The orixá Xangô: its history, syncretism, qualities and more!

Orixá of justice, Xangô is a symbol of strength and rationality, representing the creation of the laws that govern the cosmos and the fulfillment of the law of return. He is a deity related to thunder and falls under the fire element, having high attunement with meteors and lava. The axé of this Orisha is found mainly in the quarries, which is the earthly place where the spiritual energy of Xangô vibrates the most.

Xangô’s main instrument is the oxé, which consists of an ax with two blades. This ax represents justice itself, as it reflects Xangô’s impartiality, analyzing both sides of a situation and being able to apply the law of return to any individual.

Umbanda and Candomblé have different conceptions about the origins of certain Orixás and even their field of action. The explanation for this phenomenon is given by the fact that Umbanda was born from Spiritism, having a more spiritualist approach, while Candomblé is based much more on the appreciation of ancestry.

Xangô is one of the most worshiped Orixás in Umbanda, having several entities that tune into his vibration. He is in the sixth line of Umbanda, having several caboclos and exus who work under his energy, acting in favor of the fulfillment of divine justice and for the protection of the incarnate and disembodied.

In Candomblé, Xangô is worshiped as an Orixá, yet his ancestry is highly valued. For the followers of this religion, the ancestors of each individual deserve a lot of respect, and valuing them is a way of preserving the roots and traditions of their place of origin. Therefore, it is very common that there are many tributes to ancestors in Candomblé terreiros.

Regarding the ancestry of this orixá of justice, Xangô was King of Oyó, while he was alive. He was adored by the population and was famous for his impartiality and incorruptible sense of justice. It is noteworthy that Xangô took power through a coup d’état against his brother who did not have the necessary competence to administer the kingdom.

Firstly, it is important to highlight that Xangô really existed, according to Candomblé stories that value ancestry. Therefore, he was once incarnated as the king of Oyo and was a powerful king who administered his kingdom with impartiality and a strong sense of justice, in addition to having great power in war.

Xangô was the creator of the cult of the Eguns who represented the spirits of those who had already died, working together with a team. However, there was a certain day when the Iyámi Ajé, witches who were greatly feared, invaded a session dressed as eguns, to frighten those present.

Everyone fled in fear of them, except Xangô who remained to face these supposed entities. This courageous attitude by Xangô provoked the fury of the Iyámi Ajé who killed Xangô’s favorite daughter, Adubaiyani, while he was distracted, tending to his subjects.

Xangô consulted Orunmila and was granted permission to go to the realm of the dead to see his daughter one last time. Thus, in addition to being able to see his daughter again, he discovered all the mysteries of the ancestors and prohibited the participation of women in this cult, in retaliation for the Iyámi Ajé.

Ever since he was incarnated, as king of Oyó, Xangô has always had a strong sense of justice. There is even an itan that says that Xangô had to gather his army to face soldiers from different kingdoms in a battle. However, the opposing soldiers sacrificed the prisoners, with orders from their commanders, and did not respect any battle ethics.

In that itã, Xangô was furious to see his soldiers dying so unfairly and climbed into a quarry, where he started hitting his instrument against a rock. Thus, he provoked several rays that annihilated the enemy armies and made this Orisha win the war. However, what called the most attention is that Xangô refused to kill the opposing prisoners.

The king of Oyo said that they were just following the orders of their commanders and that they did not deserve to die. In this way, he released lightning that hit the opposing commanders and spared the enemy army, which came to admire Xangô’s strength and justice.

Thus, this is a very important point that goes against the precept of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, with a more rational analysis of the unfair situation. After all, Xangô shows that justice is complex and is not just about simple action and reaction, involving several details that may be hidden even for human beings, such as karma being fulfilled due to an attitude made in the past incarnation.

There is an itan that tells the origin of Xangô as an Orisha, in which he will test a new tool with Iansã, since this Orisha always carried stones that release fire and set fire to battles. However, this new tool is very strong and sets the kingdom of Oyo on fire. Deeply shaken, Xangô and Iansã ended their earthly lives and became Orixás.

However, it is worth remembering that, as in other religions, the itãs metaphorically portray the components of religion. Among these components, they can show opposing strengths, values ​​and many other lessons. Therefore, they should not be taken literally by someone studying religion.

