Stories
The Creation of The Earth
what is the belief that the world started off as only water, and the Orisha lowered a long chain which linked the sky to the water, a small pouch of earth, a chicken, and a palm nut?
The Orisha of creation, wisdom, clarity, peace, and purity.
What is Obatala?
The Orisha of thunder, lightning, fire, justice, and royal leadership.
What is Shango?
True or false: Yoruba people have the highest Rate of twin birth ?
What is true?
The belief that Obatala created humanity
What is the belief that the Orisha Obatala came down onto the earth and sculpted humans with lots of love and care. He grew tired overtime, and he drank some palm wine. Slowly, his hands became shaky, and he pressed too much into certain places, which resulted in imperfect and irregular bodies. Once he became sober, he realized what he'd done. He felt upset, and swore an oath to protect them, and teach his creations that differences do not equal disgrace.
The Orisha of winds, sudden storms, hurricanes, the marketplace, and the gates of the underworld.
What is Oya?
The Orisha of war, iron, metalwork, hunting, and clearing paths.
What is Ogun?
True or false: Whenever Yoruba people greet one another, they simply wave.
False! Yoruba people bow or kneel.
The story on how Oshun saved the world from starvation.
The male Orishas arrogantly excluded Oshun, the only woman, from organizing the Earth. In response, she withdrew her sweet energy, causing a terrible global drought. When the desperate male gods begged the Creator for help, they were told that nothing would succeed without her. After they begged Oshun for forgiveness with gifts, she forgave them and flew to heaven as a peacock, bringing back the rain and saving the world.
The Orisha of the hunt, tracking, the forest, justice, and swift action.
What is Oshosi?
The Orisha of the ocean, the sea, motherhood, and family protection.
What is Yemaya?
True or False: Yoruba is a tonal language.
True! A word can mean several things depending on the pitch used.
The story of Eshu and the 2 friends.
The trickster Eshu tested two boastful friends by walking between their farms wearing a hat painted red on one side and black on the other.
Later, the friends violently fought because one insisted the traveler's hat was red while the other swore it was black. Esu returned, showed them both sides of the hat, and explained that their own pride and refusal to see each other's perspective—not just his trick—caused the fight.
The Orisha of healing, skin diseases, infectious illnesses, and the earth.
What is Obaluaie?
The Orisha of love, beauty, fertility, gold, and sweet/fresh river waters.
What is Oshun?
True or False: The Yoruba invented the Gangan
True! The Gangan is a drum-like instrument shaped as an hourglass, which mimics human speech.
The story of Orunmila’s test of the human head
Orunmila discovered that human success depends on the strength of their spiritual head (Ori), which is chosen before birth. He visited the workshop of Ajala, an irresponsible potter who rushed making heads to avoid debtors. Three spirits chose their heads: the first two picked flashy but poorly made, unbaked, or cracked heads, while the third chose a plain but solid, well-baked head. On Earth, the first two people failed when hardships broke their weak heads, but the third became prosperous because their solid Ori withstood life's storms
The Orisha of the abyssal depths of the ocean, immense wealth, and the mysteries of the deep sea.
What is Olokun?
The Orisha of the crossroads, communication, destiny, beginnings, and choice.
What is Eshu?
True or False: There are 400 Orishas
False! There are 401 Orishas.