Orisha Iroko: history, characteristics, children, offerings and more!

Iroko is one of the oldest Orixás and wields a very great power, mainly in relation to the nature and origin of the other Orixás that succeeded him. His story provides a basis for a clear understanding of why he is known for commanding time.

In religions like Candomblé, Iroko is worshiped for his accomplishments and his way of acting. But, in general, the greatest representation that one has of this Orisha is due to the strength and power that he exercises in relation to the dimension of time as we have noticed.

In Candomblé Iroko, in Brazil, Iroko is worshiped by the Ketu nation and like Loko is worshiped by the Jeje nation. As it exercises direct power over nature and time, this Orisha is related to all creations on earth.

Being one of the most ancient Orixás, Iroko is responsible for commanding time and ancestry. Knowing his story reinforces the characteristics of this powerful Orisha and brings understanding of the reasons why he is considered the most powerful.

This Orisha is normally not seen during center events, such as giras. But, even if he does not appear in any kind of earthly manifestation, he remains one of the most respected and considered as a true leader.

His power spread across many different cultures, such as Babylonia and Mesopotamia, where he is also known for his powers and strength. Iroko generally represents protection with nature, animals and ancestry.

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Considered one of the oldest Orishas, Iroko has a story that demonstrates his relationship with nature and time. According to his story, he was the first tree to be planted on Earth, giving rise to all other Orixás.

Iroko’s story reveals that at the beginning of humanity, the Orixás needed to get together to make a decision about descending to the planet and populating it. From that conversation, they decided to plant an entity on Earth, which was Iroko, so that everyone could descend from that entity to start their tasks.

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As for its visual characteristics and what Iroko represents in other religions and cultures, the Orisha is known for three main colors, which are white, gray and green.

In this way, these are the colors that will symbolize this Orisha, something very important for it to be clearly represented within the religions in which it is worshipped. In his images, the Orisha is always seen accompanied by elements of nature, such as leaves, and directly connected to a tree, the place of its origin on Earth.

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Due to his story of having descended to Earth and being created from a tree, Iroko has a very strong connection with nature and a specific tree serves to represent this powerful Orisha.

In Brazil, Iroko was syncretized and started to be worshiped using the White Gameleira tree (Ficus doliaria) as its main physical representation. It is a tree native to Brazil and can be found in several regions because it is quite common in tropical forests. Thus, she came to be considered as a sacred tree.

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Iroko’s relationship with time is due to the fact that at times when all the Orixás gather to decide the destinies of humanity and events, he is present, observing and listening.

As much as he is known for not expressing his opinion, it is known that Iroko is responsible for making these important decisions. Therefore, its connection with time comes from the fact that this Orisha will be responsible for determining the events, as well as the moments that they will happen.

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Iroko is the Orisha who protects nature and defends it with all his might. Iroko’s story reinforces his kindness and qualities in relation to his dedication to humanity for having created roots strong enough to save the Earth.

Therefore, it is common for people to realize that the children of Iroko have the same qualities as the Orisha and a passion for humanity and nature to the point that they dedicate themselves entirely to their projects, which generally have very strong connections with helping people. who need.

Iroko’s power over time has become so great that this Orisha has come to be worshiped and exalted by many different peoples. In this way, religions that have different strands see it in specific ways despite its general meaning.

Iroko’s creations and efforts can be seen through religions such as Candomblé, Umbanda and even in the Catholic Church due to syncretism, being seen by the image of a saint present in Catholic beliefs.

Its power is so strong that different cultures see it in specific ways and attribute infinite symbolism to the Orisha, but always focused on nature and time, which are the central points of Iroko.

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In Candomblé, Iroko can also be known as Iroco or Roko, in Ketu. By the Jeje nation he may also be known as Loko. The way of seeing the Orisha can be a little different, but in the nation Angola or Congo it corresponds to Inquice Tempo.

This shows that the central point regarding Iroko’s story is maintained even across different religions. The greatest importance attributed to this Orisha is its connection with time and the power it exercises over events and decisions related to humanity.

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In Umbanda, it is unusual for the cult of Iroko to occur. But, it’s not necessarily something that never happens. Some houses in Umbanda hold services dedicated to this Orisha. Therefore, he is also present in this religion.

As Iroko has its strongest roots in Candomblé, this type of practice is uncommon in Umbanda. Because of this, there is nothing specific dedicated to him and not even different terms to refer to Iroko, using only the fundamentals of Candomblé for this.

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In the Catholic Church, Iroko is seen through syncretism with San Francisco, who is the protector saint of animals. Due to the fact that both are celebrated on October 4th, there is this union between the views of the Catholic Church and Umbanda.

As the two are linked by Catholic syncretism, the figure of Iroko in this religion is seen through San Francisco because both have some specific attributions in common, with vocations and dedication to protecting nature and everything that is found in it, such as the animals.

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In other cultures, such as Babylon and Mesopotamia, the Orisha is known in different ways, as the Winged Lion Enki, who becomes responsible for humans from birth and throughout their spiritual infinity.

For the Mayans, he is known as Viracocha and for the Incas as Teotihacan, both responsible for the beginning and the end of everything. For the Greeks, he is seen through the figure of Chronos, known as the god of space and time. And finally, in Egypt he is seen by the god Anubis, who guides the passage of all from birth to the Valley of Death.

Iroko’s children are more directly influenced by the strength of this Orisha. Entities exert specific influences on elements of nature and carry their own characteristics, which are very similar to those seen in humans in general.

The Orixás dedicate some of their efforts and energies precisely to protecting human beings. Therefore, they become known as his children, who inherit some of the main characteristics of the Orixá that directly influences them.

The way Iroko’s children behave looks like the Orisha and you can understand a little more about these issues by reading in detail below!

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The children of Iroko, like the Orisha, have a very special and distinct characteristic, which makes them passionate about life. They carry a happiness in living and feel love for what is around them, from the small details of nature to the great deeds.

The desire to live makes Iroko’s children dedicated and always want to carry out projects and dreams. They seek within themselves the strength and courage to get where they want.

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The passion for life makes Iroko’s children always seek new goals. Therefore, they love to cook and dedicate themselves to this practice, showing all their talent to feed their family and demonstrate their love for life and people through food.

In addition to food, Iroko’s children are also very fond of drinking. In this way, they are dedicated to fulfilling their desires and passions without shame and without being attached to any vision other than their own.

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One of the greatest qualities of Iroko’s children is the fact that they are very dedicated people to those they love. They are excellent friends and are always willing to do whatever they can to help the people around them. Therefore, they spare no efforts to provide any kind of support to their friends.

Sometimes they can sound stubborn because they believe so firmly in something that they can’t see other possibilities and try to prove to their friends that it’s a waste of time to think differently.

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Iroko’s children cannot bear to witness situations of injustice. This is something that totally freaks these people out. A very common habit of theirs is when they see any kind of unjust action, they look for the proper means to take revenge on the person who committed the act.

There is not the slightest possibility of stopping a child of Iroko when he is looking to take revenge with his own hands, especially if this somehow caused greater damage to the affected person.

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As much as they are excellent friends, Iroko’s children also have a very complicated characteristic to deal with. But, this only applies to people who are against them.

In the same proportion that they can dedicate themselves entirely to their friends and will be faithful until the end, they will also not leave aside any kind of quarrel that they may have with someone. This will be fixed in these people’s minds for the rest of their lives and they don’t give up cultivating their enmities because they believe they have reasons for it.