Orisa

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This imaginatively retold collection of myths from the West African Yoruba people shines a light on the interesting and occasionally disturbing lives of their gods, the Oris?a. Over twenty-seven chapters, readers will learn about how the Yoruba believe the gods came into existence, how the earth itself was created, how and who structured natural ecosystems, how discord and strife came to the world, and how some humans came to ascend to the heavens to be gods themselves. Through the lens of the complicated and occasionally Machiavellian lives of the Oris?a, the book touches on themes of marital breakdown, jealousy, infidelity, persecution, war, and lust.Whilst many might be familiar with the Greek, Roman, and Norse pantheons, much fewer have been exposed to the richness of the Yoruba pantheon.Ayodele Sasegbon is a UK physician with a deep interest in Yoruba culture. Having been inspired by his grandparents' work with the Nigerian Field Society, from a very young age he has been interested in history and its preservation. He was motivated to compile and retell this collection of Yoruba myths to introduce the Yoruba pantheon of gods to his son and by extension to all with an interest in myths, legends, and folktales; especially those from off the rather well-trodden Greco-Roman narrative path.