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Mythos Atlas

Yoruba Tradition

Eshu

Also known as Elegua, Elegba, Exu, Legba

Illustration of Eshu, a deity of the Yoruba Tradition
Illustrative imageIllustration of Eshu. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • crossroads
  • communication
  • trickster
  • fate
  • beginnings

The Orisha of crossroads, communication, and unpredictability. Eshu is the divine messenger who carries prayers to Olodumare and the Orishas.

About Eshu

The Keeper of the Crossroads

Eshu is one of the most important yet most misunderstood Orishas. As the guardian of the crossroads, he stands at every point of decision. Nothing reaches the Orishas without passing through Eshu first, and no ritual can begin without his blessing.

First and Last

In all Yoruba rituals, Eshu must be honored first, before any other Orisha. To neglect him is to ensure that one's prayers will not be heard.

The Trickster

Eshu is famous for his tricks. In one famous story, he walked between two friends wearing a hat that was red on one side and black on the other. Each friend saw only one color, and they fell into a violent argument about what color the hat was, destroying their friendship.

Colonial Misunderstanding

When Europeans encountered Eshu, they mistook him for the devil because of his trickster nature and association with crossroads. This misinterpretation fundamentally misunderstands Eshu's role as a necessary divine force.

Origin story

Eshu was one of the first Orishas created by Olodumare, given the crucial task of mediating between heaven and earth. He was positioned at the crossroads of existence, where all decisions are made and all prayers must pass.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Eshu's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Eshu

First mouthful of any offering. Without Eshu the message does not go. Trickster in story, postman in cult. Palm oil, not a morality play.

Sacred sites

  • The crossroads; the first stone of any compound

In the atlas

Where Eshu appears

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Oriki Eshu

    Catalog date: Traditional

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Eshu's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree