Eshu of the Yoruba Land

Omotayo Madein

Eshu of the Yoruba Land
The story of Eshu is centered on the playing the part of a creation story in relation to how different beliefs came about Eshu and his cunning behavior. Some belief it is for good and others think otherwise. Eshu is one of the small gods in the Yoruba land; so many stories of creation have been affiliated to him. The three stories in this text are based on Eshu’s cunning behavior.
The first one is about how people started considering crossroads as a place for offering sacrifices. People have come to believe that the crossroads which is also referred to as “Ori Ta Meta” in the Yoruba language is a sacred places for offering sacrifices to Eshu who can intercede to the Father for them. The story is centered on how Eshu went to help the Father during the creation of humans. Eshu unlike others gods didn’t own any farm or possession to bother himself with so he was the only god who stayed as long as sixteen years with the Father to help with molding of humans. He was patient and was not like the other gods who came and stayed only four to five days with Father and moved on after getting their various duties. Eshu was allocated to collecting gifts from anyone that passes by the crossroads. This was to pay off for all the work he did for the Father during the creation. This story is a parable which is intended to show that patience pays off.
The second story portrays Eshu as being helpful. He seen helping Orumila who also a fellow god of Ifa divination to escape death. The story also shows the mystery that surrounds death. This Yoruba myth says that it is the servant of Death, Agbigbo who makes the coffins and takes it to those that are meant to die. It was time for Orunmila to die and as Agbigbo went to deliver the coffin, he met Eshu who persuaded him to drop the coffin. He told Eshu that unless a gift of a rat and bush meat was presented he couldn’t drop the coffin. Eshu gave him the gifts and sent him on his way and put him under a spell so he never drops the coffin. Agbigbo is represented this day as a bird with large feathers on his head because of the coffin he carries. The story is about how birds with large feathers came to be it is also related to creation. The story is a parable that teaches we should help whenever we can it might do a lot of good.
The third story which is also the last concerning Eshu in this text is about how Eshu punished two strong headed friends with his craftiness. Two friends promised to be friends forever and a consulted a deity to seal the deal. They were instructed to offer some sacrifices to Eshu and they ignored this instructions. Eshu was angry with them and set confusion in their midst. They quarrel they had over the color of a two sided colored cap was caused by Eshu because of the issue they refused to speak to each other. Their families found the situation to be very odd and consulted they deity again who told them the cause and solution to there problems. The story shows that we should take every instruction we will benefit from seriously and that disobedience is not the basis for a successful life.
The story of Eshu is a very popular story that completes the story of creation in the Yoruba land especially. It has so many lessons attached to it and it is also the basis of some common practices in the Yoruba society today. It portrays the society as a hierarchy where we have the Father who is better known as Olodumare in the Yoruba society who is in charge of all that happens on the planet, small gods knows as Orisha who are the intermediaries between man and the Father, man who is in charge of all animals and animals both on land, in the air and sea. Eshu is known as the master of deception from the story of the two friends.