The Mythology Book

294

THE QUEEN

WANTS TO

KILL YOU

ESHU THE TRICKSTER

I

n Ifá, the religion of the Yorùbá

people of western Africa,

individuals interact on a daily

basis with spiritual entities known

as orisha. These include nature

spirits—Shango, for example, is

associated with lightning, and

Ogun with iron and metalwork—as

well as heroes from the past who

have become deified. One of the

figures often found in myths about

the orisha is Eshu the trickster, also

known as Èsù-Elegba.

Sometimes Eshu’s activities are

funny or harmless, but at other

times his behavior is actively

destructive to humans. Many

Yorùbá-influenced religious

traditions have been influenced by

IN BRIEF

THEME

Chaos and balance

SOURCE

Ifá Divination Poetry, Wande

Abimbola, 1977; Orixás:

Deuses Iorubas Na África e No

Novo Mundo (“Yorùbá Gods of

Africa and the New World”),

Pierre Fatumbi Verger, 1981.

SETTING

Yorùbáland, western Africa.

KEY FIGURES

Eshu The trickster.

The king A selfish ruler who

was punished by Eshu.

A queen One of the king’s

many wives.

The heir The king’s eldest son.

Two women Best friends

who were blessed by Eshu.

A Babalawo A priest and

diviner of the Ifá religion.

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295

See also: San creation myth 284 ■ En-kai and the cattle 285 ■ Ananse the spider 286–87 ■ The Dogon cosmos 288–93

Christianity, and Eshu has been

likened to the devil. However,

scholars have concluded that the

“devil” featured in these religions

owes his character more to

traditional conceptions of Eshu the

trickster than the Christian model

of Satan. Eshu is a being of chaos,

but is also essential to meting out

justice, keeping the universe in

balance, and ensuring that no

individual becomes too powerful.

The selfish king

Eshu often acts to punish others,

especially those who have not

shown him sufficient respect.

There was a king who, despite his

wealth and the large tracts of land

he owned, never sacrificed

anything to Eshu, not even a

chicken or some kola nuts. Eshu

decided to teach him a lesson.

The king had many wives, but

he was negligent toward them—

ANCIENT EGYPT AND AFRICA

Spread of religion

The Yorùbá community in

southwest Nigeria and parts

of Benin number more than

40 million people, but its

influence has been far wider

as a consequence of the

Atlantic slave trade from the

16th to 19th centuries. Large

numbers of men, women, and

children suffered appalling

conditions on a journey to an

often short and brutish life in

the New World. Yorùbá

religious thought and practice

traveled with the slaves, and

their influence can be seen in

religions such as Candomblé

in Brazil, Vodou (often

misnamed “voodoo”) in Haiti,

and Santería in Cuba.

Eshu is depicted with a headdress

of gourds in this wooden figure from

Nigeria (ca. 1880–1920). While Eshu is

usually considered to be male, the

trickster is portrayed here as a woman

with protruding breasts.

Eshu’s

punishments

could be harsh,

with consquences

extending beyond

those who had

done wrong.

Eshu decides to teach

the selfish king a lesson.

His wife cuts his

beard to make

a love charm.

His son brings an army

to the palace, with

disastrous results.

Eshu tells the king that his

wife and son will steal

the throne.

The king and his family are killed in

punishment for their lack of respect.

one in particular felt aggrieved by

her husband’s lack of attention.

Eshu visited her in the form of a

wizard and said that if she could

cut off a few whiskers from the

king’s beard, he would use them

to make an amulet with magical

power that would reignite the

king’s affection for her.

Next, Eshu visited the king’s

eldest son and heir. The king feared

the young man wanted to usurp

his authority and seize power.

Taking the form of one of the king’s

servants, Eshu told the son to

prepare his warriors and meet at

the royal palace that very night,

because the king was intent on

going to war.

Finally, Eshu took the form of

a trusted page and visited the

king himself. “Your Majesty,” the

trickster whispered, “one of your

wives is jealous of your power and

she plans to kill you this night ❯❯

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