Glossary

72 terms from Ifá, Candomblé and Santería, each with the work and page where it was checked. Where our bibliography does not support a term, the entry says so.

Yoruba is a tonal language: we do not invent pronunciation guides. The spellings are those current in Candomblé, Santería and Nigeria.

The Traditions

Candomblé: the Brazilian religion that preserved the worship of the Orishas. The house of worship is the terreiro, in the care of a pai or mãe de santo; it is organized in nations, each with its own liturgy. The full history; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 32; Prandi, Introduction.; On the site →
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe: the contemporary name for the traditional Yoruba religion as practiced in Nigeria. The term does not appear in the classic works of our bibliography; Beniste records ìṣẹ̀dáyé, "origin of the world," from the same root.; Source: Beniste, p. 400; acknowledged gap.
Lucumí: the name the Yoruba and their descendants received in Cuba; also the ritual language of Santería. Verger describes the cabildos of Regla, "brotherhoods made up of descendants of Lucumí (Yoruba) Africans."; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 72.
NationAlso: nação: in Candomblé, the liturgical lineage of origin: Ketu (Yoruba, also called Nagô), Jeje (Fon/Ewe, the people of the Voduns) and Angola (Bantu). The drums already tell the difference: pegs on the Nagô and Jeje drums, wooden wedges on the ngomas of Congolese and Angolan origin.; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 33; Prandi, s.v. Vodum.
Regla de Ocha: the proper name of the Cuban tradition of the Orishas, popularly called Santería; the Regla de Ifá is the branch of the Ifá priesthood. "Ocha" is the Cuban form of òrìṣà.; Source: Prandi, Introduction; Tratado, passim.
Umbanda: a Brazilian religion born in the twentieth century, which Verger describes as "a mixture of the African religions, the spiritism of Allan Kardec and other philosophical-religious elaborations of universalist tendency."; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 71.

