Cult of Gods

Ọ̀sanyìn

Yoruba (Orisha) tradition. See the whole pantheon.

Domains
medicinal plants, herbs
Symbols and attributes
Iron staff with birds
Bronze head from Ife, Nigeria, c. 12th-15th century, Kimbell Art Museum.
Bronze head from Ife, Nigeria, c. 12th-15th century, Kimbell Art Museum.

Key myth

The orisha of leaves and healing, whose knowledge is held by herbalists. Many Yoruba chants say 'Kò sí ewé, kò sí òrìṣà': without leaves, no orisha.

Primary sources

  • Ifá corpus

All sources for the Yoruba (Orisha) pantheon

Place in the family graph

Choose a deity to see where it comes from. Dashed lines are links the sources describe that are not parent and child.

OlodumareObàtáláOdùduwàỌrúnmìlàÈṣùÒgúnṢàngóỌyaỌ̀ṣunYemọjaOlókunỌ̀sanyìn

More traditions

Odin rides to Hel, W. G. Collingwood, after the Poetic Edda.NorsePapyrus of Ani, British Museum (New Kingdom), a Book of the Dead.EgyptianA chaos monster and a sun god, drawn by L. Gruner for A. H. Layard's Monuments of Nineveh.MesopotamianVishvarupa Vishnu, Kashmir or Himachal, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection.Hindu

Elsewhere in the world

Deities in other traditions who share a theme with Ọ̀sanyìn: craft, smiths and making. This is overlap in one area only.

Egyptian

Ptah

craftsmen, creation by speech

Mesopotamian

Enki / Ea

fresh water, wisdom, craft

Celtic (Irish)

Brigid

poetry, healing, smithcraft

Celtic (Irish)

Lugh

skill in all arts, kingship, the sun (in later readings)

Aztec (Mexica)

Xipe Totec

spring renewal, goldsmiths

Compare across cultures