ÒGÚN

Iron, war, technology

Ògún is the orisha of iron, war, hunting and technology in Yoruba religion. One of the most ancient deities of the pantheon, he is the patron of blacksmiths, hunters, warriors and all who work metal. Yoruba narratives tell that he opened the way of the gods to the earth with his iron machete, making him the pioneer and pathfinder par excellence. His attributes are iron in all its forms, the machete, the dog, and the young palm fronds called mariwo. In Nigeria his presence remains concrete: the courts have accepted oaths sworn on iron for followers of the traditional religion, and drivers, mechanics and welders still invoke him as patron of their trades. The town of Ondo, in the south-west of the country, celebrates a major Ogun festival every year. In the diaspora born of the Atlantic slave trade, his worship survived and prospered: Ogún in Cuban Santería, Ogum in Brazilian Candomblé, Ogou among the lwa of Haitian Vodou. A figure of civilising energy, he embodies labour, the force that clears the way, technique, and the given word, sealed upon metal.