Orisha
The deities of Yoruba religion, honoured in Nigeria and Benin and, as orixa and oricha, in Brazil and Cuba.
Also: òrìṣà, orixa, orisa, oricha
Orisha (òrìṣà) are the powers of Yoruba religion, understood as messengers or aspects of the supreme being Olodumare. Examples are Ogun, owner of iron; Shango, thunder; Oshun, river and sweetness; Yemoja, the waters; Eshu, who guards the crossroads and carries messages; and Obatala, who shaped human beings. Each has songs, colours, foods and priests, and devotees are believed to be claimed by a particular orisha. The religion crossed the Atlantic with enslaved Yoruba people and shaped Santeria and Candomblé, which spell the names differently. Rites, offerings, initiation and the content of many ceremonies are kept within the community, and outsiders are asked to respect that. Practice in Nigeria today lives beside Christianity and Islam.