Eshu
/ɛ́ʃù/noun
Eshu is a Yoruba òrìṣà associated with crossroads, communication, choice, exchange, and the consequences of human actions.
Did you know?Christian missionaries often translated Eshu as “the Devil,” but Yoruba religious tradition treats Èṣù as a divine messenger and guardian of cosmic balance, not an embodiment of absolute evil.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Yoruba
Yoruba
Èṣù
“Name of a major òrìṣà connected with crossroads, communication, uncertainty, and moral consequence; the word’s deeper linguistic derivation is uncertain.”
16th–19th Century
Portuguese
Exu
“Portuguese and Afro-Brazilian form of Yoruba Èṣù, preserved in Candomblé and related traditions.”
19th Century
Yoruba-English scholarship
Eshu
“English transliteration of Èṣù in descriptions of Yoruba religion and mythology.”
20th Century
English
Eshu
“Established English usage for the Yoruba òrìṣà, increasingly distinguished from the missionary identification of the deity with Satan.”
Modern English
English
Eshu
“A proper name used in religious studies, African traditional religion, diaspora spirituality, literature, and popular discussions of Yoruba cosmology.”