Esu and His Morals

Esu is a well-known powerful Orisa notorious for being a childlike and mischievous sly god who enjoys creating confusion, playing tricks on people, and delights in disrupting people’s lives for no reason; quite the contrary, Esu uses tricks, confusion, and accidents as teaching instruments. Unlike most philosophical and religious figures, Esu does not spend parables to elucidate lessons of integrity, morality, and spirituality; instead, Esu uses tricks and accidents to teach lessons of patience, humility, suitable attitudes, and virtuous behavior. The purpose of Esu and His Morals is to clarify the intentions of Esu so that he may not be perceived as a prankish imp; but instead, he my be understood as god’s ambassador.