Elegua. Elegua is the orisha who opens and closes all paths to mankind.
He is the divider of heaven and earth. He travels between heaven and earth letting Olofi and Olodumare know what goes on in this realm. Elegua is a child orisha in some aspects that loves to play tricks and tests the faith of man. He walks between night and day searching for mankind to test their faith for the great Olofi and the orishas.
There is said to be 121 paths of Elegua. Elegua is the guardian of the dead also as thru him he unlocks the door for the deceased to walk through to reach Olofi where they will rest. Elegua is the one that makes you play at your own risk. Elegua knows and sees all. A Pataki on Elegua One day Olofi was greatly ill and depressed on situations among the universe. Elegua was amongst the orishas but since he was a child the other orishas out stood him. Elegua walked slowly to Olofi’s throne and looked at him from head to toe. Elegua’s feast day is June 13th. Some paths of Elegua Eshu Bi Eshu Aye. Eshu/Elegua /Exu etc. Eshu (other names include Exú, Elegua and Elegba) is an Orisha, and one of the most respected deities of the tradition.
He has a wide range of responsibilities: the protector of travelers, god of roads, particularly crossroads, the deity with the power over fortune and misfortune, and the personification of death, a psychopomp. Every magical ceremony or ritual begins with an offering to Eshu; failure to do so guarantees failure in the intent of the ceremony. Eshu is revered within the Orisa-Ifá system of the Yoruba as well as in syncretic faiths like Santeria/Lukumi and Candomble developed by the descendants of enslaved West Africans in the Americas, where Eshu was identified with Saint Anthony or Saint Michael, depending on the situation.
He is identified by the colours red and black, or black and white and his caminos, or paths (compare: avatar) are often represented carrying a cane, shepherd's crook, as well as a pipe. FOR MORE: West Africa's God of Messages, Sex, and Deceit. Eshu and The Road To Enlightenment. Eshuis the orisha that is honored and revered in Yoruba, Santeria, and Candomblé religions.
He is the protector of travelers. He is the deity that presides over crossroads. He has power over fortune and misfortune and is the personification of death.He is also known as the deity of chaos and trickery.He is the orisha of tough love, and teaches hard lessons that people can learn from.Lastly, he is the messenger. However, Eshu is much more than that. His holy number is three, which can represent the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit in the Christian fate. The crossroads has four elements, which can represent the different aspects of the human mind. It is divided into four parts, the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, the super conscious mind, and divine intelligence. Orisha Esu taught Orunmila. Elegua-Esu per Orisha. Eleguá/Eshu - AboutSanteria. Eshu. A mask representing Eshu.
Èṣù (other names include Exu, Echu, Elegua, Elegbara, Elegba, Legba, Papa Legba and Eleda) is both an orisha and one of the most well-known deities of Yorùbá religion and related New World traditions. Èṣù is a spirit of Chaos and Trickery, and plays frequently by leading mortals to temptation and possible tribulation in the hopes that the experience will lead ultimately to their maturation. In this way he is certainly a difficult teacher, but in the end is usually found to be a good one.[2] As an example of this, let us look at one of his patakis or stories of the faith.[3] Èṣù was walking down a road one day, wearing a hat that was red on one side and black on the other. Sometime after he entered a village which the road went through, the villagers who had seen him began arguing about whether the stranger's hat was black or red. Èṣù in different cultures[edit] Best known Exu avatars in Portuguese traditions[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]