ORISHAKO
allyGod
Orishako corresponds to a spelling of the Yoruba orisha of agriculture, more commonly spelt Orisha Oko or Oko. This deity of the soil presides over the working of the land, sowing, harvests and fertility, in the south-west of Nigeria, in Benin and in the Afro-diasporic traditions of the Americas. Tradition presents him as a former hunter become farmer, divinised at his death when his body is said to have disappeared leaving a staff planted in his field. He is invoked for the abundance of the harvests, for fecundity and for the arbitration of land disputes. The documented sources attribute to him unions with the orishas Oya and Yemoja, but none confirms a marriage with Oduduwa. His ritual colours are white and red, and his emblem is a staff bound to fertility.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Mother of the soil. ORISHAKO holds the fertility of the earth and blesses wombs and seeds. Bound to the Yoruba pantheon.
Sacred Mask
An ancient ritual mask of fired clay, bronze and fossilised roots, engraved with symbols of agriculture, embodiment of the power of Orishako
Era
Ancient cycle
Frequently asked questions
Are Orishako and Orisha Oko the same deity?
Yes. Orishako is a spelling variant of the name of Orisha Oko, the Yoruba orisha of agriculture and fertility. Both designate the same figure of the nourishing soil.
Is Orishako the husband of Oduduwa?
The documented sources do not confirm this link. They rather attach the orisha of agriculture to unions with Oya and Yemoja. The attribution of a marriage with Oduduwa is not supported.
What does this deity govern?
It presides over agriculture, the harvests and fertility, human as well as agricultural. It is invoked for the abundance of the harvests and to settle land disputes.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- A. B. Ellis, The Yoruba-Speaking Peoples of the Slave Coast of West Africa, 1894
- C. L. Adeoye, Ìgbàgbọ́ àti ẹ̀sìn Yorùbá (1989)
- William Bascom, The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria (1969)