Divinities and Beings

EgunAlso: Égún, Egúngún, eggún: the ancestor, the spirit of the dead; some Orishas are deified eguns. Oya is "the owner of the eguns."; Source: Prandi, s.v. Egum and Oiá.; On the site →
EshuAlso: Èṣù, Elegbá, Elegguá: the divinity of communication between heaven and Earth, of the roads and of fertility; the crossroads belongs to him. Always the first to be greeted. It is Eshu who keeps the àṣẹ with which Olodumare created the world — which is why even the other Orishas need him. In Cuba, Eleguá names the Orisha and "Eshu" is reserved for his dangerous aspects. He is not the devil: that association is a colonial inheritance. Full article; Source: Beniste, p. 218; Abímbọ́lá, p. 5; Prandi, s.v. Exu and Eleguá.; On the site →
OyaAlso: Ọya, Yánsàn, Oyá, Yansá: Orisha of the winds, the lightning and the storm, mistress of the eguns and one of Shango's wives. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Iansã and Oiá.; On the site →
YemojaAlso: Yemọja, Yemayá: owner of the waters and mother of the Orishas. In Nigeria she is worshipped at the Ògùn river, in Abẹ́òkúta; in the diaspora she became the lady of the sea. Article; Source: Beniste, p. 562; Prandi, s.v. Iemanjá.; On the site →
IrunmoleAlso: irúnmọlẹ̀, imọlẹ̀: the divinities who inhabited the Earth in primordial times and took part in Creation. They are said to be 401 — that is, countless.; Source: Prandi, "Odudua cai na armadilha que ele mesmo prepara para Oxalá"; Beniste, p. 225 (s.v. ẹbọra).
Logun EdeAlso: Lógun Ède: Orisha of hunting and fishing, "son of Erinle or Oshosi with Oshun": Erinle in Nigeria and Cuba (where he is called Inle), Oxóssi in Brazil, who took the father's place in many myths. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Logum Edé and Erinlé.; On the site →
Nana BurukuAlso: Nàná Bùrúkú: Orisha of the bottom of the lakes, owner of the mud with which Obatala shaped the human being; mother of Obaluaye and Osumare, with whom she forms the triad of Dahomean Voduns absorbed into the pantheon of the Orishas. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Nanã; Verger, Orixás, p. 75.; On the site →
ObaAlso: Ọ̀bà, Obba: Orisha of the Oba river, one of Shango's wives. Not to be confused with ọba, "king." Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Obá.; On the site →
ObaluayeAlso: Ọbalúayé, Omolu, Ṣànpọ̀nná, Babalú Ayé, Azowanu: lord of the earth, of contagious diseases and of healing. His worship, like Nana's, predates the arrival of Ogun: the sacrifices made to him use no iron. Article; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 75; Prandi, s.v. Obaluaê; Tratado, pp. 64 and 310.; On the site →
ObatalaAlso: Ọbàtálá, Òrìṣàńlá, Oxalá, Oxalufã, Oxaguiã: the Orisha of Creation, who shaped the human being; held to be the greatest of the Orishas. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Obatalá, Oxalá, Oxalufã and Oxaguiã; Beniste, p. 592.; On the site →
OgunAlso: Ògún, Ogún: "the divinity of iron and of battles," of metallurgy, agriculture and war. Article; Source: Beniste, p. 562; Prandi, s.v. Ogum.; On the site →
OlodumareAlso: Olódùmarè, Olórun: the Supreme Being, "God, the Almighty," who created the Orishas and gave them the tasks of creating and ruling the world.; Source: Beniste, p. 574; Prandi, s.v. Olodumare and Olorum.
OlofinAlso: Olófin: in Yoruba, "lawgiver, judge"; in Nigeria a royal title — Prandi gives it to the king of Oyo, Abímbọ́lá identifies it with Odùduwà. In Cuba, the name by which the tradition refers to the Supreme God.; Source: Beniste, p. 574; Abímbọ́lá, p. 343; Prandi, s.v. Olofim.
OlokunAlso: Olókun: the divinity of the deep ocean; female for Beniste, mother of Yemoja for Prandi, male in other traditions. In Brazil it survives as a quality of Iemanjá.; Source: Beniste, p. 575; Prandi, s.v. Olocum.
OrishaAlso: òrìṣà, Ocha: "divinities represented by the energies of nature, forces that nourish life on earth, acting as intermediaries between God and people, from whom they receive a form of worship and offerings."; Source: Beniste, p. 592; Prandi, s.v. Orixá.
OrunmilaAlso: Ọ̀rúnmìlà, Orula, Orunla: the divinity of wisdom and of the Ifá oracle, "witness of destiny" (Eléèrì Ìpín). Strictly, Ifá is the name of the divination system, and Orunmila its lord. Of the first importance in Cuba, almost forgotten in Brazil.; Source: Beniste, p. 625; Verger, Orixás, p. 56; Prandi, s.v. Orunmilá.
OsanyinAlso: Ọ̀sányìn, Osain: the Orisha of the leaves, who heals with herbs. "No ceremony can be performed without his presence": he holds the àṣẹ of the plants. The sacred leaves; Source: Prandi, s.v. Ossaim; Verger, Orixás, p. 53.; On the site →
AroniAlso: Àrònì: the one-legged sprite who lives in the forest in Osanyin's company and knows the medicinal use of herbs.; Source: Prandi, s.v. Aroni; Verger, Orixás, p. 54.
OshosiAlso: Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì, Ochosi: the Orisha of the hunt, king of Ketu. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Oxóssi; Verger, Orixás, p. 3.; On the site →
OshunAlso: Ọ̀ṣun, Ochún: Orisha of the Oshun river, goddess of fresh waters, of gold and of beauty; one of Shango's wives. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Oxum.; On the site →
OsumareAlso: Òṣùmàrè: the rainbow-serpent, who gathers the water that fell as rain and returns it to the clouds; male and female at once, symbol of continuity. He coils around the Earth so that it does not fall apart. Article; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 73; Prandi, s.v. Oxumarê.; On the site →
ShangoAlso: Ṣàngó, Changó: Orisha of thunder and justice; "he is said to have been king of Kossô and the fourth king of Oyo." Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Xangô.; On the site →

