Ogún

The Orisha of iron, work and clearing the way.

Ogún is the Orisha of iron, tools, labour and the forest. He clears the way, literally with his machete, and stands for strength, perseverance and skill.

Ogún is one of the Guerreros, the warriors many people receive as one of the first steps in Santería, together with Elegguá, Ochosi and Osun. He is often represented in an iron cauldron with tools, and his colours are green and black. In Cuba he is connected with Saint Peter or Saint James. In the Yoruba tradition he is the deity of smiths, hunters, soldiers and nowadays also of drivers and everyone who works with metal and machines.

A well-known patakí tells how Ogún withdrew angrily into the forest after a conflict, and was only brought back by Ochún with honey and dance. The story shows the two sides of Ogún: tireless strength and an anger that can bring everything to a halt. A dream about tools, iron, a cauldron, a machete or a path being cleared is read in that light, as strength to persevere, or as the question of whether anger is getting in the way of your work.

In Nigeria Ogún is taken so seriously to this day that in traditional courts one can swear on iron, and he is considered the protector of all who work with iron, from smiths to car mechanics. In Santería he is also the orisha who clears the way for the other orishas, together with Elegguá, who opens the road.

Dreams about tools, iron, knives or a path being cleared are sometimes linked with Ogún in Santería. Here too: which Orisha is speaking is established within the tradition through divination.