counterpart of the physical head) and Orunmila,
oracle god of divination, both of whom are also
worshiped as gods. For instance, both Ori, usually
identified as the “ancestral guardian soul,” and
Esu have parallel functions—as fate essences and
as all-surpassing deities. An oriki seems to make
the connection: “Esu!/A too bo bi ori,” which
translates: “Esu! Worthy of worship like fate.”
Also the wordiponri(conflation of ipin-ori, which
translates fate of head) seems to suggest one as the
physical manifestation of the other. In the meta-
physical world, the body with breath goes to
receive itsori, which Esu then sanctions at the
gate into the physical world.
With regard to Orunmila,eleri ipin(witness to
the endowed fate), various stories from the Ifa div-
ination corpus suggest his close association with
Esu as inseparable friends. Through Olodumare,
one endows and the other interprets. The head
face on the divination tray, often suggested as the
face of Esu, also supports the connection—the Ifa
priest, the diviner, focuses on the head face, the fate
essence, as he tries to interpret and resolve
Orunmila’s fate configurations of the consulting
client. All three (Olodumare, Orunmila, and Esu)
form “important trinity” in the granting, and
assisting humans achieve the destiny each has
chosen in the metaphysical world.
WorshipEsu’s altar is distinctive in the Yoruba pantheon
by the very fact of the elemental, interchangeable
relationship the god seems to have with it—a
mound of red laterite,yangi, which is also one of
the many names used to celebrate him. This physi-
cal presence and ritual structure is commonly
found at crossroads, his favorite location, at the
threshold of a Yoruba household or compound, or
at the entrance to a market. These locations, sig-
nificantly, identify him as lord of the crossroads,
controller of the market, and gatekeeper or toll-
gate keeper (Onibode, Adurogbona). In this
regard, he is associated, in some New Worldorixa
cults, with Saint Peter, keeper of the keys at
Heaven’s gate.
Dance wands, sculpted images of Esu carried
by his devotees, display implements of fate such as
a vestment of cowries, symbol of both wealth and
fate essence. Common offerings to the god include
the temper-soothing palm oil and blood of ani-
mals such a dog, pig, or he-goat.Femi EubaSeealsoCrossroads; Fon; YorubaFurther Readings
Abimbola, W. (1976).Ifa:An Exposition of Ifa
Literary Corpus. Ibadan, Nigeria: Oxford University
Press.
Bascom, W. R. (1980).Sixteen Cowries:Yoruba
Divination From Africa to the New World.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Dos Santos, J. E., & Dos Santos, D. M. (1971).Esu
Bara Laroye. Ibadan, Nigeria: University of Ibadan,
Institute of African Studies.
Euba, F. (1989). Archetypes,Imprecators and Victims of
Fate:Origins and Developments of Satire in Black
Drama. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Idowu, B. (1962).Olodumare:God in Yoruba Belief.
London: Longmans, Green.
Ogundipe, A. (1978).Esu Elegbara,the Yoruba God of
Chance and Uncertainty:A Study in Yoruba
Mythology. 2 vols. Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press.
Pelton, R. D. (1980).The Trickster in West Africa:A
Study of Mythic Irony and Sacred Delight. Los
Angeles: University of California Press.
Verger, P. (1957).Notes sur le culte des Orisa et Vodun a
Bahie de tous les Saints, au Bresil et a l’ancienne
Cotes.des Esclaves en Afrique. Memoires des
L’Institut Français D’Afrique Noir, No. 51. Dakar,
Senegal: Institut Francais D’Afrique Noire.ETERNAL LIFE
From the most ancient times to the most contem-
porary, in Africa human beings have always
believed in the idea of eternal life. Although there
are slight differences in the models from east to
west or north to south, the particular understand-
ing of everlasting life occurs in almost all African
societies, and the results of this belief can be seenEternal Life 247