Philosophical Concepts

AseAlso: àṣẹ, ashé: "force, power, the element that structures a society"; the vital force that transforms the world. Also the word that seals a prayer: Àṣẹ dọwọ́ Olódùmarè, "so be it — the power is in God's hands." What is Ase; Source: Beniste, p. 128; Prandi, s.v. Axé.; On the site →
AiyeAlso: ayé: the world, the planet, the plane of the living; the opposite of Orun.; Source: Beniste, p. 144; Prandi, s.v. Aiê.
EwoAlso: èèwọ̀: the taboo, the interdiction: "a way of keeping the balance between the material world and the spiritual world, by means of certain rules of conduct." Every Orisha — and every Odu — has its own.; Source: Beniste, p. 220; Prandi, s.v. Euó.
Ibi: evil, misfortune, the warning — the opposite of ire.; Source: Beniste, p. 331.
IreAlso: ire, oore: goodness, blessing, luck. Ẹ kú orí're o! — "good luck!", literally "hail your good head."; Source: Beniste, p. 388.
ItanAlso: ìtàn: the story, the narrative. For the Yoruba, "nothing is new, everything that happens has happened before": recognizing in the myth what repeats today is the key to the oracle.; Source: Beniste, p. 590 (s.v. ọpìtàn); Prandi, Introduction.
Ìwà Pẹ̀lẹ́: ìwà is "character, conduct, behavior"; ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́, gentleness, the gentle character. For Ifá, the highest value of a life: Ènìà nílàti tójú ìwà rẹ̀, "a person must take care of their way of being." Article; Source: Beniste, pp. 408-409; Abímbọ́lá, p. 132.; On the site →
OduAlso: odù, oddun: each of the signs of the Ifá oracle, "which reveals stories in the form of poems, which serve as instructions in a consultation." There are 16 principal ones (the Meji) which, combined two by two, make 256. In Africa the poems are recited from memory; in Cuba, kept in notebooks; in Brazil the names and the omens were preserved, and the poems were lost. What is Ifá; Source: Beniste, p. 558; Abímbọ́lá, p. 14; Prandi, s.v. Odu.; On the site →
OmoluoAlso: ọmọ odù, àmúlù, omoluo: "the 240 minor signs of Ifá, when the marks of the right column differ from those of the left" — each born of the combination of two different Meji.; Source: Beniste, p. 619; Abímbọ́lá, p. 14; Tratado, p. 398.
Orí: the head; and the "inner head," each individual's personal divinity, who chooses their own destiny before birth and receives offerings in the borí. To have orí're, "a good head," is to be lucky. Orí and responsibility; Source: Beniste, pp. 591-592; Prandi, s.v. Ori; Abímbọ́lá, p. 158.; On the site →
OrunAlso: ọ̀run: the sky, the divine plane where the divinities and spirits dwell, divided into sectors; for the Yoruba, nine parallel worlds. Where everything comes from and where everything returns.; Source: Beniste, p. 625; Prandi, s.v. Orum.
OsoboAlso: osogbo: in the Regla de Ifá, the name of ibi: the path that calls for care, the opposite of ire. Not to be confused with Òṣogbo, Oshun's Nigerian city.; Source: Tratado, pp. 15 and 18; Verger, Orixás, p. 63.
PatakíAlso: patakín: in Cuba, the name of the stories of the Odus and the Orishas, "which the babalawos keep written in notebooks they hold in secret."; Source: Tratado, p. 23; Prandi, s.v. Odu.
Sùúrù: patience. Sùúrù òògùn ayé: "patience is the medicine of the world."; Source: Beniste, p. 144.

