Who is the orixá Exú?

Exú is an orixá, a kind of messenger responsible for bridging the gap between the human and the divine. Generally treated as a mischievous, faithful and just orixá, Exú is one of the most well-known and worshipped entities in religions of African origin, such as Candomblé and Umbanda.

Exú was given the mission of being responsible for establishing communication between human beings and the divine plan, and is known as the guardian orixá of communication. Because of his characteristics, whenever a ritual or religious work is initiated, reverence or an offering is made to the orixá Exú alone.

Therefore, the day of the week to celebrate Exú is Monday and its predominant color is red and black. Check out the following text about the orixá, with legends, characteristics of the children of Exú, history of the orixá and much more.

The history of Exú

Exú is a controversial figure in African religions and is known as the lord of the beginning and of transformation. Even so, the orixá is often confused, and bad and negative qualities are attributed to him. For some religions, Exú is the devil, a god bent on evil.

For African religions, the orixá is the messenger of God, sent during the period of creation of the earth and responsible for knowing the planet and knowing if it was a good place for humans and orixás.

This orixá is also known for being the guardian of communication, responsible for establishing communication between men and the divine plan. He has some characteristics and personality traits that relate to discipline and patience, being recognized as a great protector of the paths.

Exú in Candomblé

In Candomblé, Exú is one of the greatest orixás. A kind of messenger, it is Exú who makes the connection between the human world and the divine plan. He is also described as someone very mischievous, faithful and just.

In this religion, the orixá Exú is a very controversial figure. He is the most human of the orixás, recognized as the lord of the beginning and of transformation. Exú is also represented as the order, and it is possible for him to multiply and transform himself into the most important unit.

Exú in Yoruba tradition

Exú is the most important figure in Yoruba tradition. Without Exú, the world would not make sense, and he is the only one responsible for contact with other orixás. In this tradition, Exú, who speaks all languages, is responsible for communication between orum and aiê (between the orixás and men).

In the Yoruba tradition, he is worshipped on a piece of porous stone, known as a Yangí. He can also be represented with a pile of stones modeled in human form or can even be made as a statuette adorned with cowries and gourds.

The word Esù or Exú, in Yoruba means "sphere". The orixá of movement is also recognized for overseeing the Axé of things that are done and the very behavior of human beings.

The most human of the orixás

A controversial figure in the African pantheon, Exú is the most human of the orixás, the lord of the beginning and of transformation. Exú can be represented as the ego of every human being, an intrinsic characteristic of all beings.

In this sense, Exú was the first form endowed with individual existence. His origin is unknown and tradition tells that all African kingdoms worship the figure of the orixá. King of Kêtu, Exú was reborn several times as the son of Orunmilá or Oxum.

The orixá of reciprocity

Exú is known as the orixá of reciprocity, precisely because he is just and knows how to recognize efforts. In this sense, if he is pleased as he asks, Exú will certainly reciprocate. When the orixá feels grateful for your retribution, he becomes a faithful squire and friend at all times.

However, if Exú is not offered anything, he becomes the worst of enemies, turning against the negligent. Generally, this person will be punished, his luck will be taken away and his paths will close, accompanied by catastrophes and disappointments.

Exú and communication

One of the best known and most worshiped entities within African religions, Exú is the guardian orixá of communication. He received the mission to make communication between men and the divine plan, representing the beginning of all communication.

Most subtle and astute of all the orixás, Exú was given the task of carrying and bringing messages from humans to the gods, being the bridge, or link, of all communication made between Olorun, Olodumare and creation.

In this sense, because it represents the beginning of communication, it is common in Umbanda houses and Candomblé rituals to begin with some reverence or offering made especially for this guardian, Exú.

Exú and commerce

Exú is the master of commerce and exchange, so his relationship with men is that he receives offerings, even if other orixás are the recipients. Thus, upon receiving his offering, Exú exercises exchange, delivering another to an orixá.

Recognized as the guardian of the market, Exú must be pleased by all merchants and people linked in some way to commerce. A practical example comes from the acarajé vendors, who always offer the first cookie produced that day to the orixá Exú.

Itans (or legends) of the orixá Exú

The Itan is the set of myths and legends present in the African pantheon. It tells stories that involve other elements, such as songs, dances, rituals and teachings. In the Yoruba tradition, the Itan is seen as the absolute truth about the creation of the world, being respected as a way to pass on ancestral teachings to several generations.

