The Orishas

An 1843 missionary vocabulary rendered Èṣù as simply 'the Devil', an identification later carried into Yoruba-language scripture. A Nigerian scholar formally contested the mistranslation in 1962, yet Èṣù is still often glossed as a devil in popular sources today.

Samuel Ajayi Crowther's 1843 Yoruba vocabulary; E. Bọlaji Idowu's 1962 correction, Olódùmarè: God in Yoruba Belief

The pantheon of Yoruba divine spirits — including Ṣàngó, Ọ̀ṣun, Ògún and Èṣù — each governing a distinct domain of life.

Sources and verificationThe reading is attributed above

No formal citations for this entry yet. The reading above carries its own attribution.