Mythology
African Orisha Mythology Quiz
The 401 divine forces of Yoruba and their journey across the Atlantic
The 401 divine forces of Yoruba and their journey across the Atlantic
Yoruba religion recognizes between 401 and 1,440 orishas — divine forces overseeing every aspect of existence, from thunder and rivers to iron and the open road. Born in what is now Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, the tradition crossed the Atlantic with the slave trade and gave rise to Candomblé, Santería, Umbanda, and Vodou. This quiz dives into the orishas, their syncretic Catholic counterparts, and the Ifá divination system.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50, with four multiple-choice options and instant feedback after every answer. Your final score comes with a performance tier and shareable results.
You'll explore Olodumare and the major orishas like Yemaya, Ogun, Oshun, Shango, and Eshu, the Ifá corpus and its 256 Odu, the Atlantic diaspora to Cuba and Brazil, the syncretism of orishas with Catholic saints, the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, and how UNESCO recognized Ifá in 2005.
An orisha is a divine intermediary in Yoruba religion, embodying a force of nature, an aspect of human experience, or a deified ancestor, and serving as a link between humans and the supreme being Olodumare.
Enslaved Yoruba people, transported across the Atlantic from the Bight of Benin during the slave trade, carried their orisha tradition with them. In Cuba it became Santería, in Brazil Candomblé, and elements appear in Haitian Vodou.
Santería, also called Lucumí or Regla de Ocha, is the Cuban religion that fused Yoruba orisha worship with Spanish Catholicism. Orishas were paired with Catholic saints to disguise the practice from slaveholders.
Last updated: April 2026