Osanyin, The Divine Herbalist
Symbol: healing, herbs
Also spelled Ọ̀sanyìn, and called Osaín, Ossain, or Ossaím is the orisha of healing, plant medicine, and magic. He is a well-respected wizard and master of spells, especially those discovered in the wilderness, the untamed areas of nature. Osanyin’s flora and herbs are essential to several Yoruba faith rituals. In fact, indigenous rites and ceremonies cannot exist without the plants, herbs, and roots Osanyin provides. The magic present in other orishas’ shrines is because of his power. Osanyin has unique physical characteristics of all the orishas: one tiny ear to hear a pin drop, one enormous ear to hear nothing, one hand, one foot, and only one seeing eye. He stores all his magic in a calabash that his hung high in a tree, out of reach. He is also known as the owner of omiero (meaning holy water).
There is a story of when Osanyin becomes Sango’s godfather. The story goes that one day Osanyin meets Shango in the forest, and gives the young Shango a gourde allowing him to breathe fire. As soon as Shango receives the gourd, he realizes his destiny as the orisha of fire and lightening. From then on, Osanyin becomes Shango’s godfather and mentor. Later, Shango is passing through a village when he notices the townspeople chasing a leper, tossing water on him. When Shango intervenes, he finds it is Osanyin who is being pursued. Shango rubs herbs on Osanyin’s body to heal him. Osanyin falls at Shango’s feet in gratitude. This stuns the townspeople, as Osanyin is the elder of the two. Osanyin says “yes, I am older in age, but Shango is older in wisdom.”
Another story goes thus: despite his physical limitations, Orunmila, Osanyin’s older brother, tasks him to work on the farm early one morning with the instructions to clear weeds between the rows of crops. When Orunmila returns in the evening, none of the weeds are cleared, and Osanyin is weeping in the middle of the field. When questioned, Osanyin responds: “you instructed me to remove the weeds, yet there is not a single weed here.” Osanyin then goes on to explain the spiritual, medicinal, and therapeutic properties of every weed in the farm. Orunmila is astonished by his younger brother’s wealth of knowledge. From then on, Osanyin became a spiritual herbalist and doctor, divinely appointed to attend to human ailments.
In the Americas, he is syncretized with Saint Joseph.
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References:
The Afro-Cuban Orisha Pantheon
The History and Culture of the Yorubas: Osanyin
