mineral wealth and the sea gate to orun or
Heaven. These attributes signify Olokun’s role as
the source of all waterways, such as the Ogun
River, a major trade waterway that flows into her
oceanic waters.
Diedre L. BadejoSee alsoYoruba
Further Readings
Abimbola,K.(2006).Yoruba Culture:A Philosophical
Account.Birmingham,UK:IrokoAcademicPublishers.
Abimbola, W. (1997).Ifa Will Mend Our Broken World:
Thoughts on Yoruba Religion and Culture in Africa
and the Diaspora. Roxbury, MA: Aim Books.
Bascom, W. (1969).Ifa Divination:Communication
Between Gods and Men in West Africa. Bloomington:
Indiana University Press.
Ben-Amos, P. (1973, Summer). Symbolism in Olokun
Mud Art.African Arts, 6 (4), 28–31, 95.
Murphy, J. M. (1993).Santeria:African Spirits in
America. Boston: Beacon Press.
Warner-Lewis, M. (1994).Yoruba Songs of Trinidad.
London: Karnak Books.
OLORUN
The Yoruba believe in the existence of a
Supreme Being who has no less than 200 names
and more than 1,000 oriki (cognomen). The
nameOlorunis more commonly used in popu-
lar language among the Yoruba than any other
name for the Supreme Being. It is used not only
in the adoration of the Supreme Being, but also
frequently in ejaculatory prayers: Olorun gba
mi o! (Deliver me O God). Also, when any
Yoruba wants to convince his listener of the
veracityofinformation, heexclaims,intheform
of swearingOlorun n gbo(God is my witness).
At times, the Yoruba combine another name,
Olodumare,with Olorunin their reference to
God, especially in times of distress or as an
exclamatory phrase. In times of trouble or
danger, the Yoruba usually exclaim, “Olorun
Olodumare!” (God of heaven, the Almighty!).
It is generally held that Olodumare is more
ancient than the name Olorun, which appears
to have gained its predominating currency in
consequence of Christian/Muslim influence on
Yoruba spirituality, life, and thought.
The belief in Olorun as the owner of the heav-
ensisdiscerniblefromthename,nature,andchar-
acter of God, as well as in the myths about
creation.Etymology
Inrelativeterms,thenameisself-explanatory. Itis
composed of the prefix Olor oni (owner) and
Orun(heaven). Thus, the name means the owner
or the Lord of Heaven. The name is also rendered
asOlu-Orun,whichmeansHeistheKingorRuler
of the Heavens. The thought that Olu-Orun is a
god in charge of the skies (and, indeed, at times
Olorun is referred to as Orisa-oke) made some
early writers assume that Olorun is one of the
nature deities. For example, one writer asserted
thatOlorunisoneoftheOrisa(s)ornaturedeities.
Although divinities and deified personalities and
kings may sometimes be called Orisa, the term
Olorunis applied to the Supreme Deity alone by
theYorubaandisneverusedintheplural.Thesta-
tus of the deities in the Yoruba structure might be
seen as shown in the following section.The Status of Olorun
ThegradationsofstatusinYorubareligiousstruc-
ture are as follows:- The Supreme Deity—Olorun or Olodumare
- The major Orisa (of whom Esu and Ifa are the
most important) - The deified spirits of ancestors and other spirits
(of whom Oro, Ehuku, Agemo, and Egungun
are the most prominent) - The minor Orisa (examples include orisa oko,
oke, and aje)
Over and above all the other deities classified
above and excelling them in power, honor, and
majesty is Olorun (Supreme Deity), known as a
Being of unique character, possessing attributes
far too noble, far too abstract and refined to have
originatedfromthethoughtofaprimitivepeople.Olorun 491