Obatala

In Yoruba cosmogony Obatala is a primordial orisha who was delegated by the Supreme Deity (Olodumare/Ọlọrun) to act in the period of creation. In many versions he descended from Heaven on a chain to mold the first humans; in some accounts he was given the task of creating the Earth but, after being tempted by the trickster Eshu and drinking palm wine, failed that task and was outperformed by his younger brother Oduduwa, and was instead assigned the role of creating human beings. Olodumare is said to have breathed life into the bodies Obatala fashioned, producing living humans.

Sources supplied do not give a single consistent bodily description of Obatala. Where material attributes are recorded he is associated with whiteness and regalia fashioned from silver: one source notes that his ornaments are made of silver and that he represents coolness of thought. Beyond these emblematic markers (white/silver symbolism and a composed, 'cool' demeanor) detailed iconographic descriptions are not present in the provided material.

Obatala is credited as the artisan or sculptor of human bodies: he is said to have descended to mold the first humans and is described as molding every child in the womb in ongoing fashion in Yoruba accounts. He functions as father of humanity and is described as owner or guardian of all the heads where human souls reside, indicating custodial authority over human corporeal form and its relation to the soul. Ethically and temperamentally he embodies calmness, wisdom, and clarity.