One of the best ways to stay in Elegua's good graces is consistency. Anyone can petition him for assistance in unblocking the roads to their happiness, as long as they show respect and make the proper offerings: smoked fish, yellow rice, toasted corn, candy, rum, or tobacco are good places to start. You do not have to be a priest or priestess to make personal offerings to Elegua and ask for help. Though he is often depicted as an adult or old man, Elegua is also frequently shown as a child, sometimes with a sack of toasted corn and sweets. Since he knows everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen, he is a messenger between humans and the rest of the Orishas. He is said to live behind every door, and so Santeria practitioners often keep an Elegua head there to protect their homes. Without his help, few things are possible. He knows everything, is always honored first among the Orishas, and facilitates the connection between humans, ancestors, and beyond. As the first Orisha created by Olodumare, he has existed before the rest of creation. Really, Eshus are a family of Orishas that try to cause problems for people - interacting with them without the proper respect is a sure way to create misfortune for yourself!Įlegua has many roads, also called Eshu. Sometimes, Elegua is said to have a counterpart, Eshu, who control misfortune. Though he is a trickster who delights in testing humans, with his aid, it is possible for anyone to open any road and obtain happiness. As the personification of fate, he has the power to help a person realize their destiny.
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