Obatala

One should not laugh at a person with protruding teeth because the deformity is caused by the fashioner Òrìshà, who made the teeth without covering them with flesh. Obàtálá is nominally in charge of the Òrìshà, although their wife Yemoja hasn’t noticed, King Shàngó doesn’t care, and you shouldn’t even mention the issue to Odùduwà. We use they/them pronouns because Obàtálá bounces between male and female depending on which camino — that’s what they call Mantles in Cuba and Puerto Rico — you encounter. Obàtálá’s caminos evince a particularly diverse range of Callings, from his Warrior youth to his sagely old age.

When Obàtálá molded the first humans from clay, Èshù offered them a draught of palm wine. They were too tired and thirsty to realize what exactly they drank until it was too late; Obàtálá’s humans weren’t quite up to code the rest of the day. They still feel bad about it, so they’re now the patron of people with disabilities. Obàtálá was also Ilé-Ifè’s first king before Odùduwà busted in and took over, which is the closest thing there is to a Titanomachy around here.

Many of Obàtálá’s favorite Incarnations help out disabled people. You might find them working in hospital administration, social services, or a nonprofit. They also like to travel, wandering around as a tourist complete with belt pouch and giant camera. Èshù might not be too far behind.