Titles and Priesthoods

Awo: "secret, mystery"; the name of the Ifá cult itself, a semi-secret society, and by extension whoever has been initiated into it.; Source: Abímbọ́lá, pp. 5-6; Beniste, p. 126 (s.v. aṣawo).
BabalawoAlso: bàbáláwo, bàbá, ní, awo: the priest of Ifá, "father of the secret," who reads the Opele and the Ikin. His initiation is intellectual, without trance: years of memorizing the verses of the 256 Odus. How it works; Source: Beniste, p. 148; Abímbọ́lá, p. 5; Verger, Orixás, p. 56.; On the site →
BabalorixáAlso: bàbálórìṣà: the priest who leads a Candomblé terreiro; the "pai de santo," also called zelador or babalaxé.; Source: Beniste, p. 148; Verger, Orixás, p. 32.
IyalorixáAlso: ìyálórìṣà: the priestess who leads a terreiro; the "mãe de santo." Her oracle is the merindilogun — an office distinct from the babalawo's, not a version of it: in Brazil, "where the babalawos died out," the casting passed to the pais and mães de santo.; Source: Beniste, p. 413; Verger, Orixás, p. 32; Prandi, Introduction.
Ìyánífá: the woman consecrated in Ifá, who operates the oracle, in Nigerian Ìṣẹ̀ṣe. The title appears neither in Abímbọ́lá (1975) nor in the Tratado; not every lineage recognizes it, and the debate is alive. Who can be one; Source: Acknowledged gap.; On the site →
Omo AwoAlso: ọmọ awo: the apprentice of Ifá: "knowledge is passed from the babalawo to the omo awo, from master to disciple."; Source: Verger, Ewé, p. 21; Tratado, passim.
Padrino / Madrina: in the Cuban tradition, the one who initiates and accompanies the godchild; the relationship that structures the lineage. In Yoruba, bàbá ìsàmì.; Source: Tratado, passim; Beniste, p. 148.

The Oracle and Its Instruments

Ikin: the 16 palm nuts consecrated to Ifá, "which symbolize the personality of Orunmila": only those with four eyes will serve. It is the oldest instrument — with them Orunmila replaced himself on Earth when he returned to Orun. A 17th, the odùṣọ́, watches over the casting without taking part in it.; Source: Beniste, pp. 211, 367 and 559; Abímbọ́lá, pp. 12-13.
Ikofá: in the Regla de Ocha, the reception of Orunmila by women; the counterpart of Awofakán.; Source: Tratado, pp. 14 and 1762.
Itefá: the initiation ceremony that reveals the Odu of birth — once in a lifetime. It is not a consultation. "Every individual was born bound to one of these 256 odù": at birth, the parents ask the babalawo to name it. The term belongs to the Nigerian tradition; in Cuba one says "to make Ifá." The Odu of birth; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 56.; On the site →
IyerosunAlso: ìyẹ̀ròsùn, iyefá: "vegetable powder from the ìròsùn tree, used to mark the lines of Ifá": produced by termites, yellowish, spread over the opón.; Source: Beniste, p. 416; Abímbọ́lá, pp. 16-17.
Hand of OrunmilaAlso: Mano de Orula, Awofakán: in the Cuban tradition, the first reception of Orunmila by men: sixteen ikin handed over in a ceremony.; Source: Tratado, pp. 34 and 1416.
MerindilogunAlso: mẹ́rìndínlógún, dilogún: the cowrie-shell casting: the oracle of the Orishas, cast by iyalorixás and babalorixás. In the initiation Verger describes, the initiate receives sixteen cowries in the hands and throws them to find the odù that "will govern their life." It is not the Ifá oracle — they are distinct offices.; Source: Verger, Orixás, pp. 27-28; Prandi, Introduction; Tratado, passim.
ObíAlso: obì: the kola nut, "used in religious rites"; split into its lobes, it is the oracle of direct questions. In Cuba, replaced by the coconut.; Source: Beniste, p. 556; Prandi, s.v. Obi.
OpeleAlso: ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀, okpele: "a chain strung with eight concave seeds": the babalawo's working instrument, which he casts and reads at a single glance. Faster than the ikin, which are kept for the greater occasions. How it works; Source: Beniste, p. 622; Abímbọ́lá, pp. 15-16.; On the site →
Opón IfáAlso: ọpọ́n Ifá: "the tray on which the lines of the odù are traced"; the carved rim bears the face of Eshu, who carries the messages back and forth.; Source: Beniste, p. 622; Abímbọ́lá, p. 18.