Religious syncretism played a very important role in preserving African roots in Brazil, since during the terrible period of slavery, slaves were forbidden to worship their gods, being forced to attend Catholic masses. Even so, they didn’t want to give up their roots from the time they were in Africa, which made them replace each saint with an Orixá.

Below you will be able to see what are the syncretisms of Xangô, not only in Catholicism, but also in Greek and Roman mythology and much more. In this way, each of these Xangô syncretisms is directly associated with characteristics of that Orisha.

The convergent characteristic of São Pedro and Xangô is that of administering thunder, since according to Catholic belief, São Pedro was responsible for administering thunder and rain. Thus, this saint received the key to take over the sky, being syncretized with Xangô who has this attribute of thunder.

Just as June is a month of celebration for Saint John the Baptist, this is also a month to pay homage to Xangô, based on religious syncretism. In both cases, the traditions for commemoration are identical, with an abundance of the fire element in bonfires and fireworks. That is, the predominance of the base element of Xangô. Including, it was Saint John who baptized Jesus Christ, having the role of protagonist and chosen.

Very famous for translating the bible into Latin, Saint Jerome is famous for being the one who writes the laws of God, according to Catholicism. Due to this characteristic, it was syncretized with Xangô who is the Orixá creator of the laws of justice that are mirrored in the universal laws that govern the functioning of the universe, created by God, Olorum, Zambi or any other name given to the cosmic driving force.

Jupiter, equivalent to Zeus in Greek mythology, is the main god in Roman mythology. Jupiter assumes the role of protagonist, with strength and seen as a symbol of justice, which makes it easy to draw a parallel with Xangô. Including, the planet corresponding to Xangô in astrology is Jupiter, which only makes the similarity between these two figures more evident.

Zeus is the god of justice and thunder in Greek mythology, assuming a prominent role in Olympian. In this way, it is very easy to draw a parallel between Zeus and Xangô, since Xangô is also the creator of laws and the Orisha of thunder. Just out of curiosity, both have strength points in the mountains, since in Greek mythology Zeus performs his actions directly from the Olympic mount.

The syncretism between Xangô and Tupã is mainly due to the fact that Tupã is called “The Spirit of Thunder”. However, Tupã assumes the function of several Orixás, since he was the creator of the earth, the sky and the seas, referring to the Orisha Oxalá. In addition, he is related to agriculture (like Ogum), hunting (Oxóssi) and the transmission of knowledge of medicinal herbs to shamans (Ossain).

Odin, the father of all in Norse mythology, has wisdom as one of his main attributes. Thus, for being the god of wisdom, he is syncretized with Xangô. After all, one of the main characteristics of the Orisha Xangô is wisdom, with great prudence when performing any actions.

However, this Orisha can also be syncretized with Thor, due to the fact that Thor is the god of thunder in Norse mythology and because he also has an axe.

Within the qualities of Xangô, one can see different ways of acting, characteristics and even preferences. Therefore, to understand the Orisha Xangô, it is very important to understand all its qualities and how they are manifested in the terreiro.

Syncretized with São Pedro, this quality of Xangô has as fields of action the stones of the river, the sea, waterfalls, lakes and fountains. They are protectors of fishermen and receive their offerings on these stones. Because it is syncretized with St. Peter, many associate the keys to heaven with this quality, considering it as the protector of the disembodied.

Xangô Alafim is the phalangero who wears white, due to his proximity to the Orixá Oxalá, and can come with red details if there is harmony with Ogun and green details, if he is in harmony with Oxossi. He is one of the best-known phalangers of Xangô, for being the first to come to earth, being called ‘O Grande Pai’ or ‘White Xangô’.

He carries in his hand the ax of Xangô, called Oxé, and the sword, always acting with great force, not fearing possible opponents. Manifesting himself in his youthful form, Alafim fulfills justice on earth and helps people to overcome the demands that afflict them.

Afonjá is a young quality of the Orixá Xangô, having great wisdom that makes it mature. He is flirtatious and proud, having a very intense energetic relationship that can clash with other attunements.

Hence it is said that he…