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Yoruba mythology
Articles about Yoruba mythology within Africa.
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Ogun
Ogun (also written Ògún or Ogún) is a major òrìṣà of Yoruba religious tradition. He is especially associated with iron, metalworking, hunting, warfare, clearing paths, labour, technology and the difficult work required t…
Oko
Oko, more fully known as Òrìṣà Oko or Orisha Oko, is a Yoruba deity associated chiefly with farming, cultivated land and the harvest. The name is commonly connected with the Yoruba word oko, “farm” or “farmland,” althoug…
Olorun
Olorun is a supreme divine being in Yoruba religious thought, traditionally associated with the sky, creation, life and the ultimate ordering of the universe. The name is commonly written Ọlọ́run in Yoruba, from elements…
Olokun
Olokun is a powerful divinity in Yoruba religious tradition, associated above all with the sea, its immense depths, its hidden riches and the forces that lie beyond ordinary human understanding. The name is commonly writ…
Onile
Onile is a name associated with the earth in Yoruba religious thought and folklore. It is usually understood from the Yoruba expression onílẹ̀, meaning “owner of the earth” or “owner of the land.” In some accounts, Onile…
Orishas
Orishas (Yoruba: òrìṣà; also written orisa, òrìṣá or orisha) are sacred powers and divine beings in the religious traditions of the Yoruba-speaking peoples of West Africa. Yoruba communities are concentrated especially i…
Orunmila
Orunmila is a central orisha in Yoruba religious tradition, especially associated with Ifá, the divination system through which knowledge, guidance and insight are sought. He is linked with wisdom, human destiny, moral c…
Osanyin
Osanyin is a Yoruba orisha associated with leaves, herbal knowledge, healing, and the powerful life of the forest. His name is also written as Òsányìn, Osain, or Osaín, depending on the language, orthography, and religio…
Oshe
Oshe is usually the name given to the distinctive ritual axe or staff associated with Ṣàngó, the Yoruba òrìṣà of thunder, lightning, authority and warrior power. It is not generally understood in Yoruba religious traditi…
Oshun
Ọ̀ṣun, commonly written as Oshun in English, is a major òrìṣà of Yoruba religious tradition. She is associated especially with fresh water, rivers, fertility, love, beauty, prosperity, diplomacy and forms of feminine pow…
Oshunmare
Oshunmare is a Yoruba orisha associated above all with the rainbow, the serpent, movement between realms, and the continuous circulation of life’s forces. The name is also written Ọ̀ṣùmàrè, Osumare, or, in Brazilian reli…