Like all orixás, Exú is present in several Itans, which have different teachings. Among these Itans, some deserve more emphasis, such as the fact that Exú is the first to be honored or even when Exú decides to demonstrate all his revenge.

In this sense, to better understand and learn more about these legends involving Exú and his teachings, continue reading the following article.

Exú brings to men the oracle of Ifá

According to this Itan, Exú brings to men the oracle of Ifá always in remote times, when the gods were hungry because they no longer received food from their children who lived on Earth. Thus, increasingly tired, the gods ended up disagreeing with each other, getting into destructive wars.

So Exú went in search of a solution and went straight to Yemanjá, who was of little help. She told Exú that no punishment would help and that other orixás, like Xangô, had tried in vain to punish humans, who did nothing.

Continuing his search, Exú went to meet Orungã, who told him to look for a place with sixteen palm kernels. And so Exú went to a place to look for all the coconuts that were needed. After winning from the monkeys who guarded the coconuts, Exú received a great teaching from them.

Exú went out into the world and visited sixteen places and collected sixteen different stories, with distinct teachings that would end up helping the gods in their endeavor to teach man new things.

As a result, men learned to make sacrifices to the orixás, driving away the evils that threatened their existence. Thus, men returned to sacrificing animals, cooking their meats and offering them to the gods, who were happy and satisfied.

Exú demands the privilege of the first homage

This itan says that Exú was the younger brother of Ogum, Odé and other orixás. Because he was turbulent, he created many confusions, until one day the king, who could no longer stand Exú's behavior, decided to punish him and imprison him.

To avoid being imprisoned, Exú was advised by his brothers to leave the country, and while he lived in exile, Exú was no longer remembered and no one had any news of him. What they did not know was that Exú wore disguises and prowled around his country on feast days, approaching shrines.

As nothing was offered to him, Exú launched a tide of unrest, disgrace and confusion and all religious rituals were suspended by the king. Soon after, the babalorixás consulted a Babalaô from the city and he played cowrie shells.

Exú was the one who spoke in the game and showed his dissatisfaction, saying that he had been forgotten by everyone and that he demanded to receive sacrifices before the other orixás, just as the first songs should be for him. Thus, a goat and seven roosters should be offered to Exú.

The Babalorixás mocked the Babalaô and remained seated, singing and laughing. When they went to get up, they were stuck to their chairs. The Babalaô helped them and everyone got up, on the condition that they always offer the first sacrifice to calm Exú.

Exú gets confused with words

This Itan is about the beginning of everything, when the planet was being formed and things needed to be organized. Orunmilá was questioned by orixás, humans and animals, who wanted to know the place of each creature.

Exú then proposed a solution, suggesting that Orunmilá present every orixá, human and forest creature with a simple question that should be answered objectively. The nature of each one's answer would indicate one's destiny and way of life.

In this sense, the creatures gave answers and received the corresponding way of life, while Exú had plans to confuse Orunmilá, who, in turn, asked a man if he would choose to live inside or outside, and the way he was answered determined that every man would live inside the house.

Suddenly, Orunmilá asked Exú where he would like to live. Exú said he would live outside, then changed his mind and said he would like to live inside. Thinking that Exú was trying to deceive him, Orunmilá determined that Exú would live outside. Since then, Exú has lived in the open air, on the trail, in the fields and on the passageway.

Exú receives the offerings first

Exú was the first son of Yemanjá and Oxalá. He was very light-hearted and liked to play with everyone, and he played so many jokes until he was thrown out of the house. Exú then left wandering the world, while his country was in misery and was afflicted by droughts and epidemics.

Stunned, the people of that country consulted Ifá, who told the people that Exú was furious because he had been forgotten. Thus, Ifá's advice was that the first offering should be made to Exú, thus ensuring the success of every ritual.

In this sense, all the first offerings are made to Exú, who must return to obey all the other orixás and respect their wisdom, so as not to return to doing foolishness and acting in a mistaken and foolish manner.

Exú creates conflict between Yemanjá, Oiá and Oxum

Once Iansã and Oxum, wives of Xangô and Iemanjá, wife of Ogum, went together to the market. Exú, who was in the market, saw that everything was at peace and decided to act in order to install a discord.

Exú then came close to Yemanjá, Iansã and Oxum and told them that he had a very important appointment with Orunmilá. He also told them that he would be leaving town, and asked them to sell the goat for twenty cowries and to keep half of the profit. They agreed and sold the goat for the agreed price.

