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Kosidán
The fictional kingdom of Orïsha is the setting for the book, inspired by West Africa. It is comprised of a number of cities and includes regions in the desert, in the jungle, and on the coast. Many people in Orïsha, especially divîners and those who aid them, live in crippling poverty, while the monarchy reaps their taxes and labor.
Orïsha Quotes in Children of Blood and Bone
The Children of Blood and Bone quotes below are all either spoken by Orïsha or refer to Orïsha. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter One Quotes
Deep down, I know the truth. I knew it the moment I saw the maji of Ibadan in chains. The gods died with our magic.
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After guards arrive and demand new, higher taxes for divîners in Zélie’s village, Zélie is full of anger and despair. Mama Agba reminds her of the day divîners lost the ability to do magic, saying that only the gods know why. Zélie, however, believes otherwise. At the beginning of her journey, Zélie is convinced that the gods have not just forsaken the people of Orïsha, but that they no longer exist whatsoever. Daily life is extremely difficult for Zélie and her family, and it is far easier for her to believe that the gods have died than trying to understand Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur moll
Chapter Eleven Quotes
Yemi meets my eyes with a hatred that impales me like a sword. Though her mouth never opens, her voice rings in my skull. “Safe ended a long time ago.”
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In pursuit of his sister, Amari, and the scroll, Inan has ventured outside the cloistered safety of the palace. He hoped to cause minimal damage, but chaos has already broken out: one of the guards set a torch to the village of Illorin, burning it to the ground. For the first time, Inan has come into contact with the citizens he has been charged with ruling and protecting. Previously, Inan always believed that the monarchy ruled with an iron fist in order to keep the citizens safe. Now that he sees the casual destruction wrought by the guards and the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error.
Chapter Thirty-Six Quotes
“Those are Father’s words, Inan. His decisions. Not yours. We are our own people. We make our own choices.”
“But he’s right. Inan’s voice cracks. “If we don’t stop magic, Orïsha will fall.”
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After many days of pursuit, Inan startles Amari and the others when he comes upon them in the jungle. He is ready to carry out his goal of killing Zélie in order to ensure that magic never makes a comeback. However, Amari steps forward to try to stop him. She wants to show him that there is an alternative to their father’s hate. Instead of falling to the blind fear and prejudice that motivates their father, Amari wants to communicate that Inan, like her, can take the time to learn about magic and decide for himself. Since Amari has left Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae vo
Chapter Fifty-Four Quotes
A pit of guilt opens in my chest, tainted with the smell of burning flesh. The fires I watched from the royal palace resurface, the innocent lives burned before my young eyes. A memory I’ve pushed down like my magic, a day I longed to forget. But staring at Zélie now brings it all back: the pain. The tears. The death.
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In the dreamscape, Zélie and Inan talk about life before the Raid. Inan had grown up with a single perspective on the violence carried out against divîners in Orïsha. He trusted the monarchy’s rule, which held that the Raid was a necessary evil to bring safety and stability to the kingdom. But speaking with Zélie, Inan sees the violence of the Raid not as an abstract tool of politics but as a horrific act of genocide with an intense human cost. Zélie’s perspective forces him to question the logic put forth by his father. It makes him see the murdered Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omni
Chapter Fifty-Six Quotes
The children of Orïsha dance like there’s no tomorrow, each step praising the gods. Their mouths glorify the rapture of liberation, their hearts sing the Yoruba songs of freedom. My ears dance at the words of my language, words I once thought I’d never hear outside my head. They seem to light up the air with their delight. It’s like the whole world can breathe again.
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Zélie watches as the divîners at the hidden encampment celebrate their link to the gods and the potential return of magic. The sight of this simple, joyous celebration is amazing to Zélie, Previously, Zélie had a fairly one-dimensional relationship to the gods. Because she had suffered so much pain and hardship, she believed the gods had simply died. She took the return of magic as proof that they hadn’t died after all, restoring some of her faith. Now surrounded by other divîners, Zélie sees that faith can be much richer and multi-layered, and not simply defined by doubt and hardship. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit bea
Chapter Sixty-Six Quotes
In that instant it hits me: Zulaikha’s death. Zélie’s screams. They don’t mean a thing to him. Because they’re maji, they’re nothing. He preaches duty before self, but his Orïsha doesn’t include them. It never has.
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After his harsh interrogation and brutal torture of Zélie, Saran calls Inan into a command room to debrief. Thinking of the pain he just witnessed, and seeing his father’s crossed out map of the divîner encampment, Inan suddenly realizes the extent to which his father devalues divîners’ lives. That realization allows Inan to see why his father’s philosophy will never work. In the past, Inan found it difficult to recognize his father’s wrongs and distance himself from them because in theory, Inan and his father shared a goal: for a peaceful and unified Orïsha. Saran always said that goal should Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut
Chapter Seventy-Four Quotes
I stare at the blade; the inscription gleams in the moonlight. Its words simplify my mission, creating space for my pain. A soldier. A great king. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. Duty over self. Orïsha over Zélie.
