The World of Eshú and Pomba Gira - страница 4

Eshu is identified as the devil for Christians because the missionary priests found many difficulties, conflicts and problems when trying to impose their religion by force on slaves: too many gods and divinities for a people they were trying to subjugate.

Missionaries were forced to adapt to the whole Menina Pantheon. However, we must not forget that at the time Christians lacked a demon and thus, who better than Eshu to become their devil? Christians did not know Eshu and their own ignorance made them fear him; they did not even bother to find out that Eshu was the one who had more similarities with people and that all the requests made by slaves were related to their own life issues.

Humans fear what they do not know, and the dominant white feared the submissive black who worshiped the devil, since he protected them from injustice, infamy, and the absolutism of white people.

Fear along with ignorance works miracles: panic took over the whites at crossroads, near their houses, etc. Offerings made by ebos to Eshu for whatever request, where just seen as the demon thrown against them.

Another asset of identifying Eshu with a demon was his representation in red and black, the symbolism of masculinity that he represented and his physical appearance with a large phallus in his hand. Such image could only represent a demon.

Offerings must always be given to Eshu first: this is the basis that everybody knows, but what is the origin of this tradition?

There are several legends:

–Eshu was the owner of divination which was given to him by Orunmila. However, Eshu was tired because humans used to bother him day and night, so he made a pact with Ifá. Eshu wanted prominence and primacy in every ceremony and Ifá promised this to him if he gave him the gift of divination that he had. Eshu agreed and so he became the first to receive offerings.

-Eshu found out that Obbatalá was sick and that no one could solve his problem. He went to see him with some herbs and he cured him. As a reward for this, Obbatalá said that Eshu would have to be served first in every ceremony.

–The king of Congo had three children: Shango, Ogun and Eshu, who was a troubled and problem child. One day, the king died and thereafter every time they made a sacrifice to the spirits or made a religious party nothing went right, the prayers to the gods were not heard, flocks died of epidemics, crops were lost, men, women and children became ill. People then asked a babalawo who talked to the obis. The obis said that Eshu was jealous and wanted part of the sacrifices. No one remembered Eshu, the small black boy who was always annoying everyone. Therefore, from then on, nothing could be done without Eshu being served in the first place so as not to upset him.

Ifá is Eshu’s companion and messenger. Ifá carries the destiny of the universe dictated by the Orishas: he is their spokesman and messenger.

Eshu opens and closes the roads, he has the key to all the doors, he is the son of Oya, the messenger of Obbatalá, the brother of Ogun and the comrade of Shango.

He only pays homage to the greater Orisha. One of its symbols is a snake because he is always sleeping on the roads and Eshu is the owner of roads.

Eshu is a Menina word that means sphere, the cosmic energy in movement, the enterprising agent, the ferment and the manufacturer of reactions.