Ritual, Worship and Votive Foods

Abadô: toasted corn, votive food of Obaluaye in Candomblé.; Source: Current usage in the terreiros; the term is not in our bibliography.
Aberém: "boiled corn wrapped in banana leaves," served to Obaluaye at the olubajé, the annual feast of his foods; in the terreiros, also to Nana Buruku. It is not popcorn.; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 80.
AcarajéAlso: àkàrà: "a fried fritter made of black-eyed pea paste," in palm oil; food of Oya. The story; Source: Beniste, p. 84; Prandi, s.v. Acarajé; Verger, Orixás, p. 19.; On the site →
Adimú: in Cuba, the simple offering of food, without animal sacrifice.; Source: Tratado, pp. 234 and 249.
AmaláAlso: àmàlà: the dish of okra with dried shrimp and palm oil, Shango's favorite food; in Bahia also called caruru. Article; Source: Prandi, s.v. Amalá; Verger, Orixás, pp. 19 and 88.; On the site →
Atotô: the salutation of Obaluaye, with which the Orisha is welcomed when he manifests: a call for silence and reverence. Article; Source: Verger, Orixás, p. 80; Prandi, myths of Obaluaê.; On the site →
Axoxô: corn boiled with coconut, food of Oshosi in Candomblé.; Source: Current usage in the terreiros; the term is not in our bibliography.
EboAlso: ẹbọ, ebbó: "offering or sacrifice made to the divinities"; the ritual action the oracle prescribes to rebalance a path. "Performance of sacrifice brings blessings; neglect of sacrifice blesses no man," say the verses of Ifá. Prescribing it is the priest's office — always.; Source: Beniste, p. 225; Abímbọ́lá, p. 41; Prandi, s.v. Ebó.
IlêAlso: ilé, Terreiro: the house: ilé is "house" in Yoruba (ilé ọba, palace; ilé Ọlọ́run, church) and ilẹ̀, the ground, the earth. In Brazil, the house of worship is the terreiro.; Source: Beniste, p. 374; Verger, Orixás, p. 32.
Omolocum: black-eyed peas with eggs, food of Oshun in Candomblé.; Source: Current usage in the terreiros; the term is not in our bibliography.
Oríkì: "title, name, praise that highlights the deeds of a society, a family or a person": the poetry that sings the names and the deeds of an Orisha.; Source: Beniste, p. 591; Prandi, s.v. Oriqui; Verger, Orixás, p. 38.
OfóAlso: ofọ̀: "incantation song": the phrases, often poetic, that name a leaf's quality and make it work. Without its ofó, the leaf is only a plant.; Source: Prandi, s.v. Ofó; Verger, Ewé, p. 18.
PopcornAlso: dobúru: the food that calms Obaluaye: it was with popcorn that the Mahi appeased Shapana, and "popcorn calms Obaluaê," the myth repeats. The flowers that cover the wounds. The name dobúru Verger, Orixás, p. 75; Prandi, myths of Obaluaê. Article; Source: is in current use in Candomblé; it is not in our bibliography.; On the site →
XirêAlso: ṣiré, iré: the circle of songs and dances that opens the public feast of Candomblé, greeting the Orishas in order; before it comes Eshu's padê.; Source: Beniste, p. 388; Prandi, s.v. Xirê; Verger, Orixás, p. 34.

This glossary is the reference version of the article Yoruba Glossary: 60+ Essential Terms of Ifá and Candomblé

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