Ogun

OgunorOgoun(Yoruba:Ògún,Edo:Ògún,Portuguese:Ogum,Gu; also spelledOggunorOgou; known asOgúnorOguminLatin America) is aYorubaOrishathat is adopted in severalAfrican religions.  Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spirit ofmetal work,as well as ofrumand rum-making. He is also known as the "god of iron" and is present inYoruba religion,Santería,Haitian Vodou,West African Vodun, and the folk religion of theGbepeople.
He attempted to seize the throne after the demise ofỌbàtálá, who reigned twice, before and afterOduduwa, but was ousted byObalufon Ogbogbodirinand sent on an exile – an event that serves as the core of theỌlọ́jọ́ Festival.
InYoruba religion, Ogun is a primordialorishain Yoruba Land. In some traditions, he is said to have cleared a path for the other orisha to enter Earth, using a metal axe and with the assistance of a dog. To commemorate this, one of hispraise names, ororiki, isOsin Imoleor the "first of the primordial Orisha to come to Earth". He is the god of war and metals.
In his earthly life Ogun is said to be the first king ofIfe. When some of his subjects failed to show respect, Ogun killed them and ultimately himself with his own sword. He disappeared into the earth at a place calledIre-Ekiti, with the promise to help those who call on his name. His followers believe him to havewo ile sun, to have disappeared into the earth's surface instead of dying. Throughout his earthly life, he is thought to have fought for the people of Ire, thus is known also as Onire.
He is now celebrated inOgun,Ekiti,Oyo, andOndoStates.
Ogun is the traditional deity of warriors, hunters,blacksmiths, technologists, and drivers in the Yoruba region. Followers of traditional Yoruba religion can swear to tell the truth in court by "kissing a piece of iron in the name of Ogun."Drivers carry anamuletof Ogun to ward off traffic accidents.
The primary symbols of Ogun are iron, the dog, and thepalm frond. They symbolize Ogun's role in transformation, mediation, and function. Iron is the primary emblem of Ogun. Ogun altars and ceremonies display and use iron objects both in Yoruba areas and across the African diaspora. Followers of Ogun wear chains of iron implements; Ogun festivals feature the display of knives, guns, blacksmith implements,scissors, wrenches, and other iron implements from daily life.
Meats are sacrifices for Ogun. Dogs are the traditional companions of hunters, but Ogun's personality is also seen as "doglike": aggressive, able to face danger, and straightforward. Other sacrificial animals associated with Ogun are thespitting cobra(blacksnake); its behavior is aggressive and fearless. Hunters and blacksmiths avoid eating or witnessing the mating of blacksnakes. Other important sacrificial offerings to Ogun are theClarias submarginatus(a species of catfish),alligator pepper,kola nuts,palm wineand red palm oil, small rats, roosters, salt, snails, tortoise, water, and yams. (Clyne: 1997). Many of these sacrificial offerings were carried into New World traditions.
Oríkìis a Yoruba cultural phenomenon that comes in the form of praise poetry, praising either a person, òrìṣà (deity), or town based on their achievements. Ogun worshippers are known to sing Ogun's oríkì and this specific part insinuates that Ògún is in seven paths.
Translation:
InDahomey religion, Gu is the vodun of war and patron deity of smiths and craftsmen. He was sent to earth to make it a suitable place for men to live happily, and he has not yet finished this task.
In Ewe religion, Gu, also pronounced Egu, is the god of war and craftsmen especially blacksmiths.
Worshippers of Gu are not supposed to keep dogs as pets. Menstruating women are forbidden to touch the tools of the blacksmith. Adherents periodically make offerings of palm nuts, food and pour libations to Gu.Metal objects are also often purchased for offering in shrines dedicated to Gu.
Ogun is known in theAfro-Braziliantradition ofCandombléasOgum(Ketu,IjexaandEfonnations) orGu(Jejenation).Ogum is syncretized withSaint George, notably inRio de Janeiroand the state ofRio Grande do Sul. Candomblé tradition inNortheast Brazil, especially inBahia, associates Ogum withSaint SebastianorSaint Anthony.
Individual devotees of Ogun in Brazil avoid certain foods. These include goat, cajá-manga (Spondias dulcis), sugar, black beans, yams, and the manga-espada (an elongatedmango cultivarof Brazil) in theKetunation; yams and manga-espada in theIjexanation; andpartridgein theJejenation.
Ogun, as a male orisha (Boró), only "eats" male animals.Ox, billygoat,rooster,snake(typically a red snake),dogandgameanimals are sacrificed ("orô") on festival days associated with Ogum in the Candomblé tradition.
Acaçáis a ritual food offered to all gods in the Candomble pantheon; it is made of a paste of corn mash steamed in banana leaves. A variation, acaçá de feijão-preto, substitutesblack beans(Phaseolus vulgaris) for corn. This variation is only offered to Ogum in theCasa Fanti Ashantitemple inSão Luís, in the state ofMaranhão.Feijoada, a stew of beans with beef and pork, is also a common offering to Ogum.
Ogun's centrality to the Yoruba religion has resulted in his name being retained inSanteríareligion, as well as theShangoreligion ofTrinidad and Tobago. In Santería, Ogún is syncretized withSaint Peter,James the Great,Saint Paul,Saint Michael the Archangel, andJohn the Baptist; he is the deity of war and metals.
InHaitian VodouOgun is known as Ogou and consists of an array of manifestations; most carry the aspect of iron smithing and tools from the Yoruba tradition. The Ogou guard thebadji, the sacred altar of the Vodou temple. He carries an iron saber and wears a red sash. Ogou is also the god of pioneering, intelligence, justice, medicine, and political power; these are associated with the symbol of the tool that can "advance humans' mastery over the environment.Ogou Feray is the god of war. Other manifestations of Ogou are Ogou Badagri, Ogou Balenjo, Ogou Batala, and Ogou Je Wouj. Ezili Dantor is the female counterpart to Ogou.
Ogou Feray is syncretized withSt. James the Greater(St. Jacques Majeur) in the Vodou tradition. He is a flower spirit and he guides Vodou followers against their enemies. He is symbolically covered in iron and may not be harmed by his enemies. As in Africa, his symbol is a piece of iron, a machete, or a knife. As in Africa, Ogou is revered among blacksmiths, many of whom are of Yoruba origin. He is also noted to like women and alcohol.
In Vodou ceremonies followers of Ogou wear a red shirt, pants, and scarf. A follower of Ogou in a possession-trance is offered Haitian white rum during the ceremony. In some ceremonies rum is burned in a container to allow Ogou to "wash" the hands of the followers.
Two Vodou songs to Ogou, as recorded and translated by Michel S. Laguerre:
Léo Neto, et al. observed various kinds of animals used in sacrificial ritual in twelve Candomblé communities ofCaruaru,PernambucoandCampina Grande,Paraíbain theNortheasternregion of Brazil between August 2007 and June 2008; dogs were the only sacrificial animal offered to Ogun in both communities.