Koso
Yoruba
Etymology
From the phrase Ọba kò so (“The king did not hang”), ultimately from kò (“negation prefix”) + so (“to hang”), literally “The place where the King did not hang”
- This comes from a Yoruba legend in which the location Kòso is believed to be where Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́ Ṣàngó hanged himself. After discovering his body, his followers declared to the people that "Ọba kò so," "the King did not hang," and announced that Ṣàngó had not hanged, and instead ascended to heaven as an òrìṣà.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kò.sō/
Proper noun
Kòso
- A legendary place associated with the orisha Ṣàngó, it is believed to be where he Ṣàngó in his human form the King of Oyo hanged himself and became an orisha
- An area in the town of Ọ̀yọ́ near the palace of Aláàfin where the annual Shango festival is held, and serves as the center of the worship of Shango.
Derived terms
- Olúkòso (“oríkì of Shango”)
- Ọba Kòso (“A nickname for Shango”)