The Orishas are the deities of Yoruba mythology, carried across the Atlantic and reshaped in Cuba, Brazil, Haiti and the wider Caribbean. Each one rules over a force of nature and a domain of human life — and each is honored with its own rhythms, songs and dances. This guide introduces the primary Orishas, what they mean, and the music that calls them down.
In Yoruba cosmology, Olodumare is the supreme creator. The Orishas are the intermediaries between Olodumare and humanity — divine beings who once walked the earth and now govern the elements, crafts and passions of daily life. Enslaved Africans brought the Orishas to the Americas, where the tradition survived under the names Santería, Lucumí, Candomblé and Vodou, always accompanied by drumming and song.
The pantheon includes hundreds of Orishas, but seven are honored most widely in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. Each has its own liturgical rhythm in the batá drum repertoire.
Opener of paths, messenger of the Orishas
Elegguá is the youngest and oldest of the Orishas at once, holder of the keys to every road. No ritual begins without saluting him first.
Sacred rhythm: Latopa and Chachalokafún — the first drum call in every ceremony. His songs open the batá drum liturgy. Bright, staccato calls announce his arrival at the crossroads before any other deity is invoked.
Warrior, blacksmith, patron of labor and metal
Ogún is the divine ironworker, clearing paths with his machete. He rules over technology, war and hard work.
Sacred rhythm: Ogún toque — heavy, cutting strokes on the iyá drum. Percussion for Ogún favors metal — an agogô bell against the iyá, itótele and okónkolo — mirroring the strike of hammer on anvil.
Mother of the Orishas, ruler of the seas
Yemayá is the great mother, source and sustainer of life. Devotees carry offerings of flowers and melon to the shore in her honor.
Sacred rhythm: Alaró and Chenché Kururú — rolling, tidal cadences. Her songs are long and swelling, with call-and-response choruses that imitate the pull of waves and the rocking of a cradle.
Love, sweetness, rivers, gold and honey
Oshún rules the rivers and everything fertile and beautiful. She is invoked for love, healing and abundance.
Sacred rhythm: Chenché — swaying, sensual triple-meter patterns. Songs for Oshún use bells, laughter and shimmering timbres. Yellow scarves and honey accompany the singing.
King, justice, virility, dance
Changó is the deified fourth king of Oyo, master of thunder and the double axe. His stories teach the power and the danger of ruling with force.
Sacred rhythm: Titilaró and Ñongo — thunderous, syncopated strokes. His toque is the most virtuosic in the batá repertoire — rapid, rolling and joyful. Red and white cloth mark his feast.
Creator of human bodies, wisdom, purity
Obatalá is the father of the Orishas, shaper of human form. His path calls for calm, cool head and moral clarity.
Sacred rhythm: Bayuba — slow, dignified, meditative. His songs are hushed and reverent. Devotees dress in white and dance with restrained, elder-like grace.
Change, ancestral spirits, marketplace
Oyá guards the gate between the living and the dead. She sweeps away what has ended and opens the way for the new.
Sacred rhythm: Aggueré — driving, whirlwind patterns. Her toque is fast and unrelenting, echoing wind and thunder. Purple, maroon and copper-toned cloth accompany her songs.
The batá are three double-headed drums — iyá (mother), itótele (middle) and okónkolo (small) — used to summon the Orishas. Each Orisha has a fixed sequence of toques, or rhythmic salutations, played in a set order during an oro. The music is not accompaniment: it is the invocation.
The Orishas are the deities of Yoruba mythology from West Africa. They act as intermediaries between the supreme creator Olodumare and humanity, each ruling over a force of nature and a domain of human life. Their worship survives across the Americas as Santería, Lucumí, Candomblé and Vodou.
Yoruba tradition counts hundreds of Orishas, but seven are honored most widely in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora: Elegguá, Ogún, Yemayá, Oshún, Changó, Obatalá and Oyá. These seven are known as the Siete Potencias, or Seven African Powers.
Elegguá opens the paths, Ogún rules iron and labor, Yemayá is the mother of the sea, Oshún governs love and fresh water, Changó commands thunder and justice, Obatalá shapes human bodies with wisdom and purity, and Oyá rules the wind, storms and the passage between the living and the dead.
Each Orisha is called with a specific toque — a rhythmic salutation played on the three double-headed batá drums (iyá, itótele and okónkolo). The toques are performed in a fixed liturgical order called the oro, accompanied by call-and-response songs in Lucumí, the ritual language of the tradition.
The batá are three sacred hourglass-shaped double-headed drums used to summon the Orishas. The iyá (mother) leads, the itótele answers and the okónkolo keeps the pulse. Consecrated batá — called aña — are considered a spirit in their own right and can only be played by initiated drummers.
They are related but not identical. Yoruba mythology is the original West African religious tradition. Santería (also called Regla de Ocha or Lucumí) is the syncretic form it took in Cuba, where enslaved Yoruba people paired each Orisha with a Catholic saint to preserve the practice under colonial rule.
Every album in the Jasnelly catalog is dedicated to one of the Orishas above. Browse the shop to hear the rhythms in full, or follow a specific deity to their offerings.