Supernatural Beings Identified with Christian Saints Codexery

Babalú-Ayé

Orisha of Earth, healing, and smallpox.

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Babalú-Ayé is an orisha in the Yoruba religion, also known as Obalúayé, Omolu, or Ṣọpọna.[1] He is associated with healing illnesses and with bringing diseases such as smallpox.[2]

Life and work

One story recounts that Ṣopona, old and lame, attended a celebration at Obatala's palace and fell while trying to dance.[3][4] In Santería, Babalú-Ayé is syncretized with Saint Lazarus and honored with a pilgrimage on December 17.[5] He is often considered the son of Yemoja and brother of Shango, though some lineages say he is the son or husband of Nana Buluku.[6] In Candomblé, his face is covered with palm straw because it is too beautiful to look at after his illness is cured.[7]

Ellis (1894:52) recounts that after the other orishas mocked him, Ṣopona attempted to give them smallpox in retaliation.[4] As told by Ellis (1894:52), Obatala intervened, halting Ṣopona and banishing him to the bush, where he remains an outcast.[4] Among the Fon people, the spirit is most frequently referred to as Sakpata, and he is the proprietor of the Earth, according to Herskovits (1938:142, 131).[8] The Ewe people honor a comparable entity with the praise name Anyigbato, who is thought to roam at night dressed in snail shells, as noted by Friedson (2009:214n27) and Lovell (2002:73-74).[9]

What the cited sources add

A 2010 source by Mason states that little information is known about Babalu Aye.[10] A 2012 source by Mason expresses anticipation for more posts about Babalu Aye.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Salamone, "Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals", Routledge, 2004, p. 24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bastos, "Entre o Mito e o Músculo: Dança dos Orixás e Cadeias", Editora Appri, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Idowu 1962:97 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ellis 1894:52 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mason 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lucas 1996:112, Idowu 1962:99; Thompson 1993:224; Ramos 1996:68; Mason 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Verger 1957:248 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Herskovits 1938:142; Herskovits 1938:131 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Babalú-Ayé" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Friedson 2009: 214n27; Lovell 2002: 73-74; Rosenthal 1998: 68; Lovell 2002: 73-74; Friedson 2009: 214n27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Mason 2010. facts only, no text reused. baba-who-babalu-santeria.blogspot.com
  11. Mason 2012. facts only, no text reused. baba-who-babalu-santeria.blogspot.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Babalú-Ayé (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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