Inle is the orisha of health and all medicinal healing in Santeria, and also in Candomblé and

Palo Mayombe Palo, also known as Las Reglas de Congo, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th or early 20th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Kongo religion of Central Africa, the Rom ...

. Inle, also known as Erinle, is an Orisha who is associated with the estuary, an in-between space where the freshwater river meets the salty sea. He is the deity of health and medicine, the physician to other deities, hunter of the land and sea, and is often regarded as the patron of homosexual and transgender people. According to Yoruba tradition, Inle was a mighty hunter who became deified. He is also syncretized with the Archangel Raphael, whose name signifies "God heals." Raphael is frequently shown with fish, wearing blue and pink, and is the patron of nurses, doctors, and other medical workers. Inle is commonly depicted as a strong, healthy-looking warrior and hunter, with flowing hair in seven braids and fine, feminine features that give him an androgynous appearance. He is always dressed elegantly, adorned in cowrie shells, coral, and beautiful feathers from the birds he hunts, and is often shown with snakes wound around him, recalling the association of snakes with healing as seen in the caduceus and staff of Aesculapius. Inle may also represented holding a staff, dagger, or a fishing hook . In nature, he is represented by fish. His colors are white, yellow, and blue, though some sources say indigo, turquoise, and coral. His sacrificial victims are typically pure white as well. In one

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n Santería "pataki", or mythological story, the sea goddess Yemaha (Yemoja) is tricked into incestuous sex with her son

Shango Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafi ...

. To hide her shame at this event, she banished her other two sons, Inle and Abbata, to live at the bottom of the ocean, additionally cutting out Inle's tongue and making Abbata deaf. As a result of their isolation and loneliness, Inle and Abbata become passionate friends and then lovers, able to communicate emphatically. This pataki is used to explain the origin of

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adopti ...

muteness Muteness or mutism () is defined as an absence of speech while conserving or maintaining the ability to hear the speech of others. Mutism is typically understood as a person's inability to speak, and commonly observed by their family members, caregi ...

, and

deafness Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

in addition to

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

.Conner & Sparks (1998), p. 39, "Abbata"

References

External links

* http://agolaroye.com/Inle.php Candomblé Health gods Santería LGBT themes in mythology LGBT topics in the African diaspora LGBT and religion {{deity-stub

See also

References

External links