Eleggua

Eleggua, also spelled Elegua, Elegguá, Eshu, or Legba in various Afro-Caribbean traditions, is an orisha revered in the Yoruba-based faiths of West Africa and in diasporic systems such as Afro-Cuban Santería (Regla de Ocha). He functions as the messenger between humans and the other orishas and as the guardian of crossroads, thresholds, beginnings, and paths. In ritual practice, he is typically honored first, as his consent is believed to open the way for offerings and prayers to reach the other orishas.

In Yoruba and related traditions, Eleggua is viewed as both benevolent and mischievous—a trickster who tests humans while guiding their choices. He governs doorways, travel, fortune, and communication, and he is seen as essential for the proper conveyance of messages between the human world and the divine. His role as gatekeeper makes him central to initiation rites and to daily prayers, where his approval is sought to ensure favorable outcomes.

Iconography and depictions of Eleggua vary. He is frequently represented as a child or a young boy and is often associated with a red and black color scheme. Common symbols include a staff, keys, or other tokens that signify openings, doors, and opportunities. The imagery reinforces his function as the one who opens and closes paths.

Offerings to Eleggua are diverse and tailored to local tradition. Typical sacraments include sweets such as candy or cookies, tobacco, coffee, rum, fruit, candles, and small tokens or toys. He is usually fed first in a ritual, after which other offerings are made to the remaining orishas.

In Caribbean contexts, Eleggua is linked to the Legba figure in Haitian Vodou and to Exu in Brazilian Candomblé, reflecting his widespread role as the doorway to the divine.