The orixá Logun Edé: history, greeting, offering and more!

The warrior Logun Edé, or Logunedé, is an orixá of Candomblé, a religion of African origin that is widespread in Brazil. His name originates from his birthplace, which is precisely Edé, in Nigeria.

Even though he is the smallest of all the orixás and even mistaken for a child due to his short stature, Logun Edé is one of the noblest hunters of Candomblé. Therefore, he is very brave, powerful and angry.

In addition, this orixá has some characteristics very similar to those of Ogum. Therefore, his explosive, merciless and bloodthirsty way is one of his most evident and observed points. Thus, he is one of the strongest orixás and a brave warrior.

Read this article and check out everything about Logun Edé!

Like all orishas of African-based religions, Logun Edé has two origins in Umbanda, from Oxum and Oxossi. Furthermore, he was raised by Iansã and Ogun, but had a reunion with his mother, Oxum. Check out more below!

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Logun Edé is one of the best known orishas of Umbanda, being a very feared, respected, bloodthirsty and imposing hunter warrior. In addition, he is one of the most beautiful orixás, which is one of his main characteristics.

In Umbanda, Logun Edé is the orisha that represents wealth. His clothing is composed of cloth and animal skins, usually the leopard, which is the animal associated with him for grace, strength and beauty.

On his head he wears a tiara with large blue feathers. In addition, like the warrior he is, he carries a spear, a bow, an arrow and a mirror.

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Because it has a very old history, with parts originating from another continent and even with other languages involved, there are some disagreements regarding the origin of Logun Edé.

This disagreement is in the statement of who his father is: Oxossi, Ogun or Erinlé. After all, Logun Edé would have had a very close, almost paternal relationship with Ogun, but the most accepted thing is that he is the son of Oxossi.

However, regarding motherhood, there is no doubt that LogunEdé’s mother is Oxum, patroness of fertility, beauty and sensitivity. In view of this, there is the affiliation of this orixá.

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It is known that Logun Edé was abandoned in a river when he was still a child. Thus, he did not have the presence of his parents, Oxum and Oxossi, throughout his life.

Despite this, he developed a very close relationship with Ogum, after this orixá had found him. Ogun, like Logun Edé, is a warrior and brave orixá.

In addition, another orixá who participated in the creation of the warrior, as a female figure, is Iansã. She is the goddess of storms and gales, as well as being a warrior.

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Logun Edé, thrown into the sea when he was just a child, was lost to his mother, Oxum, and was raised by Iansã and Ogun, who found him in the riverbed. Meanwhile, Oxum didn’t even know that his son was alive, because he thought he had drowned in the river.

As an adult, Logun Edé was curious and went into the forest, when he found a river that seemed to be calling him. So, he stopped on the riverbank and looked at his reflection, until he noticed the figure of a woman, who ended up by his Oxum, his mother.

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Like all other orishas of African matrix religions, Logun Edé is the result of mixing with other religions. Therefore, this orixá is influenced by Catholicism, with Santo Expedito and São Miguel Archangel, and even Greek mythology, with Hermaphroditus.

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Santo Expedito is from the Catholic Church, the saint of emerging and lost causes. However, despite being canonized, there are doubts about its real existence.

However, history tells that Santo Expedito was an army soldier who decided to convert. However, on the way, he saw a crow who told him to leave the conversation for another day, but he killed the crow and moved on.

However, after assuming his faith in God, Santo Expedito was killed by the army. Thus, he was seen as a courageous man who did not give up professing his faith. In this way, the courage seen in him and in Logun Edé is the reason for syncretism.

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Archangels are the highest angelic office in the divine and celestial order. They are great warriors, responsible for guarding and protecting the Kingdom of Heaven. São Miguel Archangel is one of these celestial warriors. Incidentally, he was the head of the seven archangels during the rebellion in heaven, and he fought and defeated evil, casting Lucifer out of heaven and sending him to hell.

Therefore, the religious syncretism of the two religious figures comes from the courageous warrior bearing of São Miguel Arcanjo, which resembles that of Logun Edé, the hunter and warrior orixá.

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Hermaphroditus, son of Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Hermes, god of travelers, was a being who had both sexes in his body, that is, he was male and female.

According to Greek mythology, he was a beautiful boy when he had relations with the nymph Salmacis, a deity that inhabits rivers, streams and waterfalls. Therefore, from that moment on, the son of the two gods became Hermaphroditus.

