Èṣù
/ɛ̀ʃù/noun
A Yoruba òrìṣà associated with crossroads, communication, ambiguity, and the negotiation between humans and the divine.
Did you know?Èṣù was historically misidentified by some Christian missionaries as the Devil, although Yoruba religious tradition does not equate Èṣù with an embodiment of absolute evil.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Yoruba tradition
Yoruba
Èṣù
“A powerful òrìṣà connected with crossroads, mediation, communication, and disruptive ambiguity”
18th–19th Century
Yoruba
Èṣù
“A central figure in Yoruba religious practice and Ifá-related ritual traditions”
19th Century
English
Eshu
“An English rendering of the Yoruba deity’s name, introduced through missionary, ethnographic, and colonial writing”
20th Century
English
Eshu
“A name used in anthropology, religious studies, literature, and diaspora religious contexts”
Modern English
English
Èṣù
“A diacritic-preserving spelling commonly used to represent the Yoruba name accurately”
Explore more surprising origins