Orisha Oxossi: its history, offering, greeting, children and more!

Oxossi is the King of Keto, of the woods, the warrior with only one arrow and who never misses. Intelligent, fast, communicative and connected to the ancestors, he is the hunter and protector of the forests. Strongly related to many of the Brazilian myths, he is one of the best known in the country.

With a fascinating history, Oxóssi goes through many legends that bring out its best characteristics. He knows some of them, their syncretisms in different religions and the different qualities of this Orisha. See also the characteristics of the children of Oxossi, how to relate to him, prayer and offerings to the Saint.

Son of Iemanjá – Lady of the salt waters – and Oxalá – the Orixá of the Orixás, Oxóssi is the deity of hunting and forests. Known as the warrior with only one arrow, his Ofá is a symbol, which is a bow and arrow, in addition to the Eruexim, which is also used by Iansã.

With small differences between Candomblé and Umbanda, he is one of the Orixás present in both religions, having an interesting origin and a history full of complex situations – having even dressed as a woman for a long time, in order to be able to date Oxum in secret. your father. Learn more about this powerful Orisha!

In Umbanda, there is a very large mix of beliefs, forming a strong syncretism with Christianity. Therefore, Oxóssi is also related to Santos, with three in total, as they are associated in different ways, in some parts of Brazil.

For Umbanda, Oxossi is related to hunting and forests, being himself the manifestation of a greater force. He works with spirituality through entities and phalanges, which under his command, act in charity and fraternity. He is the patron saint of the caboclos, so well known even by those unfamiliar with Umbanda.

Candomblé is more purist in terms of its belief system and does not syncretize with other religions. It brings with it a great cultural load and its own pantheon, involving more Orixás, which are often merged into just one in Umbanda.

Oxóssi (Òsóòsi) in Candomblé is Odé, King of Keto (Alakétu), Lord of the hunt, the forest and plenty. Also called Oníìlé, he was the one who found the best place to install a village, with the best game, had another name, Olúaiyé, Lord of humanity and plenty.

In candomblé, Oxóssi is the son of Apaoká, the jackfruit tree – who is actually an Iyá-Mi, an ancestral maternal figure, fixed in the form of a tree that provides sustenance, nutrition and protection, through its fruits, leaves and trunk. Therefore, this Orisha is knowledgeable about magic with plants, in addition to its association with Ossaim.

For Umbanda, Oxossi is the son of Iemanjá and Oxalá, but there are stories that say he is the son of Oduduá, brother of Oxalá and Iemanjá’s first husband. Brother of Ogun and Exu, both represent movement, each in their own way.

An Itã tells that he left his mother’s arms and left for the forest. Worried, Iemanjá sent Ogun – her warrior son – in search of her. When Ogun found Oxossi, he had already become Lord of the woods and hunting, so upon returning to Yemanja, he recommended that he leave him there, that he would be fine. His mother trusted his word and let Oxossi go.

Oxossi is a single arrow hunter, because he never misses. Perfectionist, slightly transgressive, highly intelligent and full of energy, he acts in the certainty of victory and when he points his arrow, victory is guaranteed. Patron of hunters who seek to support the house, he is today the guardian of those who work to provide for their family, whether through hunting or not.

An Itã tells that, after a plentiful season of hunting and harvesting, everyone was celebrating, but the witches Ìyamì Òsóróngà were not happy for not receiving their offering. They sent a bird that with evil cries destroyed and set everything on fire.

They called several hunters, who, full of themselves, bragged about having managed to kill the bird. It was then Osotadotá, with 50 arrows and missed all of them. Next were Osotogi, with 40 and Osotogum with 20, both missed. It’s time for Òsotokànsosó, who hit his only arrow, being applauded by the population as Oxóssi, the people’s hunter.

Born hunter and knowledgeable of the arts of Ossain and his herbs, Oxossi is the Lord of the woods and forests. He helps to protect not only the game from those who have usury, but also the hunter, taking the daily food to his table, thus being associated with prosperity and daily work, whatever it may be.

Another Itã tells that Oxóssi and Ogun lived under the care of Yemanja, with one hunting and the other cultivating. One day, a guesser said that it was not for Oxossi to hunt anymore, because he would be trapped in a trap and he didn’t listen. That’s how Ossaim captured and arrested him, causing him to lose his memory.

Ogum went in search of him and, when he returned with his brother, Yemanja did not receive him, for having disobeyed his orders. Oxossi went to live in the forest and, upset with Iabá, Ogun went to live on the roads. Yemanja was so sad that, with so many tears, she turned into the sea.

