Erinlẹ

For the surname, see Erinle (surname).

Erinlẹ
Earth, Natural force of Universe, Hunting
Member of Orisha
Other names	Erinle
Venerated in	Yoruba religion, Umbanda, Candomble, Santeria, Haitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism
Region	Nigeria, Benin, Latin America
Ethnic group	Yoruba

In the Yoruba tradition, Erinlẹ was a great hunter who became an orisha.

He is said to have conducted the first Olobu of Ilobu to the site of the town of Ilobu, and to have protected the people of the town from Fulani invasions. He is usually described as a hunter but sometimes as a herbalist or a farmer. It is said that one day he sank into the earth near Ilobu and became a river. He is known all over Yorùbáland. The cult of Erinlẹ is found in towns throughout the former Oyo Empire. His shrines contain smooth, round stones from the Erinlẹ River. The name may be derived from erin (elephant) and ilẹ (earth), or from erin and ile (house). He is known as Inle by the Lukumi in Cuba and as Ode Inle, and sometimes as Oxossi Ibualamo in Brazilian Candomblé. The Erinlẹ River, a tributary of the Osun River, takes his name.

References

• Drewal, Henry John; Pemberton, John; Abiodun, Rowland; Wardwell, Allen (1989). Yoruba: nine centuries of African art and thought (PDF). Center for African Art. ISBN 978-0-8109-1794-1.
• Witte, H. (1982). "Mud-fish symbolism in Yoruba iconography". Commemorative Figures. Brill Archive. ISBN 978-90-04-06779-0. Retrieved 2014-08-21.