Shango (occasionally known as Chango, Sango, or Jakuta) is a legendary figure in Yoruba mythology. He is an ancestor of the Yoruba people and the third king of the Oyo Kingdom, and a popular Orisha with domain over thunder, justice, male sexuality, and overall serving the classical role as a Sky Father. Orishas are not themselves gods, however. Worship only goes towards Olodumare, the Supreme Being. Orishas are only reflections of different aspects of the Divine, not to be worshipped, but instead venerated. In artworks he is sometimes, but not always, depicted with three faces. His symbols are the double-headed axe and the sacred colors of red and white. Shango veneration happens not just in modern Africa, but in the New World as well. The original Yoruba rituals are among the most complete rites to have survived the Middle Passage, and many Orisha initiation rites performed in the West are in some way based on Shango veneration.