Oxóssi and Oxum have an intense, short and very interesting story, which portrays well the archetypes of lovers of both Orixás. Oxum’s beauty, intelligence and grace made all the Orishas fall in love with her, and Oxossi did not escape the list.

However, in order to date Oxum, who was protected by his father, Oxossi had to dress up as a woman and thus spent a good amount of time in the kingdom of Oxum. However, she got pregnant and it was difficult to keep the cover. Oxossi returned to the forest and they had Logunedé, Lord of fishing and hunting, as he spent 6 months with his mother in the rivers and another 6 months hunting with his father in the woods.

As in other pantheons, African deities have strong syncretism with other religions. The best known is with the Catholic church, where Oxóssi is seen both as São Jorge, as São Sebastião or São Miguel, depending on the place. There are also Celtic, Greek and other associations. Meet each one of them.

In Bahia, Oxóssi is São Jorge, the Warrior Saint, but for almost the rest of the country, this saint syncretizes with his brother, Ogun. Although Oxossi was best known as a hunter, he also helped protect his city, learning to fight with Ogum.

In addition, he is the Orisha of survival and São Jorge was tortured to death, but he lived on in the memory of his people. The saint also distributed all his wealth to the population, before being arrested, using his wisdom and even converting the king’s wife.

Oxossi is associated with São Sebastião in much of the country, and he was also a warrior before becoming a saint. Like Saint George, he did not deny his faith and the king, revolted, ordered that he be killed with arrows. He survived, a woman took out his arrows and healed his wounds.

Then, stubborn, he returned before the king and established his faith, thus being killed. Oxossi also has this persistence and recklessness, in addition to the warrior spirit that does not leave what he believes in behind. Therefore, there is a strong syncretism between the two.

São Miguel Archangel is one of the three best known, alongside Gabriel and Raphael. He protects humanity and for it wages war against everything that could be considered evil. Just like Oxossi, he values ​​his and fights for what he believes.

Despite being known for his various Catholic syncretisms, such as São Sebastião in much of the country, São Jorge in Bahia and São Miguel in Pernambuco, Oxóssi always represents the one who does not give up, who protects and takes care of his own.

In the Celtic pantheon, Oxossi is Cernunnos (Kernunnos), who, alongside the great Goddess, form the perfect pair, balance. He is responsible for bountiful harvests, fertility, and animals, wild or otherwise. He is represented with deer or bull horns, evidencing his connection with nature.

Wise and powerful, he is connected to the seasons and is always accompanied by animals – when he does not turn into one. Oxossi also has a strong relationship with animals and forests, thus being syncretized with this Celtic deity.

Artemis is the Goddess of hunting and protector of animals, as well as Oxossi. They are syncretized given the great similarity between their archetypes, especially with regard to personality. Full of energy and self-will, these deities are charged with initiative and action.

They are related to prosperity and carry with them their instrument of work, the bow and arrow. Both Oxossi and Artemis are also great warriors and dominate the battlefield, with their courage, strength and dexterity for the fight.

For the Elamite people there was a God called Terra Humba or Humbaba, who was the guardian of forests and animals. He was the guardian of the cedar forest, where the gods of the Babylonian pantheon lived. Due to its characteristic linked to nature, it is syncretized with Oxossi, the king of the forests.

Like Oxossi, the Babylonian God Humbaba was endowed with a strong personality and feared nothing or anyone. He was a feared warrior, almost associated with a monster, given his strength and appearance, since he was formed by a mixture of several animals.

In the Norse pantheon, Ullr is the god of the hunt, justice, winter and agriculture. He was born in Ydalir, belonging to the Aesir people, but since his mother married Thor, he started to live in Valhalla, but his impetus for freedom led him to sneak in the forests, frozen or not.

Ullr carried the bow and arrow with him and always used skis in winter, and sometimes he can also be represented with a shield, which he used to slide in the snow. Warrior, he protected his people and took care that agriculture did not suffer in winter. In this way, he is also syncretized with Oxossi.

First of all, it is important to understand that the qualities are a way of detailing what each irradiation of the Orisha does. In other words, it shows the different faces, with more intensity and emphasis, to better direct the teaching.

Therefore, when talking about the qualities of Oxossi, we are talking about the different ways in which he can manifest himself, depending on the emphasis given. Find out then what are the qualities of the King of the woods and what each one…