Oxóssi

The Hunter King of the Forests

Domain: Hunt, Forests & Abundance
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Earth
Relics of Power: Bow and Arrow (Ofá)

Speak with Oxóssi

The People

People

Yoruba people

Region

West Africa & the diaspora

Period

c. 1000 AD – present

The orixás are worshipped by the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria and Benin, with Ile-Ife as their spiritual center. Through the slave trade, their faith crossed the Atlantic and flourished in the Americas as Candomblé, Santería, and Vodou. It is today one of the most living and widespread African religious traditions in the world.

The Osun festival in Osogbo, Nigeria, draws thousands to the sacred grove of the Osun river, a UNESCO heritage site. The Ifá oracle guides decisions through the odus, and in Brazil the Candomblé terreiros honor each orixá with their own drums, dances, colors, and foods.

The Sacred Scrolls

Orixá of the hunt, the forests, and abundance, Oxóssi is the divine hunter who provides food and plenty. Lord of the woods, he knows the secrets of animals and plants, ensuring the sustenance of his people. Skilled and precise, he is held to be the provider who never lets food run short at the table. As The Hunter King of the Forests, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the iorubas pantheon. Their domains over Hunt, Forests & Abundance reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The bow and arrow (ofá), the horn, the forest and the color green

Divine Lineage

Hunter orixá; brother of Ogun; companion of Ossaim in the forests.

The Legendary Myth

In a famous myth, a magical bird terrorized the kingdom, and no hunter could bring it down, except Oxóssi, who felled it with a single sure arrow.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the iorubas recounts the journey when Oxóssi intervened directly in the lives of mortals.