Babalú-Ayé
Babalú-Aye (from Yoruba Obalúayé), Oluaye, Ṣọpọna, Ayé in Trinidad Orisha, or Obaluaiye, is one of the orishas or manifestations of the supreme creator god Olodumare in the Yoruba religion of West Africa. Babalú-Aye is the spirit of the Earth and strongly associated with infectious disease, and healing.
| Babalú-Ayé | |
|---|---|
Deity of smallpox and other epidemic diseases, and healing | |
| Member of Orisha | |
Babalu-aye manifested in a human at the Obaluaye Festival in Ibadan, Oyó State, Nigeria. | |
| Other names | Ọbaluaye or Sopona |
| Venerated in | Yoruba religion, Candomble, Santeria, Haitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism |
| Region | Nigeria, Benin, Latin America |
| Ethnic group | Yoruba |
| Part of a series on |
| Yorùbá people |
|---|
|
He promotes the cure for illnesses. He is always close to Iku (the force responsible for taking life), as he promotes healing for those who are close to death. However, some fear Obaluaye because he is believed to bring disease upon humans, including smallpox, in which he is known as Ṣọpọna.
His cult powers and spells are used against all kinds of diseases, but particularly against skin diseases, inflammation, and airborne diseases that can cause epidemics. They are also used to cure people with seizure problems, epilepsy, and catalepsy.
Heat is also a property of Babalu-aye, like fever, the body heating up to expel a disease, it is Babalu-aye acting on the human body, as well as the heat that comes from the depths of the earth. Therefore, any kind of sacrifice or offering to this orisha must be done during the day, when the temperature is higher. Usually considered hobbled by disease, he universally takes grains as offerings.