Tales of the Orishas


Book Description

A fantasy-adventure graphic novel that explores Afro-Brazilian legends and mythology In ancient times, when heaven and Earth were united as two halves of a gourd, deities and heroes walked among men. They fought battles with fury and taught the ways of the ashe (the energy of creation), land, iron, and fire. They reigned and loved with great intensity. Some descended from the luminous Orun, to live their lives and fulfill their destinies, while others were born in the aiye, and through their great deeds became Orishas, changing forever the history of two continents. Tales of the Orishas fuses the pantheon of the African Diasporic religion of Candomble with the Silver Age comic aesthetics of Jack Kirby into a riveting tale of high adventure. The story centers around a celestial battle between the gods of Brazil, who are worshipped by the Bahia people, and a fearsome conquering force led by a dark and malevolent overlord. Only Shango, the god of fire and thunder, can lead his people into victory while the fate of creation hangs in the balance. Masterfully executed and painstakingly researched, Hugo Canuto brings these legends to life with incredible designs and a vibrant palette. Tales of the Orishas is a bright and brilliant tale that showcases mythology as a powerful tool to remind us that there is something greater to unite the peoples who sail on the blue star called Earth.




The Gatekeeper's Staff


Book Description

TJ Young has been surrounded by magic his entire life, yet he has never tapped into it? until now.Fourteen-year-old TJ grew up normal in a secret community of gifted diviners in the heart of modern-day Los Angeles. His powerful sister was ordained to lead his people into a new age of prosperity, but her mysterious death in Nigeria threatens to destroy the very foundations of TJ's world.Desperate to pick up where his sister left off and uncover the secrets behind her questionable death, TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. So he enrolls in Camp Olosa-a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.But little does he know, TJ is destined to cross paths with powerful spirits of old thought lost to time: the orishas.Delve into this young adult fantasy based on the mythology of the West African Orishas, where TJ will encounter unlikely allies, tough-as-gatorhide instructors, and the ancient secrets of the orishas.




Will of the Mischief Maker


Book Description

What happens when a deity needs a human body? They go to the source, of course. Eshu the Trickster needs a mortal form for his mischievous plans, but the only other Orisha who can help him swore off the practice ages ago. It will take careful scheming to convince the Original Architect to come out of retirement. Any misstep and Eshu will be thrown from the Sky Realm. What’s worse, Eshu hasn’t visited the heavens for several centuries. Would his former comrade even be the same? How can Eshu persuade someone he barely knows anymore? Find out in this prequel short story to The Gatekeeper’s Staff, a young adult fantasy based on the West African mythology of the Orishas.







Tales of Yoruba Gods and Heroes


Book Description

"Myths, legends and heroic tales of the Yoruba people of West Africa"--Cover subtitle.




Children of Blood and Bone


Book Description

Zľie Adebola remembers when the soil of Ors̐ha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zľie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls.




Divining the Self


Book Description

Divining the Self weaves elements of personal narrative, myth, history, and interpretive analysis into a vibrant tapestry that reflects the textured, embodied, and performative nature of scripture and scripturalizing practices. Velma Love examines the Odu—the Yoruba sacred scriptures—along with the accompanying mythology, philosophy, and ritual technologies engaged by African Americans. Drawing from the personal narratives of African American Ifa practitioners along with additional ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Oyotunji African Village, South Carolina, and New York City, Love’s work explores the ways in which an ancient worldview survives in modern times. Divining the Self also takes up the challenge of determining what it means for the scholar of religion to study scripture as both text and performance. This work provides an excellent case study of the sociocultural phenomenon of scripturalizing practices.




Osun across the Waters


Book Description

Ã’sun is a brilliant deity whose imagery and worldwide devotion demand broad and deep scholarly reflection. Contributors to the ground-breaking Africa's Ogun, edited by Sandra Barnes (Indiana University Press, 1997), explored the complex nature of Ogun, the orisa who transforms life through iron and technology. Ã’sun across the Waters continues this exploration of Yoruba religion by documenting Ã’sun religion. Ã’sun presents a dynamic example of the resilience and renewed importance of traditional Yoruba images in negotiating spiritual experience, social identity, and political power in contemporary Africa and the African diaspora. The 17 contributors to Ã’sun across the Waters delineate the special dimensions of Ã’sun religion as it appears through multiple disciplines in multiple cultural contexts. Tracing the extent of Ã’sun traditions takes us across the waters and back again. Ã’sun traditions continue to grow and change as they flow and return from their sources in Africa and the Americas.




Tales of Èṣù


Book Description

Èṣù is without a doubt, the most fascinating, astute and unpredictable of all Yorùbá Orishas. Central to Yorùbá Orisha religion, Èṣù is known as a divine messenger who is a mediator between man, the Orishas and the Supreme God Olódùmarè-Òlóòrun. He is also known as an instigator of intrigues and trickster Orisha. In this collection of tales, Èṣù takes center stage, as the main protagonist, where the reader will experience two sides of this enigmatic Orisha: the good and the bad, which are presented in a spirited form. Tales of Èṣù Yorùbá Divine Messenger and trickster Orisha are stories based on the African Yorùbá oral tradition of storytelling, which portrays the escapades and folly of this divine Orisha, utilizing a modern touch and simple language. Èṣù, as the first Orisha, is well-worshipped and extremely respected in Yorùbáland because he is literally present in everything; in nature, in objects and in the physical human body. For this reason, Èṣù is present in the majority of stories related to an infinite number of topics, as well as his relationship with the other Orishas in the Yorùbá pantheon. In this collection, Alex Cuoco presents 80 fascinating Èṣù tales that are retold with great skill and rhythm, in which Èṣù appears at his best, in various forms: as a trickster, messenger, instigator, officer and enforcer of the laws of Òrun (Heaven), as well as moderator, master-punisher, advisor, mediator, helper and administrator. The variety of themes of these tales affords the reader an acquaintance with the good and mischievous aspects of Èṣù. The reader will also experience Èṣù's sexual appetite and unusual sense of humor, which when combined, become a prominent aspect of Èṣù's explosive and surprising personality. In this manner, Tales of Èṣù offers the reader the opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Èṣù's character and his divine Àṣẹ (Power). This editio




The Diloggún


Book Description

The first book on Santer�s holiest divination system, the Diloggun. Explores the lore surrounding this mysterious oracle, the living Bible of one of the world's fastest growing faiths. Examines each family of " odu" and how their actions affect the spiritual development of the individual. An indispensable guide to the mysteries of the orishas.




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