Monday, March 31, 2008

Symbols of Shango






This oshe , with the double-bladed adze on the worshipper’s head symbolizing Shango combines two archetypal figurative motifs: a woman breast-feeding a baby and a woman carrying a baby securely on her back. The former symbolizes desire for Shango’s generosity to the devotee and humanity (much like the generosity of a mother to a child), while the latter represents a wish for Shango’s protection. The oshe held in her right hand represents her own commitment to the god or orisha. These potent maternal symbols of creation contrast starkly with Shango’s reputation as a tempestuous, destructive god; like the god himself, the oshe represents both conception and fertility (the mother) and destruction (the ax).

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