Known as the king of Oyo, Xangô is a powerful orixá who has control over lightning and thunder, and who also expels fire through his mouth. When he was king, according to legend, Xango spared no effort to conquer other territories for his mighty kingdom. Despite being a warrior and very violent, he insisted on dealing fairly with all the issues that appeared among his subjects.
Once, interested in seeking new weapons of conquest, king Shango asked his wife, Iansã, to bring a magic potion from the kingdom of the Baribas. On the way home, she couldn't resist her own curiosity and tried the powerful liquid she carried in her gourd. Feeling a terrible taste in his mouth, he spat out the potion. However, instead of expelling the liquid, it released a great blaze.
Upon learning of the news, Xangô was excited and vain about the new weapon. Before long, he decided to exercise the powers of that fantastic enchantment. While Shango used the potion, the people were terrified of the huge bangs and the glow caused by the flames. The noise produced by the incredible weapon became known as thunder. On the other hand, the glow of the flames was called lightning.
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In another day that tested the power of fire, Xangô ended up causing a huge fire that destroyed the entire city of Oyó. Despite not having the intention, the priests decided to remove him from the government and force him to commit suicide in the forest. After serving the sentence, no one found the remains of the former king. At that moment, several rumors suggested that the gods had turned Xango into an orixá.
As time went by, every time thunder and lightning took the skies, the people of Oyo remembered that their king was still alive. In the various Afro-Brazilian rituals, Xangô appears with a double-sided ax because of his warlike inclination. At the same time, the domain of lightning and thunder was also associated with this prestigious African deity.
In Brazil, we observe that several Catholic saints are directly associated with the cult of Xangô. St. Jerome usually gets close to Xangô for being close to the lion, an animal that reaffirms the condition of royalty for Africans. We can also mark the celebration of Xangô on the day of Saint Peter, considered a guardian of the heavens, equivalent to the orixá.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Shango"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/religiao/xango.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.