Obatalá, 'king of the white cloth', is the eldest and most venerated of the orichas, delegated by the supreme being Olodumare to fashion dry land and to mould the human body from clay. A myth of his hand trembling with palm wine explains why he is patron of the albino, the disabled, and all born with irregular bodies; from this he is also the owner of the head (orí) and of clear thought. His domain is purity, peace, wisdom, and moral authority, and he settles the quarrels of the other orichas. His color is white, his metal silver, and his devotees keep his implements in a white tureen and avoid alcohol in his service. Obatalá appears in a great number of avatars, some youthful and warlike, others aged and tremulous, and some conceived as male and others as female; sources accordingly differ on his gender. In Cuba he is syncretized with Our Lady of Mercy (Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes).