Orishas are deities associated with Ifá, Santería and Candomblé. Orishas are the emissaries of Olodumare (God). They rule over forces of nature and humanity. Orishas are recognized through various aspects which are their marks, including numbers, colors, days of the week; each has their own favorite foods and other items which they like to receive as offerings and gifts.
Orishas are often best understood by observing their “strengths,” the forces of nature they are connected with, or characteristics they portray. As you observe the presence of the Orishas in the world, you will gain a better understanding of them and their ways.
Some of the most “known” Orishas include:
Elegba
Elegba (also referred to Eleggua or Elegguá) is the owner of the roads and doors in this world. He is the repository of ashé, which is the power to make things happen. His colors are red and black. Elegba stands at the crossroads of the human and the divine, as he is child-like messenger between the two worlds. Nothing can be done in either world without his permission. Elegba is always propitiated and always called first before any other Orisha, as he stands at the crossroads. His numbers are 3 and 21 and his day is Monday.
Ogún
Ogún is the god of iron, war and labor. He is the owner of all technology and because this technology shares in his nature, it is almost always used first for war. As Elegba opens the roads, it is Ogún that clears the roads with his machete. His colors are green and black, and his number is 7.
Ochosi
Ochosi (or Oshosi) is the third member of the group known as the Guerreros or Warriors, and is received along with Elegba, Ogún and Osun in order to protect the Guerreros initiate and to open and clear their roads. He is the hunter and the scout of the orishas and assumes the role of translator for Obatalá with whom he has a very close relationship. His colors are blue and yellow. He is often associated with the justice system, as well as the police force.
Obatalá
Obatalá is the father of all orishas and all humanity. He is also the owner of all heads and the mind. Though it was Olorun who created the universe, it is Obatalá who is the creator of the world and humanity. Obatalá is the source of all that is pure, wise peaceful and compassionate. His color is white. Obatalá is also the only orisha that has both male and female paths.
Oyá
Oyá is the ruler of the winds, and the gates of the cemetery. Her number is nine which resonates in her title of Yansa – “Mother of Nine.” Her colors are all colors with the exception of black, as she is often referenced to the rainbow. She is a fierce warrior who rides to war with her husband Shangó (sharing lightning and fire with him) and was also the wife of Ogún.
Oshún
Oshún rules streams and rivers and is often associated with fertility. She is also a great businesswoman and is very intuitive. In her path or manifestation of Ibú Ikolé she saved the world from draught by flying up to heaven (turning into a vulture in the process). Ikolé means Messenger of the House (of Olodumare). For this reason all who are to be initiated as priests, no matter what orisha rules their head, must go to the river and give account of what they are about to do. Her color is yellow (also associated with gold) and her number is five. She is often honored on Fridays or Saturdays. Peacocks and vultures are symbolic to Oshun.
Yemayá
Yemayá lives and rules over the seas, oceans and lakes. She is often revered as the “mother figure” and associated with maternity and safe pregnancies. Her name, a shortened version of Yeyé Omo Eja means “Mother Whose Children are the Fish” to reflect the fact that her children are uncountable. She dresses herself in seven skirts of blue and white and like the seas and profound lakes she is deep and unknowable.
Shangó
Shangó rules over lightning, thunder, fire, the drums and dance. He is a warrior orisha with quick wits, quick temper and is the epitomy of virility. Shangó took the form of the fourth Alafin (supreme king) of Oyó on Earth for a time. He is an extremely hot blooded and strong-willed orisha that loves all the pleasures of the world: dance, drumming, women, song and eating. He is ocanani with Elegba, meaning they are of one heart. When one sees the quickness with which lightning makes short work of a tree or a fire rage through an area, one has witnessed the temper of Shangó in action. His colors are red and white and he recognises himself in the numbers four and six. He is most often represented by a double headed axe.
Orunmila
Orunmila is the orisha of wisdom and divination. He was the only orisha allowed to witness the creation of the universe by Olorun and bears witness to our destinies in the making as well. His priests, the babalawos or “Fathers of the Secrets” must devote themselves entirely to the practice of divination and the accompanying arts. His colors are green and yellow which reflect Orunmila’s relationship with Osayín (the secrets of the plant world) and with Oshún, who is his apeteví with whom he has an extremely close relationship. Orunmila is wisdom and Oshún is knowledge, for wisdom without knowledge is useless, and one who has knowledge without wisdom is merely a danger to themselves and others.
Osanyin
Osanyin is often connected with herbs and healing. He is known for displaying magic and is revered as an herbalist and magician. Osanyin is described as embodying the features of leaf and herb, representing healing, curse, magic, knowledge, and many other attributes found within leaf and herb.