Ogun

Ogun is the orisha of iron, war, hunting, and the road. Fresh palm fronds mark his shrines; dogs, snails, and roasted yams are his offerings; and every piece of iron, from a cutlass to a needle to a gun barrel, is in some measure his body. When the gods first came down to earth, the primeval thicket barred the way and no other tool could bite; Ogun's iron cutlass cleared the path, and the title of pathfinder has been his since.

He later ruled the town of Ire as Ogun Onire, lord of Ire. His most told story is a grim one: returning from war, he entered Ire during a ritual of silence. No one greeted him and the wine pots stood empty, and the insulted god cut down his own townspeople until they appeased him with dog, snails, and palm wine. Ire-Ekiti holds its Ogun festival every year, and the myth stands at the center of Wole Soyinka's poem cycle Idanre.

Everyone who works with metal or engines falls under his protection: blacksmiths, hunters, and soldiers, and today drivers, mechanics, and surgeons; drivers in southwestern Nigeria hang palm fronds on their vehicles for safe passage. In Nigerian courts, adherents of the traditional religion may swear their oaths by kissing a piece of iron, with Ogun as guarantor.