Eshu,
also known as Elegba or Legba, is a trickster god of the Yoruba people
of Nigeria in West Africa. He is unpredictable, sly, and fond of pranks that
can be cruel and disruptive. Eshu, who knows all the languages spoken on earth,
serves as a messenger between the gods and people. He also carries up to heaven
the sacrifices that people offer to the gods.
According
to one story, Eshu became the messenger after playing a trick on the High God.
He stole yams from the god's garden, used the god's slippers to make footprints
there, and then suggested that the god had stolen the yams himself. Annoyed,
the High God ordered Eshu to visit the sky every night and tell him what
happened on earth during the day.
Eshu
enjoys confusion. Many stories tell of tricks he plays that cause arguments
between friends or between husbands and wives. In one myth he lured the sun and
moon into changing places, which upset the cosmic order. As the god of
change, chance, and uncertainty, Eshu is sometimes paired with Ifa, a god representing
order. In one tale Eshu claimed that he would ruin Ifa, who laughingly replied,
"If you transform yourself, I shall do the same, and if I die, you will
die, for so it has been ordained in heaven."
Below: Eshu with his walking cane
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