WORLD
Africa
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Africa.
Last articles
Abiku
Abiku is a concept in Yoruba religious tradition concerning a child believed to move repeatedly between the human world and the spirit world. The Yoruba term is commonly written àbíkú, often translated as “born to die” o…
Aganju
Aganju, also written Aganjú or Agayú in some West African and African-diaspora traditions, is an orisha associated with powerful natural forces, difficult landscapes and the strength required to cross them. He belongs to…
Aje Shaluga
Àjẹ́ Ṣàlùgá, often written in English as Aje Shaluga or Aje Saluga, is a figure associated in Yoruba religious thought with wealth, prosperity, commerce and the circulation of valuable goods. The spelling and the extent …
Bayani
Bayani—also written Bayanni, Bàyànì, or in related forms such as Dada-Bayanni—is a relatively regional figure in Yoruba religious tradition. The name is especially associated with the royal and ritual culture of Oyo, the…
Shango
Shango, written more precisely in Yoruba as Ṣàngó, is one of the most important òrìṣà—sacred powers or deities—in Yoruba religious tradition. He is chiefly associated with thunder, lightning, fire, political authority, c…
Dada
Dada is a figure associated with Yoruba religious tradition, especially with children born with unusually thick, naturally matted or tightly curled hair. In different Yoruba accounts, Dada is described as an òrìṣà connec…
Egungun-oya
Egungun-oya is a name associated with Yoruba ancestral masquerade and with Ọ̀ya, the orisha linked in many Yoruba traditions with wind, storms, change, and the boundary between the living and the dead. The name does not …
Oduduwa
Oduduwa is a major ancestral and sacred figure in Yoruba tradition, especially in the origin traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the ancient Yoruba religious and cultural centre in present-day southwestern Nigeria. Depending on the …
Elegua
Elegua is a widely known name for a complex orisha associated with roads, thresholds, communication, chance and the opening of possibilities. The name is especially familiar in Cuba and other communities shaped by the Yo…
Elusu
Elusu is a little-documented figure associated with Yoruba religious tradition and with the watery realm governed by Olokun. Information about Elusu is considerably less abundant than material about major orishas such as…
Eshu
Èṣù, often written Eshu in English, is a major òrìṣà of Yoruba religious tradition. He is associated with communication, movement, exchange, uncertainty, and the power that allows messages and offerings to reach their de…