Ọlọrun
Olorun (Yoruba alphabet: Ọlọrun) is the ruler of (or in) the Heavens in the Yoruba religion. The Supreme God or Supreme Being in the Yoruba pantheon, Olorun is also called Olodumare (Yoruba alphabet: Olódùmarè).
| Ọlọrun | |
|---|---|
King of the Heavens, Supreme King of the Gods, Sky, Earth, Universe | |
| Member of Orisha | |
| Other names | Olorun, Olodumare, Olafin-Orun |
| Venerated in | Yoruba religion, Umbanda, Candomble, Santeria, Haitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism |
| Region | Yorubaland, parts of Latin America |
| Ethnic group | Yoruba |
In Yoruba culture Ọlọrun is credited with creating the universe and all living things. He is frequently perceived as a compassionate god who protects his creations and is thought to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Humans do not worship Olorun directly; there are no sacred areas of worship, no iconography, nor ordained person. Olorun is outlying, distant, and does not partake in human rituals. There are no shrines or sacrifices dedicated directly to them, although followers can send prayers in their direction.[1][2]
Olorun has no gender in the Ifá Literary Corpus, and is always referred to as an entity who exists in spiritual form only. [3][4] Christian missionaries, such as Bolaji Idowu, aimed to reinterpret traditional Yoruba culture as consistent with Christian theology as a way of pushing conversion. The first translation of the Bible into Yoruba in the late 1800s by Samuel Ajayi Crowther controversially adopted traditional Yoruba names, such as "Olodumare/Olorun" for "God" and "Eshu" for the devil, and thus began associating Olorun with a male gender.[3]
For Yoruba traditions, there is no centralized authority; because of this, there are many different ways that Yoruba people and their descendants or orisa-based faiths can understand the idea of Olorun.[1]
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Historically, the Yoruba worship Olorun through the agency of the orisa; thus there is no image, shrine or sacrifice made directly towards Olorun.[1] There is some controversy about whether Olodumare is directly worshiped, due to their aloofness from humanity.[5][6] However, there are those who also worship Olodumare directly. Olodumare is the origin of virtue and mortality, and bestows the knowledge of things upon all persons when they are born. They are omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evil.[5] The Yoruba call on Olodumare when other deities (orishas) seem unwilling or incapable to help. These orisa or orishas are supernatural beings, both good (egungun) and bad (ajogun), who represent human activity and natural forces.[7] Yoruba people believe Olodumare created all other forces of the universe to help continue the evolution of the universe. The Yoruba people's religion has been practiced for centuries and is still a significant part of their identity and cultural heritage.
The three manifestations
According to Yoruba religion, their are three manifestations of supreme God, Olodumare, the Creator; Olorun, ruler of the heavens; and Olofi is the conduit between Heaven and Earth.
Western ideology
In Trinidad Orisha, he is known as Orun.[8] He is thought to stabilize the cosmology and other gods created by Eshu, along with Ayé.[8]
Etymology
From the Yoruba language, Olorun's name is a contraction of the words oní (which denotes ownership or rulership) and ọ̀run (which means the Heavens, abode of the spirits).
Another name, Olodumare, name comes from the phrase "O ní odù mà rè" meaning "the owner of the source of creation that does not become empty," "or the All Sufficient" [9][10][11][6]
In popular culture
- Olorun is mentioned in the song "the rhythm of the saints" from the 1990 solo album The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon.
- Olorun appears as one of the gods in the Smite game series.
References
- R., Prothero, Stephen (2010). God is not one : the eight rival religions that run the world (First HarperCollins paperback ed.). [New York, New York]. ISBN 9780061571282. OCLC 726921148.
- Akintoye, Adebenji (2010). "Chapter 2: The Development of Early Yoruba Society". A History of the Yoruba People. Senegal: Amalion Publishing. ISBN 978-2-35926-005-2.
- Abímbólá, Kólá (2005). "Chapter 3: The Yorùbá Cosmos". Yorùbá Culture: A Philosophical Account. Great Britain: Ìrókò Academic Publishers. ISBN 9781483535944.
- Mligo, Elia Shabani (2013). "Chapter 3: The Concept of God". Elements of Traditional African Religion. Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications. ISBN 978-1-62564-070-3.
- Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). African Studies Quarterly.
- Ekundayo, Adejuwonlo; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga (2020), Spirituality and Mental Health: An Ifa Overview, INARC Corp, U.S.A., ISBN 978-0-9815-674-0-2, Kindle Edition ASIN B08FCVVKYG
- Peel, JYL (2016). "The Three Circles of Yoruba Religion". University of California Press: 214–232 – via JSTOR.
- Salamone, Frank A. (2004). Levinson, David (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals. New York: Routledge. p. 24. ISBN 0-415-94180-6.
- Ayegboyin, Deji; Olajide, S. K. (2009), "Olodumare", Encyclopedia of African Religion, SAGE Publications, Inc., doi:10.4135/9781412964623.n306, ISBN 9781412936361, retrieved 2019-10-10
- Cynthia Duncan, Ph.D. About Santeria
- Mobolaji Idowu (1994), Olódùmarè God in Yorùbá Belief Longman Nigeria ISBN 9780582608030
- OGUMEFU, M. I., Yorùbá Legends, London, The Sheldon Press, 1929.
- IDOWU, E. BÔLAJI., Olódùmarè: God in Yorùbá Belief, London, Longmans, 1962.
- Adebola Omolara Adebileje, ' A Comparative Description of Affixation Processes in English and Yoruba
Asante, Molefi K. and Ama Mazama, editors. Encyclopedia of African Religion. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2009. Sage Knowledge, 13 Apr 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623.