Oshosi- Yoruba GodDeity"Divine Hunter"
Titles & Epithets
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Description
Oshosi's arrow never misses. When his own mother secretly freed the rare bird he had captured for the king, he swore an oath: his arrow would find whoever released it. The arrow flew true and struck her dead. The divine hunter could not undo what his precision had done, and he has never missed since.
Mythology & Lore
The Tragic Oath
Oshosi was tasked with capturing a rare and elusive bird for the king. After a long, difficult hunt, he finally succeeded. But before he could present his prize, his own mother, moved by pity for the creature, secretly released it. In his fury at losing what had cost him so dearly, Oshosi swore a sacred oath: he would shoot his arrow into the sky, and it would find and kill whoever had set the bird free.
The arrow flew true, as Oshosi's arrows always do, and struck his mother dead. Too late, the hunter learned who the culprit was. Divine oaths cannot be broken, and Oshosi's grief could not undo what his precision had accomplished.
The Hunter and the Forge
Oshosi is one of the Warriors, a group of protective orishas received early in initiation alongside Eshu and Ogun. His close bond with Ogun reflects the hunter's dependence on the blacksmith: Oshosi's arrows fly true because Ogun forges the iron arrowheads. The two orishas are received together.
Some traditions identify Oshosi as a king of Ketu, one of the ancient Yoruba kingdoms in what is now Benin. Not merely a provider of game but a sovereign over both human subjects and the animal kingdom of the forest. His arrow, once loosed, finds its mark regardless of distance or obstacle.
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