas. Within the traditional religion...
Olokun (Yoruba: Olókun) is an orisha spirit in Yoruba religion. Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth and of the bottom...
Osanyin, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest, herbs and healing. Oshosi, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest and of hunting. Oshun, Yoruba orisha, patron of...
include a creator deity along with a pantheon of divine spirits such as the Orisha, Loa, Vodun, Nkisi and Alusi, among others. In addition to the religious...
world. In this story, the orisha Osun, the shining goddess of beauty, fertility, and sensuality, was the youngest of the orishas sent down by the supreme...
River. Oba, orisha of the Oba River. Yewa, orisha of the Yewa River. Otin, orisha of the Otin River. Yemoo, original wife of Obatala and orisha over waters...
known for her novel Children of Blood and Bone, the first in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, which debuted #1...
festival or Adamu Orisha play, celebrated by the people of Lagos. The Eyo festival is a dedication to the god of the Sea Olokun, who is an Orisha, and whose...
Global Information