Shango () is the Orisha (or deity) of fire, thunder, lightning, virility, dance, drumming, strength and justice in the Yoruba religion. Genealogically, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafin of the Oyo Empire prior to his posthumous deification. Xangô, as he is called in Candomblé and various other Afro-Brazilian religions, is believed to have numerous manifestations as various historical and legendary figures, including Ayrá, Agodo, Afonja, Lubé, and Obomin. Ayrá is derived from another deity in Yorùbáland, the personification of thunder, that is often closely associated with Ṣàngó and is known variously as Àìrá, Àrá, Àrá-gbona etc. In the first narrative, Ṣàngó casts a "thunderstone" to earth, which creates thunder and lightning, to anyone who offends him. Worshippers in Yorubaland in Nigeria do not eat cowpea because they believe that the wrath of the god of thunder and lightning would descend on them. In the second narrative, Ṣàngó is gifted with the ability to breathe fire and smoke through his nostrils and is known for being angered by his quarrelsome wives. These narratives also encapsulate the virility, bravery, and governance of Ṣàngó.

  • Shangó is the thirteenth album released by the American rock band Santana.
  • Shango is the main protagonist of the famous 1963 play, Ọba kò so by Duro Ladipo.
  • The story of Shango was reimagined through a female protagonist in the 2022 fantasy novel Sànyà by Oyin Olugbile. The book became critically acclaimed and went on to win the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature.
  • Shango is a large theme in the Mighty Sparrow song "Congo Man".
  • Caliban invokes Shango in Aimé Césaire's play Une Tempête (A Tempest).
  • The graffiti "CHANGO", written in large red letters in Herman Braun-Vega's portrait of Wifredo Lam (collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques), refers to Lam's African cultural heritage.
  • Shango appears as a minor character in The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.
  • Xango is depicted as a major antagonist in the comic series The Mummy: The Rise and Fall of Xango's Ax.
  • "Shango" is a bonus track on Guadalcanal Diary's album 2x4.
  • Chango is portrayed by Wale in season 3 of American Gods.
  • FC Shango is an American men's recreational football club based in Minnesota and was formed in 1992. Competing in the highest division in amateur soccer in Minnesota, FC Shango won the state amateur soccer tournament in 2017, and currently has three teams: MASL D2, MSSL O40, and O50. They are the 2023 over 50 Masters League champions of the Minnesota Senior Soccer League MSSL. [https://minnesotaseniorsoccer.com/].
  • Shango is the fifth album released by the multi-genre trance group Juno Reactor.

See also

  • Oya
  • Ogun
  • Oshé
  • Oriṣa

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Johnson, Samuel, History of the Yorubas, London 1921 (pp. 149–152).
  • Law, Robin: The Oyo Empire c. 1600 – c. 1836, Oxford 1977.
  • Seux, M.-J., Épithètes royales akkadiennes et sumériennes, Paris 1967.
  • Tishken,Joel E., Tóyìn Fálọlá, and Akíntúndéí Akínyẹmí (eds), Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2009.

Further reading

  • Charles Spencer King, "Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship & IFA"
  • Charles Spencer King, "IFA Y Los Orishas: La Religion Antigua De LA Naturaleza"
  • Santeria.fr: All about Shango
  • Santeria.fr: Todo sobre Shango
  • Santeria.fr: Tout sur Shango