Elegba

Elegba, also known as Esu, Eshu, Eleggua or Elegguá, is a major orisha in the Yoruba religious tradition of West Africa and in its diasporic practices, including Santería (Regla de Ocha), Candomblé, and Haitian Vodou where he is often referred to as Legba. He serves as the messenger between the divine and human realms and is the guardian of thresholds, gates, and crossroads. As a controller of paths and opportunities, Elegba is traditionally seen as opening or closing the way for communication, travel, and fortune.

In ritual practice, Elegba is typically the first deity honored in ceremonies, invoked to open the way for the other orishas and to ensure that offerings reach the divine realm. He is commonly described as a trickster and a liminal figure who can be benevolent or mischievous, depending on whether he is properly appeased. His domains include communication, commerce, luck, and the timely delivery of messages from the gods. Across traditions, he is regarded as both a divine guardian of households and a keeper of personal fate.

In the diaspora, Elegba is often associated with small shrines or altars placed at entrances, crossroads, or thresholds. He is frequently depicted in red and black, colors that symbolize his dual nature as giver and tester of paths. Offerings typically include foods and items such as sweets, tobacco, rum, coins, and other symbolic gifts chosen to please him. Syncretism with Catholic saints is common in some communities; most often, Elegba is linked with Saint Anthony of Padua, though associations vary by lineage and locality.