Shango is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba. The ancestral Shango was the fourth king of the town of Oyo. Oral tradition describes him as powerful, with a voice like thunder and a mouth that spewed fire when he spoke. The natural forces associated with Shango are fire and lightning. His most prominent ritual symbol is the oshe, a double-headed battle-ax.
A scene painted on the side of a casket of Tutankhamun depicting a battle against the Nubians. This detail shows wounded or dead Nubian soldiers and horses jumbled together in a scene of chaos.
Battle scenes along the length of the chest’s sides show the king riding in his chariot, accompanied by well organized archers, lancers, cavalrymen, and fan bearers, charging the enemies of Egypt; one side of the chest features the enemies of the South, and on the other side, the Northerners.
From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62). Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 61467
