Nigerian Tribe Myth's (African)

Eshu

       Dedicated to DarianTeg  and toyosibby
    Thanks a lot for your help on this chapter.

Eshu, also known as Elegba or Legba, is a trickster god of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in West Africa. He is unpredictable, sly, and fond of pranks that can be cruel and disruptive. Eshu, who knows all the languages spoken on earth, serves as a messenger between the gods and people. He also carries up to heaven the sacrifices that people offer to the gods.
According to one story, Eshu became the messenger after playing a trick on the High God. He stole yams from the god's garden, used the god's slippers to make footprints there, and then suggested that the god had stolen the yams himself. Annoyed, the High God ordered Eshu to visit the sky every night and tell him what happened on earth during the day.
trickster mischievous figure appearing in various forms in the folktales and mythology of many different peoples
cosmic large or universal in scale; having to do with the universe
Eshu enjoys confusion. Many stories tell of tricks he plays that cause arguments between friends or between husbands and wives. In one myth he lured the sun and moon into changing places, which upset the cosmic order. As the god of change, chance, and uncertainty, Eshu is sometimes paired with Ifa, a god representing order. In one tale Eshu claimed that he would ruin Orunmilla, who laughingly replied, "If you transform yourself, I shall do the same, and if I die, you will die, for so it has been ordained in heaven."
Eshu is the protector of travelers and crossroads and the messenger between gods and humans. He also commands the eight agents of mischief: death, sickness, paralysis, curse, imprisonment, great trouble, great loss, and other problems. He has the power to bless and curse, but he is not evil. He often uses trickery to teach a lesson.
In one story about Eshu, he walked down the main road through a village wearing a hat that was red on one side and black on the other. After he had passed, the villagers began to argue about whether the stranger’s hat was black or red. People on one side of the road had seen the red side, the others had seen the black side. The villagers got into a violent argument. Eshu returned and scolded them, telling them that two people can have different perspectives and both be right.

Without Eshu the sacrifices made to the gods won't even get to them.
He is known as the neutral force, he doesn't take pleasure in his trickery and does them to better mankind. He symbolises change and revolution, he holds the Ashe in his hand and he his the divine messenger of the supreme God.

Note : Unlike the popular misconception Esu ISN'T Satan
   
    Glossary
Ashe or Ase is the power to make things happen and produce change. The recognition of the uniqueness and autonomy of Ashe of persons and gods is what structures society and its relationship with the other-world.