Among the Yoruba and Fon, Olokun appears as
female as well as male, whereas among the Bini,
Olokun appears solely as male. In most cases,
when Olokun and Yemoja are viewed symbioti-
cally, Olokun is related to the invisible depths of
theocean,andYemojaisrelatedtothevisiblesur-
faceoftheoceananditswaves.Olokun/Yemojais
the embodiment of motherhood, whose offspring
include such orisa as Oýya, Osun, and Ogun, the
creatures of the sea, and children.
Outside of Nigeria, Olokun is worshipped in
diasporic communities such as Trinidad, Cuba,
Brazil,andtheUnitedStates.InTrinidad,Olokun
is frequently entreated by the name of Ajere, one
of her many honorific titles, or by the name of
Awoyo, one of her Fon appellations meaning “a
large stretch of water.” In her worship in these
regions, as in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin,
Olokun is associated with wealth, motherhood,
and the boundless riches of the sea. In these dias-
poric cultures, Olokun is frequently conflated
with Yemoja/Yemanya, representing both the sur-
face and depth of the ocean and the seas.
Symbolizing the ocean, both Olokun and Yemoja
are associated with deep blue and foamy white
waves.AsYemoja,sheisacorpulentwomanwith
mudfish limbs who holds a crocodile in one hand
and a serpent in the other.
Some scholars attribute Olokun’s origin to the
EdoorBinipeoplewhosefamouslost-waxbronze
and terra cotta sculptures have become cultural
hallmarks. Yet Olokun also belongs to the
Yoruba, who are equally known for their exquis-
itebronzesculptures,carvings,andelaboratemas-
querading traditions in the arts and other cultural
practices. In fact, Olokun can be viewed as the
nexus between the Yoruba and Edo kingdoms. In
both traditions, strong centralized, hierarchal
political and religious systems preserve rich cos-
mological and empirical histories. In both tradi-
tions, the relationship to Ilé-Ifè and competition
for dominance of Ikoye, better known as Lagos,
abound. In the Republic of Benin, Olokun is also
known as Awoyo. Despite variations in her name
and some characteristics, Olokun is associated
withtheAtlanticOceangenerally,withLagosand
BadagryinNigeria,andwiththecognomenOkun
Yemideregbe.
Among the Edo, Olokun worship is intimately
tied to patriarchy and the court of the Oba of
Benin. In this tradition, the wealth, peace, fertility,
and abundance of the deity is idealized in the
regaliaofthecourtandtheking.Olokun’sabodein
the depths of the ocean is emblematic of the Oba’s
powerintheformerBeninkingdominNigeria.
Olokun’swealthliesinthecavernouswatersof
the ocean, suggesting the unfathomable nature of
wealth, as well as the struggles and dangers asso-
ciated with its attainment. Bini fishermen as well
as the Bini traders who first met the Portuguese
in Badagry and Lagos Harbor in the 15th century
found wealth as well as their struggle against
wealthastheysoughttoattainit.TheEdoorBini
were among the first to trade with the Portuguese
seafarerswhofirstsoughtgoldandotherminerals
from the interior.
Whereas Olokun’s persona is male dominated
in the Bini tradition, the Yoruba Olokun is dis-
tinguished by gender duality or balance. Where
Olokun resides in the ocean’s depths, Yemoja, his
or her spiritual twin, resides on its surface and in
its waves. In this regard, each protects the other
with Olokun supporting the beauty and power of
Yemoja.TheOlokun/Yemojadichotomyreflectsa
dominant aesthetic in the Yoruba worldview that
heralds duality, especially in its cosmology. The
nature of Olokun is distinguished by gender dual-
ity and functional roles that not only differ from
thosefoundinBenin,butthatalsofindresonance
amongYorubadiasporiccommunities.Withinthe
Nigerian Yoruba tradition, Olokun is portrayed
as the last wife of Orunmila. In this role, she rep-
resents the maternal source of life, activating as it
were the wisdom of Orunmila and thease(also
calledaxeand means life force, spiritual energy)
of Olorun.
Mud, another icon of Olokun, is a quintessen-
tial element that symbolizes transformation and
the porous nature of wealth and life. For the
Bini, Olokun evokes ritual and Earthly power as
he presides over the movement between life and
death. Mud, the blend of water and Earth, signi-
fies the ushering in of life through the birth canal
and the transition out of life through the burial
process, a return to the sodden Earth. In the
Yoruba iconography, Olokun is the epitome of
motherhood, represented by the numerous fish,
especiallymudfish,seamammals,andothercrea-
turesthatinhabittheocean.InYorubacosmology,
the ocean floor is the subterranean source of all490 Olokun