They put away Exú's ten cowrie shells and began to divide the other ten among themselves. They found that each one would get three cowrie shells and one would be left over. Since it would not be possible to divide all the shells into equal parts, the three began to find a solution and see who would get the biggest part.

Iemanjá said that the elders should have the largest portion and took the conch, while Iansã interceded, saying that the middle one should have the largest portion. Without a way to solve the impasse, Exú ended up coming and clamoring for his share.

With his portion received, Exú was asked to solve their problem. So, Exú gave three to Yemanjá, three to Yansã and three to Oxum. Exú held the last conch, placed it in the ground and buried it. According to Exú, the surplus conch was for the ancestors, as was the custom in Orun. Yemanjá, Yansã and Oxum recognized that Exú was right and accepted the amount destined for them.

Everyone heard about what happened in the market and began to be more careful with their ancestors. Since then, they are always given a share of the earnings and fruits of their labor, such as gifts and large fortunes.

Exú becomes best friends with Orunmilá

Orunmilá is the eldest son of Olorum, responsible for bringing knowledge to humans. On the other hand, Exú has always been known for disagreements and ruptures. Orunmilá was known for his calmness, while Exú was hot like fire.

With his divining shells, Orunmilá could reveal to men the intentions of Olorum and the meaning of destiny. Orunmilá left the paths smooth, and Exú created ambushes and uncertainties. Even being so different, they became great friends.

Orunmilá once traveled, taking only his divining shells and some men to keep him company. These men were very jealous of him and desired the divining bag and decided to help Orunmilá carry it. However, he decided to carry his bag himself, claiming that he was not tired.

Upon arriving home, Orunmilá wondered about his true friends. Thinking of a plan, Orunmilá sent messages to his friends with the news of his death and hid in his house, with no one to see him.

Soon after the news, a companion appeared to show his regret. He said that he had helped Orunmilá with money on other occasions and as a sign of gratitude, Orunmilá would have left the divination bag as a sign of gratitude. However, Orunmilá's wife said that the bag had disappeared and the man left in frustration.

Another man appeared and said the same thing, and this one also left in frustration. The movement continued and many men entered and left the house of Orunmilá, until Exú arrived. He lamented the death of his friend, saying that the greatest sadness, however, would be for his wife, who would no longer have anyone to cook for.

Orunmilá's wife agreed and asked if he did not owe Exú anything, who agreed saying that there was nothing to be taken care of. His wife insisted, asking if Exú did not want the divination bag, to which he denied it. At this point Orunmilá entered the room and said that Exú would indeed be his true friend, and so there was never again a story of friendship as great as this.

Exú's Revenge

According to this itan, a rich man had a large poultry farm. Once, he decided to call a mischievous chick Exú. Trying to take revenge on the man, Exú turned the animal into a very violent being. When he turned into a rooster, he would not leave any other male in peace, hurting and killing all who came into the chicken coop. Over time, the man became poor and ended up losing his poultry farm.

Desperate, he went in search of help and found a Babalaô and asked him what was happening. The priest explained that it was a revenge of Exú and that it was necessary to make an ebó asking forgiveness from the orixá. Then he did the necessary procedures and the rooster became a calm animal and all his creation would be recovered.

Characteristics of the sons and daughters of Exú

An orisha unjustly attacked by human prejudice, Exú represents the bridge between the most human feelings and the superior notions of the orixás. However, his children are known to be very susceptible to passions and personal conquests.

The sons and daughters of Exú are also known for carrying some characteristics that are very faithful to who they really are and how they act. Among them, they are characterized by being happy and charismatic people, for example.

In this sense, stay tuned to the following article to better understand the most striking characteristics of the sons and daughters of Exú.

Joy and optimism

The children of Exu, like the orixá in question, are known for their joy and optimism. It is impossible to be around them and not laugh at some comment or joke made by them.

In this sense, contrary to all the stigma created around the figure of Exú, his children present themselves as good-hearted people who always have a smile on their face, regardless of the situation in which they find themselves.

Friendliness and popularity

Sympathetic, the sons and daughters of Exú are always treating others very well and are recognized for this. Because they are extremely diplomatic people, they are always adjusting to situations and for this reason they end up becoming popular.

Thus, the sons and daughters of Exú are known for never denying help to their friends. This helpfulness makes them more loved, almost an indispensable company for their days.

