Erinle
Erinle was a great hunter, sometimes described as a herbalist or farmer, who conducted the first Olobu to the site of Ilobu and protected the town from invasion; one day he sank into the earth near Ilobu and became the river that bears his name, a tributary of the Osun.
The orishas are not a Western pantheon: Yoruba and Ifa tradition assigns them no planets, no zodiac signs and no Wiccan sabbats, and reckons time by the four-day traditional week. The planetary (Neptune), zodiacal (Pisces, Virgo), tarot (the Star, Ace of Cups, the Hermit) and sabbat values in this entry are modern Western overlays, and the sabbat list is left empty. Erinle's own account is a deified hunter who led the first Olobu to Ilobu, protected the town, and sank into the earth to become the river; the Inle of Cuba and the Oxossi Ibualamo of Brazil are diaspora forms with their own emphases, not synonyms to be merged. He is not a 'river god' archetype, and the healing and herbal work attached to him is the tradition's. The weekday value is diaspora practice.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Neptune
Offerings
- Offerings
- FishRiver waterHoneyHerbsThe first catch
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- InleOde InleOxossi Ibualamo
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- The Hunter of IlobuOwner of the Erinle RiverThe One Who Sank into the EarthHealer of the Waters
- Symbols
- RiverBowSmooth stonesThe earth that openedFish
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneQuiet healingAddressErinleOde InleHunter of IlobuRelationshipThe hunter who became the riverWarningHe withdrew into the earth once and took his water with himResonanceHealers hunters those who work with rivers
- Modern Practice
Erinle is served at the river with fish, honey and herbs, and his practice is healing with water and plant medicine. The smooth stones of the river are his and are handled by his priests. The town of Ilobu keeps his festival, and the river is his body.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- The erinle riverHuntingHealingHerbal medicineThe forestProvisionThe town of ilobu
- Mythology Summary
Erinle was a great hunter, sometimes described as a herbalist or farmer, who conducted the first Olobu to the site of Ilobu and protected the town from invasion; one day he sank into the earth near Ilobu and became the river that bears his name, a tributary of the Osun. His shrines hold smooth round stones from the Erinle River, and his cult is found in towns across the former Oyo Empire. In Cuba he is Inle, and in Brazil Oxossi Ibualamo, and the diaspora forms have their own emphases. The hunter, the healer and the river are one account in the tradition.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsBlueGreenBrownScentsRainCedarMyrrhMetalsIronSilverAnimalsFishDeerOtter
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