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Unexpectedly, Inan’s father seems pleased with the ways in which Inan has changed and grown since he left home. Saran presents his son with the blade that Inan always keeps by his side, a sword inscribed with the motto, “Duty before self.” It provides yet another challenge and opportunity for Inan as he tries to determine which aspects of his father’s philosophy he agrees with. His father’s gift is a rare sign of his approval, something that Inan has always craved. It challenges his recent conclusion that Saran’s vision of peace is incompatible with his own. Inan rationalizes that both Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque
Chapter Eighty-Three Quotes
I cannot end it like this. If I do that, I’m no better than him. Orïsha will not survive by employing his tactics. Father must be taken down, but it is too much to drive my sword through his heart—Father pulls back his blade. Momentum carries me forward. Before I can pivot, Father swings his sword around and the blade rips across my back.
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As Amari spars with her father, she grapples again with the question of when—if ever—it is appropriate to kill someone. Just as she has an opportunity to strike the killing blow, she holds back, thinking that killing Saran would be perpetuating the exact same violence he creates and encourages. She thinks that his violence has only created pain and inequality in Orïsha, and this fight is a microcosm of that. If she kills him, she will be accepting the same conclusion that he has drawn: that killing is the only way to solve conflict. If nothing else, Amari’s travels have Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dict
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Orïsha Term Timeline in Children of Blood and Bone
The timeline below shows where the term Orïsha appears in Children of Blood and Bone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
Yemi, who is a privileged Orïshan, looks down on Zélie and calls her a “maggot” as they are fighting—which only excites...
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Mama Agba begins to tell a familiar story: in the past, the land of Orïsha was home to white-haired maji who could perform all kinds of magic from the gods....
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Chapter Eleven
...King Saran, he repeats to himself, “Duty before self.” He must put the safety of Orïsha before his conscience. Yet he also thinks that these citizens are Orïsha.
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Chapter Nineteen
...sword, which Saran took as a sign of weakness. Saran said that Inan must chose Orïsha over himself by fighting when he does not want to. So, Inan lunged at Amari...
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Chapter Twenty-One
...the first time, Inan stands shocked. He feels that he finally understands Saran. He knows Orïsha cannot survive if that kind of power exists—but, he also thinks he may be able...
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Chapter Thirty-Six
...they can make their own decisions for themselves, as well as for the future of Orïsha.
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Chapter Forty-Four
...but he refuses, panicked. He says that he must keep his magic secret to save Orïsha, because it is the root of all Orïsha’s problems. But she counters that it is...
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Chapter Forty-Seven
...for her. He feels hopeless—he realizes now that instead of being the one to fix Orïsha, he is seemingly inextricable from the problem. Flooded by visions of Zélie’s memories of the...
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Chapter Fifty-Five
Zélie begins to believe Inan really does want to change Orïsha for the better, despite herself. Inan says he can’t bear to see any more blood...
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Chapter Fifty-Nine
...to give up his fear and violence toward the maji. He thinks they can unify Orïsha. Zélie is hopeful for a moment—but then she thinks, again, that magic is too dangerous....
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Chapter Sixty-Three
...outweighs her fear. She knows he is at the core of hate and oppression in Orïsha.
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Chapter Sixty-Five
...and she reveals her identity. She also says that she is the future queen of Orïsha, deciding in that moment that she must circumvent the line of succession to gain the...
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Chapter Sixty-Six
After they kill Zélie, says Saran, they will parade her body around Orïsha to put down any thoughts of rebellion. He says there is no other way, because...
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Chapter Seventy-One
Tzain says they have to find Baba and escape Orïsha. Amari agrees, saying they will regroup and find another way to fight. But one of...
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Chapter Seventy-Two
...fears mercenaries are hiding in every nook and cranny. This is the only place in Orïsha where it is possible to live outside of the long reach of the monarchy.
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...As for his men, Zélie says they will be employed by the future queen of Orïsha. Grinning, Roën agrees to the deal.
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Chapter Seventy-Four
...his heart will make him a noble king. Secretly, Inan thinks that he must choose Orïsha over Zélie. He says he knows how they can get the scroll back.
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Chapter Eighty-One
...with her heartbreak, but he focuses on his goal of ending magic. He can’t let Orïsha burn. He seizes the scroll and tries to focus his magic on it to destroy...
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Chapter Eighty-Five
...all be together. But Mama says it is not his time, nor is it Zélie’s. Orïsha still needs her. The blackness begins to fade as Zélie yells that she cannot leave...
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