Orisa Yoruba — The Sacred Pantheon of 400+1 Deities

Name	Type	Domain	About
O
Obatala Funfun	Primordial Orisa		The Pure White Obatala; The Avatar of Absolute Purity
Obatala Ide	Primordial Orisa		Obatala of the Brass; Where Purity Meets Precious Metal
Obatala Igboloko	Primordial Orisa		Obatala of the Countryside; Purity in the Rural Spaces
Obatala Lolu	Primordial Orisa		Obatala Who Crushes Obstacles; The Powerful Avatar That Removes Barriers
Obatala Obalufon	Primordial Orisa		The Highest Obatala; The Purity That Governs Ile-Ife
Obatala Ogiyan	Primordial Orisa		The Pounding Obatala; He Who Pounds with the Pestle of Creation
Obatala Ogunsola air	Primordial Orisa	Obatala's warrior iron, pure warfare	Obatala Ogunsola is the warrior avatar of Obatala — the expression of divine purity that t
Obatala Olufon air	Primordial Orisa	Obatala at Ile-Ife, the most ancient ava	Obatala Olufon is the most ancient avatar of Obatala — the expression of divine purity in
Obatala Oluwo	Primordial Orisa		Obatala as the Oldest of the Old; The Most Ancient Purity
Obatala Orisaala	Primordial Orisa		The Great White Orisa; Obatala in His Fullest Title
Obatala Oshagrian air	Primordial Orisa	war in Obatala's name, fierce purity	Obatala Oshagrian is the fierce warrior avatar of Obatala — the aspect of the great creato
Odo Oya	Primordial Orisa		The River of Oya; The Niger in Its Sacred Character
Odua earth	Primordial Orisa	primordial feminine, creation	Odua is the feminine avatar or aspect of Oduduwa — the primordial queenly face of the crea
Odua Funfun	Primordial Orisa		The White Oduduwa; Pure Creative Principle
Oduduwa earth	Primordial Orisa	creation of earth, kingship	Oduduwa is the primordial Orisa and progenitor of the Yoruba people — the divine ancestor
Oduduwa Alaaye earth	Primordial Orisa	the living Oduduwa, eternal kingship	Oduduwa Alaaye is the ever-living manifestation of the founding ancestor — the understandi
Ogun iron	Primordial Orisa	iron, war	Ogun is the primordial Orisa of iron, war, labor, and justice — the patron deity of all wh
Ogun Aare iron	Primordial Orisa	war leadership, army commander	Ogun Aare is the military leadership avatar of Ogun — the divine general who combines iron
Ogun Abara	Primordial Orisa		Ogun of the Backbone; Iron of Core Strength
Ogun Ade	Primordial Orisa		The Crowned Iron; Ogun Who Has Become Royalty

About the Orisa Yoruba Tradition

The Yoruba people of West Africa — primarily in present-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo — have one of the richest and most sophisticated spiritual traditions in human history. At the heart of this tradition are the Orisa: divine forces who embody every aspect of nature, human experience, and cosmic law. The Yoruba pantheon is traditionally expressed as 400+1 Orisa, reflecting the understanding that the divine is not closed by a finite count but remains living and expansive.

The Orisa fall into several categories: the primordial Orisa created by Ọlọdùmarè before the world was formed; nature Orisa who embody rivers, storms, forests and the sea; and deified humans — kings, queens, warriors and healers of extraordinary power who were elevated to divine status. Each Orisa has their own domain, their own taboos, their own sacrificial requirements, and their own rich mythology encoded in the Odu Ifa — the sacred corpus of Yoruba divination wisdom.

The worship of the Orisa survived the Middle Passage and took root across the Americas, giving birth to Santería in Cuba, Candomblé in Brazil, Trinidad's Shango-Baptist faith, and Vodou in Haiti. Today, Orisa worship is practiced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

The Orisa Yoruba Pantheon

The Seven African Powers

Obatala

Orunmila

Esu

Ogun

Sango

Yemoja

Osun

Oya

Olokun

Babalu-Aye

The Divine Categories

Principal Orisa

Olódumarè