Thus, Afro-Brazilian religion rescued this characteristic from Greek mythology and applied it to Logun Edé. When he spends 6 months with his father he is a man and the rest of the time when he is with his mother he is a woman.

Logun Edé has particular characteristics that differentiate him from other Umbanda orixás. So, among them is his vanity, his wisdom and the fact that he is the lord of fisheries. Check out more below!

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First, to understand the designation of “Lord of Fisheries”, it is necessary to understand the origin of Logun Edé. He spends 6 months with his father, Oxóssi, and 6 months with his mother, Oxum, in fresh water.

Therefore, this frequent interaction with his mother and his approach to the waters gave him a great intimacy with water and with everything it produces and offers.

Thus, he won the title of Lord of Fisheries in Umbanda. This is a particular characteristic that comes from your mother’s side and has nothing to do with syncretism.

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Oxum is the great mother of the orishas, being the greatest female figure in Umbanda. She presents herself as a beautiful and well-dressed woman, with white cloths on her body and head.

In addition, she is portrayed with several jewels, as she is the goddess of precious stones and wealth, and is also shown with a mirror in her hand, while breastfeeding a child in the river.

In some situations, Logun Edé also appears with a mirror in hand, representing vanity. After all, it was from his mother that he inherited this trait.

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Oxossi, father of Logun Edé, is the orixá of hunting, who is knowledgeable of the forest and a great warrior. Thus, he is a guardian of the forest and protects the fauna and flora existing there. Meanwhile, it’s not just about the forest that Oxossi’s wisdom is connected. This orixá also represents the mental characteristics that stimulate knowledge.

According to him, it is necessary to know the world to know yourself and, thus, help others. Therefore, the wisdom of Logun Edé was inherited from his father, Oxossi, the hunter warrior.

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Logun Edé has different characteristics, influenced mainly by his mother, Oxum, the goddess of rivers, and also by his father, Oxóssi, the warrior god of the hunt.

However, he is also an orixá who does not need to define his characteristics, because, having both energies, that of his father and mother, plus his own, he can become whatever he wants and whenever he wants.

Thus, it is the only one among the orixás that does not have specific qualities. Its dual origin allows transformations that can bring other distinct characteristics.

To relate to Logun Edé, there are some ways that can help to achieve his grace and please this powerful orixá. Some of them are: the day of the year, the greeting, the symbol and, of course, the offerings. Check each one out below!

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The orixás have days of the year when they are celebrated and receive offerings and, on this day, they are more likely to fulfill requests from their devotees.

Despite this, it is possible to celebrate them every day, but on those days in particular, the celebration is special. Therefore, following the religious syncretism with Santo Expedito – the Catholic saint -, the day of Logun Edé is also celebrated on April 19th.

In addition, on April 19, Brazil’s “Indian Day” is also celebrated. Although nothing is confirmed, the status of hunter and protector of the waters of Logun Edé may have been associated with the indigenous people and, therefore, there is a coincidence of the date.

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Orixás can and should receive homage on other days of the year, in addition to their special days. However, there are certain days of the week for devotees to make offerings to their entities.

In other cultures, such as Norse and Greek, Thursday is known as the day of thunder and storms. Incidentally, the origin of the name of this day of the week translates as the day of Jupiter or Thor, gods of thunder.

Despite this, in Umbanda and Candomblé, the day chosen to honor Logun Edé is Thursday.

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Greetings are an essential part of worshiping the orixás and entities of Afro-Brazilian religions. Thus, for each of the orixás, there is a special greeting called salutation.

These must be said exactly to greet the orixás and celebrate their presence, when they manifest. In this way, Logun Edé is also received with a special greeting.

There are two versions of Logun Edé’s greeting. First, the best known is “Loci, Loci Logun”. In addition, there is the “Logun ô akofá”. Although they are different, the two mean the same thing: warrior prince.

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Logun Edé, like other Candomblé orixás, has symbols that refer to his nature, his personality, his principles and even his origin.

In this sense, Logun Edé has symbols that refer to his hunting warrior posture. First, there are the symbols of the hunting spear and the machete, clearly alluding to their status.

In addition, Logun Edé carries symbols with names of African origin. They are the Ofá, a weapon that resembles the combination of a bow and arrow or a harpoon, and the Oguê, an object made of ox horn used as an instrument and also to attract abundance.