Encyclopedia of African Religion

The word mare presents some etymological
difficulty. An option is to accept the explana-
tion of Idowu drawn from Yoruba myth that
the word, which is an imperative, is made up of
two separate words,maandre, meaning “Do
not go,” “Do not proceed,” or “that does not
go.” This suggests the attribute of stability and
constancy.
In summary, Olodumare is the deity who pos-
sesses superlative qualities and who also has the
attributeofremainingstable,permanent,andreli-
able. Hence, Idowu has coined the termolodu-
mareismto indicate the monotheistic tendency of
the Yoruba traditional religion.

Creation Myths

Aversionofonecreationmythrecallsthat,inthe
beginning, the universe was filled with water.
Consequently, Olodumare sent the Orisa led by
Obatala (Orisa-Nla) to create solid farmland
from the liquid mass. When Obatala got drunk
after taking palm wine along the way, Orunmila
took over the leadership and succeeded in carry-
ing out the assignment that started from Ilé-Ifè
from where the solid earth spread to cover the
whole world.
In another mythology, Olodumare asked
Obatala to mold the physical body of human
beings from clay. When that had been done,
Olodumare breathed into the lifeless bodies and
they became living persons. The created beings
thereafter moved to the store ofori(inner head)
from where they chose their destinies.
These Yoruba myths portray the traditional
wisdom and lore of the people that reflect their
deep-seated beliefs in Olodumare as the creator
and ruler of the whole universe.

Attributes

In Yoruba life and thought, the eternal existence
andtheincomparablegreatnessofOlodumareare
expressed in the name Oyigiyigi. Olodumare is
also eleda (creator),awamaridi (unfathomable),
alabalase kabiyesi(the king with unquestionable
authority),oba ti ki iku (the eternal king),oba
arinu rode(the one who can discern all things),
and many others.

Sayings

Some of the sayings denote that Olodumare is a

personalGodwithallattributesoflivingness:Oba

a se kan ma ku(Hisworksaredonetoperfection),

Oba ti dandan re ki isele(His biddings never fail),

A dun ise bi ohun ti Olodumare lowo si(It is easy

to do what Olodumare approves of),Eleti igbo

aroye(He is ever ready to listen to complaints),

andA rinu-rode Olumo okan(the discerner of the

heart). The Yoruba do not have altars, temples,

andpriestsforOlodumare,butalltheaboveshow

that Olodumare is real to the people.

Deji Ayegboyin and S. K. Olajide

See alsoNyame

Further Readings

Daramola, O., & Jeje, A. (1967).Awon Asa ati Orisa Ile

Yoruba. Ibadan, Nigeria: Onibonoje.

Hallgren, R. (1988).The Good Things of Life:A Study

of the Traditional Religious Culture of the Yoruba

People. Löberöd, Sweden: Plus Ultra.

Idowu, E. B. (1962).Olodumare:God in Yoruba Belief.

London: Longman.

Idowu, E. B. (1973).African Traditional Religion:A

Definition. London: SCM Press.

Parrinder, G. (1976).Africa’s Three Religions. London:

Sheldom Press.

OLOKUN

The worship and meaning of Olokun in the

Yorubareligioustraditionareasvastasthewaters

that she represents. Known as the owner of great

waters,Olokunsymbolizesthemostunfathomable

depths of the ocean and the seas. Olokun is often

associated with Yemoja (Ye.mo.nja), the Mother of

Fishes,andtogethertheyrepresenttheabundance,

fertility, wealth, healing, and source of life and

its mysteries. Olokun worshippers are found in

Nigeria among the Edo and the Yoruba, as well

as in the Republic of Benin, among the Fon. In

Nigeria, Olokun worship is found mainly along

the southern regions of the Nigerian and Benin

Republics, especially along their coastlines.

Olokun 489