Disclaimer: This is not intended to be faithful to the myth or canon of any of the deities described in this series. If you are a stickler for the traditional origins and lore, this would be a good point to close the webpage.

“What troubles you, Father?” Thor asked Odin, in the Great Hall. “You sip your mead with uncustomary caution, and your brows furrow as they are wont to do when you are uneasy.”

Odin smiled, wearily. “I had a strange dream,” he began. “We were welcoming new warriors into the Great Hall, you and I, and in their midst stood a man who shone as brilliantly as a god. He spoke with the voice of thunder and his eyes flamed as yours do. He had black braided hair and his skin was the hue of cedars. All of a sudden he was stood beside me and he and I were welcoming you. And then it was you and I welcoming him again. Very curious.”

“Another god of thunder, Father? Surely the all the sky in all the world is not wide enough to contain two gods of thunder! It’s barely big enough for me!” he laughed.

“Humility was never one of your virtues, was it, son?” the All-Father replied.

“Let your heart not be troubled father, it was only a dream. And if indeed there are other gods as fearsome as I, then I must be the strongest and most fearsome of all, for I am the son of Odin! I cannot be supplanted Father, surely it is impossible?”

“Let us hope we never have to find out. It was only a dream anyway.”

—

“So, now, you’d like to hear about my multi-pantheon fantasies? All it took was for Oshe to go missing on coronation day?”

“I have no time for games, Eshu. I need a divine axe to perform my benediction today. If mine is missing and another exists, then I must have it. Or borrow it.”

“Would you lend another orisha your Oshe?”

“Are you mad? Of course not. And when I find out who has taken my Oshe, only the word of Eledumare will preserve their breath and…”

“So why do you think my fantasy thunder deity would lend you his?”

“Look – does he exist and how do we get to where him and his pantheon are?”

“WE???”

“Yes, you’re taking me to him. And If you lie to me I will strike you down and make a new Oshe out of your ashes.”

Left with no choice, Eshu agreed to take Shango to this other world.

“Just how exactly did you discover other pantheons?” Shango asked.

It turned out that most of the orishas only journeyed ‘vertically’ between the Ethereal Plane and their shrines in the world of men. But Eshu was the messenger of the orishas, and he liked to take the more scenic, lateral route. One such occasion, he came right up to the edge of the Plane and saw, just beyond the chasm, as clear as Shango was standing beside him, a world that was also ethereal but not theirs.

And to cross the chasm was not difficult. Every day, there was a bull-drawn cart ferrying souls from the world of men to this other word. It came up through the chasm and one only needed to leap onto the cart and be carried towards a huge hall, which he had learnt was called the Great Hall of Valhalla. As the deity of mischief and trickery, taking on the appearance of the earthly souls was easy enough to do. This was how he had come to learn of this other thunder god called Thor.

“What happens if we miss the cart when we leap?” Shango asked. “Can an orisha get lost in the void?”

Eshu chuckled. “You know we have to leap off as well on the way back, right?”

Meanwhile, back at the coronation, the Oluwo was concerned. He could not feel his master’s presence and this was most unexpected. He’d led the rituals all week personally and had seen the omens that Shango was pleased. He was reluctant to proceed without the presence of Shango, for how would the benediction be done if he was absent? The benediction was the most important, most sacred part of the ceremony. But he could not delay the coronation – the privy council would have his head. He therefore decided to do the only thing he knew he could in the circumstances.

“Brothers, the master calls me to say an extra prayer. Fear not, I will be there with you for the final rites” he said to the other priests.

******** TO BE CONTINUED ********