Oshé

Oshé (Yoruba alphabet: )https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/o%E1%B9%A3e is the double-headed battle axe of the thunder deity Ṣango in Yoruba religion, sometimes considered to be representing bolts of lightning hurled by the deity from Ọrun. Carvings of the axe are used as dance wands during rituals or worn as pendants for protection.

Etymology The Yoruba word comes from o- (a prefix) and (a word meaning "to do", "to make" or "to affect").

Beliefs

According to traditional stories of the Yoruba people, the Oshé was made by the deity Ṣango from the wood of the Ayan tree. When he was the Alaafin of Oyo, he wielded the Oshé as a weapon in battle. Ṣango eventually committed suicide by hanging from an Ayan tree.

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