Shango, God of Thunder and Lightening
Symbol: thunder, fire
Also known as Ṣàngó, Changó (in Santería) or Xangô (in Candomblé), and in Latin America as Jakuta or Badé. In Haiti, he is known as Ogou Chango from the Nago Nation, and in Cuba among Palo worshippers, he is Siete Rayos. Among the Edo people of southeastern Nigeria, he is called Esango, and among of the Fon people of Benin, he is called Sogbo or Ebioso.
Shango is the royal ancestor of the Yoruba people, and the third (some say fourth) Alaafin (emperor, i.e., The Owner of the Palace) of the Oyo Empire, prior to his posthumous deification. As Alaafin, he brought great prosperity to the Empire. He is considered to be one of the most powerful and violent rulers. His reign ended when he inadvertently destroyed his palace by lightening. He had three wives: Queens Oshun, Ọbà, and Ọya. As an orisha, in many stories, Shango is the son of Aganjù and Obatalá.
Shango is seen as the most powerful and feared orisha in the pantheon. His voice is like thunder and his mouth spews fire when he speaks. He wields a double-edged axe and is one of the greatest warriors in all mythologies. He was often leading a band of warriors, which included his brothers Ogún (twin brother), Oshosi, Esu, and Oshun. They were known as the Guerreros (meaning warriors in the Yoruba language). The Guerreros were often accompanied by Shango’s wife Ọya. Shango is known to have advanced muscular structure, with his skin, muscles and bones tissue being several times denser than that of a human being. At full power, he is invulnerable to energy blasts, weighted impacts, falls from great heights, and explosions. As an offshoot of the Progeny race (parent race of humanoid, extra-dimensional beings), Shango possesses many superhuman abilities, and great virility.
In Candomblé, he is known as the son of Oranyan, and his wives were Ọya, Oshun, and Ọbà. Among the enslaved Africans in Brazil, Shango was the symbol of strength, resistance, and aggression. He became the patron orisha of plantations. Two new religious movements were based upon Shango’s name: Trinidad Shango, also known as the Shango Baptists, and the Afro-Brazilian sect Xangô, most prominent in the city of Recife.
Stories have it that when Ọbà cut off her own ear to win back her husband’s affections, Shango noticed the piece of flesh in his soup. He became infuriated, accusing Ọbà of trying to poison him. He was so angry that he rained down thunder and lightning on his household, causing all three wives to flee. As they ran away, both Ọbà and Oshun fell and respectively became the River Niger and River Osun.
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References:
The Afro-Cuban Orisha Pantheon
