Yoruba - Chapter 10

orisha (orixa, oricha)

supernatural being and the object of devotion in Yoruba religion, said to be a divinized ancestor and/or a force of nature

Orunmila (Orunla)

orisha of Ifa divination

Ifa

divinization technique linked to a vast oral corpus of Yoruba stories

iwa pele

gentle character

Ile-Ife

sacred center of Yoruba religion, located in modern-day Nigeria

Olodumare

Supreme Being in Yoruba religion

Candomble

orisha-based and Roman Catholic–influenced Afro-Brazilian religion

Umbanda

Afro-Brazilian new religious movement emphasizing contact with an eclectic community of spirits drawn from a mix of Yoruba, Christian, spiritualist, Amerindian, and Brazilian pop culture influences

Santeria

orisha-based and Roman Catholic–influenced Afro-Cuban religion

terreiro

Candomble house of worship

ori

literally "head" but refers in Yoruba religion to a person's "spiritual head," or soul

babalawo ("father of the mysteries")

Ifa priest expert in divination

iyalawo ("mother of the mysteries")

Ifa priestess expert in divination

Eshu (Exu, Elegua)

trickster orisha of thresholds who facilitates (or frustrates) communication between humans and orishas

ashe (axé, aché)

sacred energy, the power to make things happen

Shango (Xango, Chango)

orisha of thunder and lightning, ancient king of Oyo during his earthly life, and now the most popular orisha in the Caribbean

Obatala (Oxala, Ochala)

orisha of creativity, closely associated with the color white

Oduduwa

creator orisha and legendary founder of the Yoruba people

Oshun (Oxum, Ochun)

the most powerful female orisha; expert in love, maternity, and the river, widely associated in the Caribbean with Cuba's patron saint La Caridad del Cobre

Ogun (Ogum, Oggun)

orisha of iron, war, and technology, said to have been the first king of Ile-Ife in his earthly life

Yemoja (Yemanja, Yemaya)

mother of the orishas and an orisha of maternity, associated with Nigeria's Ogun River and oceans in Brazil and Cuba

asiento

Santeria initiation, popularly known as "making the saint"