Yoruba Pantheon (Orisa, Gods)

The Yoruba Pantheon or Orisa is comprised of about 400 gods. Each god has a particular function and place in a hierarchy. Ancestor spirits occupy the lowest position in the hierarchy. Yoruba gods can have different functions and sex in different locals. In one tradition Obatala created land. But in another tradition, Oduduwa created land. Olukun in one tradition is male, in another female. Some gods are universal in the Yoruba pantheon.

Gods	Description
Aja	goddess of forest who taught the use of herbs
Eshu	trickster God
Ibeji	god of twins
Jakuta	the one who hurls stones; associated with Shango, co-creator of lightning and thunder with Shango
Obatala	king of the white cloth;creator of man; representative of Olorun on earth; founder of Ife
Ogun	God of iron, war, hunt
Olorun	Olodumare; Owner of Endless Space; Supreme God, owner of the sky
Orishala/Odudua	First ruler of Ife, god ancestor
Osanyin	God of medicine and divining
Olokun	He/she god of the marshes
Shango	deified fourth ruler of the city of Oyo
Yansan	god of the wind
Yemaja	goddess of Ogun River, mother goddess from whom 15 gods came to be

Related Article: Condomble, Ancient Egyptian Gods, Kushite Gods and Goddess

Works Cited

Coulter, Charles Russell and Turner, Patricia(2000). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0317-9.

Lynch,Patricia Ann and Roberts, Jeremy. African Mythology, A to Z. Infobase Publishing, p. 101, ISBN 143813133X, 9781438131337

tags: african religion gods goddess