Living colors

 In Yoruba traditional religion, Orishas are divine spirits (emissaries of Olodumare) governing nature and human life. While hundreds exist, key revered Orishas include Eshu, Ogun, Obatala, Yemaya, Oshun, Shango, and Oya. Other significant Orishas commonly referenced in West African and diaspora traditions include 

Orunmila

, 

Oshosi

, 

Ibeji

, 

Aganju

, 

Babalu Aye

, 

Oko

, 

Olokun

, 

Osanyin

, 

Oshunmare

, and 

Obba

.

 

Key Orishas and Their Domains

• Eshu (Elegua): Messenger, crossroads, trickster, opener of paths.
• Ogun: War, iron, tools, blacksmiths.
• Obatala: Creation, purity, wisdom, protector of the disabled.
• Yemaya: Motherhood, the ocean, protection.
• Oshun: Rivers, love, fertility, beauty, wealth.
• Shango: Thunder, lightning, fire, justice, dance.
• Oya: Storms, wind, lightning, transformation, the dead.
• Orunmila: Wisdom, divination (Ifa), fate.
• Oshosi: The hunt, scouting, justice.
• Ibeji: Sacred twins, youth, vitality.
• Aganju: Volcanoes, wilderness, the sun.
• Babalu Aye: Healing, infectious diseases.
• Oko: Agriculture, farming, fertility.
• Olokun: The deep ocean, unfathomable wisdom, wealth.
• Osanyin: Herbalist, medicine, magic.
• Oshunmare: The rainbow, serpent, regeneration.
• Obba: Domesticity, marriage, the river. 

These figures are considered aspects of a single supreme being, Olodumare, and are central to Santería, Candomblé, and other Afro-Caribbean religions.