Eshu, Yoruba Trickster God
Eshu goes by many names across the world — from West Africa to Brazil — and is associated with many things. Chiefly, beyond being a trickster, he is a messenger between the gods and humans, and has been described as the god of uncertainty, chance, and accident. Moreover, he is a master of all languages on Earth and loiters around gateways or crossroads.
He originated from the Yoruba people (in West Africa) and is considered one of the primary Orishas (100s of gods/semi-divine humans that control some aspect of nature). Due to Eshu’s broad reference across the world, there is more than one interpretation of him.
Depending on the region, Eshu is considered distinct or identical to another Orisha (Elegua), and his personality, while typically unpredictable, may vary from a benevolent spirit to more of a chaotic, dangerous entity. In the Western world, some religious scholars translate “Eshu” as “the devil,” but that is wildly inaccurate.
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Part of Eshu’s — and all of the Orisha’s — variation stems from the separation of the Yoruba during the slave trade. Worshippers of Eshu were cut-off from their home cultures and, lacking a canonical text, had to rely on memory and experience to pass down his stories (as well as fight against influence from Christianity). Given his numerous interpretations, I’ll try to stick with his roots.
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Within the Yoruba, Eshu was considered a messenger between the gods and humans, delivering prayers and sacrifices to the heavens. He was a neutral force to human life, seeking to add balance. He protected travelers, but also sparked arguments or misfortune among humans (which usually contained a kernel of wisdom to learn).
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Eshu is one of many deities that can be hard to elucidate in a simple post as he comes from a religion that not only has ideas that don’t perfectly map to common Western notions, but doesn’t necessarily value canonical texts. Who do you think is a match to Eshu within Western mythology?
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