Lots of energy and vitality

The sons and daughters of Exú are known for their energy and vitality. In this sense, they are great friends of life's pleasures and are known for drinking and eating too much. The contagious humor is a striking characteristic of this vitality, of the love for being alive and thus being able to play tricks on their acquaintances.

In this sense, much of their energy is related to sex and relationships. Sons of Exu stand out for being intense lovers, reserving much of their energy for this.

Charming and communicative

Just as Exú is considered the guardian of communication, or the beginning of the whole communication process, his children are also recognized for their power to communicate clearly and are considered to be good speakers.

The natural charm of the children of this orixá contributes to their relationships. In a relationship, they are recognized by reciprocity: if they love a lot and are reciprocated, they make their partner's life a bed of roses, however, if they love and are hurt, they make it a point to take revenge in double.

Impressive game of wits

The children of Exu are known to be cunning and like to turn things around. To get out of any situation, they often end up using some strategies that are not very well seen, like a little lie, a bad joke and even a delay in paying some money they owe.

However, just like the orixá, the sons and daughters of Exú do not accept when they are disrespected and if they become enraged, they take revenge without any mercy.

Take revenge and move on

Sons of Exu are usually always involved in conflicts and this happens because of their provocative and cunning ways, the kind of people who don't take any crap. They are also known for their ability to take revenge and keep moving forward, in a way that doesn't affect them.

Once provoked, they can act in the same way or even worse and always end up leaving unharmed from any situation of much discord and adversity.

To relate to Exú

Exú is the guardian of all communication. Through him it was possible for men and the divine plan to communicate. Exú is known for his strength, and is one of the most worshiped and most important orixás in African religions.

Like all orixás, Exú has some important symbologies, such as the day of the week dedicated to him, favorite colors, that is, all the symbols and elements that relate to the orixá. Continue reading the following text to learn more about some essential elements to relate fully with the orixá Exú and everything he represents.

Day of the week

The day of the week reserved for Exú is usually Monday. This is the day when he is most open to offerings that open the paths and bring growth and spiritual evolution to those who devote their faith to him. For the annual commemoration, the day in which Exú is celebrated is June 13.

Colors

The colors that represent Exú are black and red. These colors are generally associated with the elements of fire and earth, characteristics of the orixá. Red and black are also related to the orixá's way of working, since red is the color of radiation, which offers everything to those in need. On the other hand, black acts by absorbing energies of great works of unloading and cleansingenergy.

Symbols

Exú is one of the most important orixás in Candomblé and the first to receive offerings. This orixá is laden with symbols that define his characteristics and actions. The ogó, a phallic-shaped stick accompanied by two gourds.

Exú is also represented by a statuette adorned with many cowries arranged in rows and his hands are represented by gourds used by the orixá to carry various powders of elements found on Earth. Another symbol of Exú are the beads, usually represented in the colors black and red.

Elements

The cult of Exú includes fire as the main element. However, earth and air are also related to the elements of this orixá and how each one of these elements ends up influencing the works dedicated to Exú.

Domains

For African religions, Exú is the owner of the paths and represents movement. Exú is the fundamental principle of life, the messenger of the world of men and of the astral plane, where the gods are.

In this sense, Exú is responsible for all the crossroads, sacred places where all kinds of homage take place, such as the offering of food and drink. The crossroads are, therefore, places where negative energies are not present.

Salute

Popular greetings to Exú are 'Laroyê Exú', which means something like 'Exú the messenger' or 'hail the messenger', and 'Exú é mojubá', which means 'Exú, to you my respects'. The word mojubá means king, while laroyê appears with the meaning of 'a very communicative person'.

Is the Exú, orixá in Candomblé, different from the entity in Umbanda?

Exú is one of the most worshiped and respected orixás within the religions of African origin. However, the Exú orixá, present in Candomblé, should not be confused with the Exú who generally works in Umbanda, a religion created in Brazil by African slaves.

In Candomblé, Exú is one of the most important Orixás and is the first to receive all the offerings, songs, prayers and greetings. Within the Candomblé ritual, the Orixá Exú does not incorporate anyone to make consultations as happens in Umbanda.

In Umbanda, the Exús are entities of disincarnated spirits that for some reason ended up coming back to Earth, in search of enlightenment. These entities are very close to man, but are not considered Orixás, but quiumbas.

They are spirits who know the wills of men who are still on the earth plane and who, even though they have lived in different times, possess the same desires, problems and ambitions.