SHANGO – God of Thunder

July 19, 2016

Seere * Sheere = The Voice Of Shango…

“No-one can speak on behalf of Shango Olukoso”

Seere a small gourd had no-one to serve, no-one to attach herself to. Two other kinds of
gourd, Igba & Akingbe were serving Oya & Odo respectively. Seere consulted Ifa & Ose Meji
appeared.

**She performed the sacrifice required of her**

Ifa (Ose-Meji) Made Her Medicine & Told Her To Go As Soon As She Had Eaten It To A
Shango Shrine. When She Reached The Shrine, She Threw Herself Down In Reverence To
Say: “Hail To You Shango” All The Seeds In Her Stomach Rattled Loudly. Shango Heard The
Noise & Was Overwhelmed By It. Shango Called Out In Glee: Bring Out The Bata Drums, I
Will Dance Round My Realm. Seere Will Go Before Me She Will Make Noise.

**Seere Saka Siki – Seere Siki Saka “Ose Ose Ose” **

Ever Since Then Seere Has Been Used As The Voice In The Worship Of Shango.

Shango God Of Thunder & Lightning – His name appears to be derived from shan, “to
strike violently,” and go, “to bewilder;” and to have reference to peals of thunder, which are
supposed to be produced by violent blows. He has the epithet of Jakuta, “Hurler of stones,”
or “Fighter with stones”; and stone implements, which have long ceased to be used in West
Africa, are believed to be his thunderbolts.

Shango creates thunder and lightning by casting “thunder stones” down to earth; wherever
lightning strikes, priests search the surrounding area for the thrown stone. The Yoruba
believe these stones have special powers, and they enshrine the stones in temples to the
god. He usually goes armed with a club called Oshe, made of the wood of the Ayan tree,
which is so hard that a proverb says, “The Ayan tree resists the axe.” In consequence of his
club being made of this wood, the tree is sacred to him.

The priests and followers of Shango wear a wallet, emblematic of the plundering
propensities of their lord, and the chief priest is called Mogba, “The Receiver.” As amongst
the Ewe tribes, a house struck by lightning is at once invaded and plundered by the disciples
of the god, and a fine imposed on the occupants, who, it is held, must have offended him.

Persons who are killed by lightning may not, properly speaking, be buried; but if the
relations of the deceased offer a sufficient payment, the priests usually allow the corpse to
be redeemed and buried. Individuals rendered insensible by lightning are at once dispatched
by the priests, the accident being regarded as proof positive that Shango requires them. A
common idea is that Shango is subject to frequent outbursts of ungovernable temper,
during which he thumps and bangs overhead, and hurls down stones at those who have
given him cause for offence.

Koso is a suburban district of Oyo, one of the holiest places of the city because it was the
place where Sango laid his power, his Ashe. For this reason, one of the titles is Oba koso
Shango – king of Koso. No king in Oyo is installed without performing all the rites of
coronation inside the temple of Shango in Koso.

After the coronation of the king, he can never join the community until his death. Therefore,
the connection between Koso and the Alaafin is both spiritual and political. The Alaafin
should regularly perform traditional rites for their direct Ancestor (Shango), which inherited
his crown. This crown was passed from generation to generation, under the protection of
the high-priest of Shango, the Mogba Koso, who is the supreme head of Koso , plays a
crucial role in the royal succession , since he is the custodian of the Ancestral crown of
Shango and responsible for the coronation of the new king.

During the selection of the new king , the Ancestral crown is returned to him to be kept at
the shrine of Shango in Koso. Only he has the authority to keep the belongings of Shango.
After the enthronement of the new king by receiving Sango crown, it is prohibited for any
Alaafin to get back into Koso , because Alaafin and Sango should not see twice in a lifetime .
Mogba has the responsibility to perform the necessary rites between the two entities.

Mogba Koso is the one who crowns the Alaafin with the mythical crown of Shango, the
Alaafin shall be considered Shango possessing supernatural and spiritual powers that
confirmed him as head of the Yoruba. The Fourth Day of World Shango Festival is about
casting the Erindilogun (16 cowries) in Koso in the morning time and the Arugba Shango
will proceed into the palace in the afternoon.

Shango ruled over all the Yorubas including Benin, and Dahomey, for the worship of him has
continued in all these countries to this day. Finding himself deserted not only by his friends,
but also by his beloved wife Oya, he committed suicide at a place called Koso. His tragic end
became a proverb and a by-word, and his faithless friends were ashamed on account of the
taunts cast upon the name and fame of the unfortunate King. Then Shango’s friends said
that the catastrophe was attributable to the late King taking vengeance on his enemies on
account of the indignities they had heaped upon his memory. Being appealed to propitiate
the offended King in order that he may stay his vengeance upon the land, his friends offered
sacrifices to him as god, and hence these intercessors became the Mogba -advocate and
priests of Shango; and to this day their descendants hold the same office. The emblems of
worship representing Shango are certain smooth stones shaped like an axe head commonly
taken for thunder bolts.

Shango’s life was so filled with terrible battles and surprising victories that his subjects and
enemies alike credited him with supernatural powers. Shango died in the prime of his life.
One of the supernatural powers which he claimed himself was the power to make lightning.
According to Oyo traditions, while demonstrating this power to his chiefs and courtiers one
day, he accidentally burnt down the palace. Either out of embarrassment or out of fear of
his subjects, he took his own life. But his people, out of gratitude for all he had done for
their kingdom, deified him, giving his name to the god of thunder and lightning and set up
shrines and rituals for his worship. The cult of Shango became the special cult of Oyo-Ile
kings.
Mounted By The Gods: Elegun Shango and also known as Jakuta is perhaps one of the most
popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder. Shango is historically a
royal Ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Kingdom prior to his
posthumous deification. In the Lukumí religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered the
center point of the religion as he represents the Oyo people of West Africa, the symbolic
Ancestors of the adherents of the faith. All the major initiation ceremonies – as performed in
Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and Venezuela for the last few hundred years are based on the
traditional Shango ceremony of Ancient Oyo. This ceremony survived the Middle Passage
and is considered to be the most complete to have arrived on Western shores. This variation
of the Yoruba initiation ceremony became the basis of all Orisha initiations in the West.