Ọlọrun: Difference between revisions
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| type = Yoruba | | type = Yoruba | ||
| other_names = Olorun, Olodumare, Olafin-Orun, Olofi, Olofin | | other_names = Olorun, Olodumare, Olafin-Orun, Olofi, Olofin | ||
| children = | | children = Oluwasojon | ||
| member_of = | | member_of = | ||
| venerated_in = [[Yoruba religion]], [[Umbanda]], [[Candomble]], [[Santeria]], [[Haitian Vodou]], [[Folk Catholicism]] | | venerated_in = [[Yoruba religion]], [[Umbanda]], [[Candomble]], [[Santeria]], [[Haitian Vodou]], [[Folk Catholicism]] | ||
| image = | | image = | ||
| caption = | | caption = | ||
| deity_of = Monarch of the Heavens, Supreme Monarch of Deities, Sky, Earth, Universe | | deity_of = Monarch of the Heavens, Supreme Monarch of Deities, Sky, Earth, Universe | ||
| color = | | color = | ||
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| ethnic_group = [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] | | ethnic_group = [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] | ||
| symbol = | | symbol = | ||
}} | }}{{Orisa-Ifá sidebar|Deities}} | ||
''' | '''Ọlọrun''' ([[Yoruba alphabet]]: ''Ọlọrun'') ([[Ede language]]: ''ɔlɔrun'') is the ruler of (or in) the Heavens, creator of the Yoruba, and the Supreme Deity or Supreme Being in the [[Orisha#Pantheon|Yoruba pantheon]] and related [[Religious syncretism|syncretic religions]]. Ọlọrun is also called numerous other names including '''Olodumare''' ([[Yoruba alphabet]]: ''Olódùmarè''), Eledumare and Eleduwa/Eledua. However, in some in belief systems the different names refer to particular deities or aspects of the same deity. | ||
== 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 [[Heaven]]s, abode of the spirits). | |||
Another name, Olodumare, 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".<ref>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</ref><ref name=":5">Cynthia Duncan, Ph.D. [http://www.aboutsanteria.com/ About Santeria]</ref><ref name=":3">Mobolaji Idowu (1994), ''Olódùmarè God in Yorùbá Belief'' Longman Nigeria {{ISBN|9780582608030}}</ref><ref name=":4">Ekundayo, Adejuwonlo; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga (2020), ''Spirituality and Mental Health: An Ifa Overview'', INARC Corp, U.S., {{ISBN|978-0-9815-674-0-2}}, Kindle Edition {{ASIN|B08FCVVKYG}}</ref> | |||
==Yoruba== | |||
In Yoruba culture, Ọlọrun is credited with creating the universe and all living things. Ọlọrun is frequently perceived as a compassionate entity who protects its creations and is thought to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. People do not worship Olorun directly; there are no sacred areas of worship, no iconography. | In Yoruba culture, Ọlọrun is credited with creating the universe and all living things. Ọlọrun is frequently perceived as a compassionate entity who protects its creations and is thought to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. People do not worship Olorun directly; there are no sacred areas of worship, no iconography. | ||
Ọlọrun's ordained are known to be Obatalá<ref>{{cite book |last1=adelowo |first1=E.dada |title=rituals, symbolism and symbols in yoruba traditional religious thought}}</ref> of which is appointed a divine sun | Ọlọrun's ordained are known to be Obatalá<ref>{{cite book |last1=adelowo |first1=E.dada |title=rituals, symbolism and symbols in yoruba traditional religious thought}}</ref> of which is appointed a divine sun OlúwaṢójon.<ref>{{cite book |title=ibukun Lati Olorun}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/godisnotoneeight0000prot|title=God is not one : the eight rival religions that run the world|last=R.|first=Prothero, Stephen|isbn=9780061571282|edition=First HarperCollins paperback|location=[New York, New York]|oclc=726921148|url-access=registration|year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Akintoye |first=Adebenji |title=A History of the Yoruba People |publisher=Amalion Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-2-35926-005-2 |location=Senegal |language=English |chapter=Chapter 2: The Development of Early Yoruba Society}}</ref> | ||
For Yoruba traditions, there is no centralized authority; because of this, there are many different ways that Yoruba people and their descendants or orisha-based faiths can understand the idea of Ọlọrun.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
Historically, the Yoruba worship Ọlọrun through the agency of the orisha; thus there is no direct image, shrine or sacrifice for the deity.<ref name=":1"></ref> It is generally believed that Ọlọrun is manifest in all of existence, and the believer is therefore bound to be grateful and loving towards all beings.<ref name=":2">Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). ''African Studies Quarterly''. </ref><ref name=":4" /> However, there are those who also worship directly. Believing the deity to be the origin of virtue and mortality, and bestower of the knowledge of things upon all persons when they are born. Ọlọrun is omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evil{{Clarify|reason=What does it mean that Ọlọrun is "good and evil"?|date=August 2025}}.<ref name=":2" /> ''Orishas'', the deity's manifestations, are supernatural beings, both good (''egungun'') and bad (''ajogun''), who represent human activity and natural forces, and who maintain universal equilibrium.<ref>Peel, JYL (2016). "The Three Circles of Yoruba Religion". ''University of California Press'': 214–232.</ref> | |||
== Trinidad Orisha == | |||
{{Main|Trinidad Orisha}} | |||
The one supreme god in Trinidad Orisha is Oludumare, the Yoruba supreme being who created the aye, the world of the living, visible to us, and the Orun, the invisible spiritual world of the gods, spirits, and ancestors.<ref name="Gods and Spirits">{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title="Gods and Spirits." |url=https://carlos.emory.edu/htdocs/ODYSSEY/AFRICA/AF_rit_cerem_gods_spirits.html |journal=Odyssey Online, Africa |publisher=Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University |location=Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester and Dallas Museum of Art.}}</ref> Creator of the cosmology and all that exists, [[Babalú-Ayé]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Salamone |first=Frank A. |title=Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-94180-6 |editor-last=Levinson |editor-first=David |location=New York |pages=24}}</ref> | |||
== Santería == | |||
{{Main|Santería}} | |||
Santería teaches the existence of an overarching divinity, known as Olodumare, Olofi, or Olorun.{{sfnm|1a1=Mason|1y=1994|1p=36|2a1=Mason|2y=2002|2p=8|3a1=Flores-Peña|3y=2005|3p=105|4a1=Fernández Olmos|4a2=Paravisini-Gebert|4y=2011|4p=39}} Practitioners believe that this divinity created the universe but takes little interest in human affairs.{{sfnm|1a1=Mason|1y=1994|1p=36|2a1=Mason|2y=2002|2p=8|3a1=Wedel|3y=2004|3p=82|4a1=Flores-Peña|4y=2005|4p=105}} As this creator deity is inaccessible to humanity,{{sfnm|1a1=Sandoval|1y=1979|1p=138|2a1=Fernández Olmos|2a2=Paravisini-Gebert|2y=2011|2p=39}} no major offerings are dedicated to it.{{sfn|Flores-Peña|2005|p=106}} The three facets of this divinity are understood slightly differently; Olodumare represents the divine essence of all that exists, Olorun is regarded as the creator of all beings, while Olofi dwells in all creation.{{sfn|Fernández Olmos|Paravisini-Gebert|2011|p=46}} In taking a triplicate form, this deity displays similarities with the Christian [[Trinity]].{{sfn|Fernández Olmos|Paravisini-Gebert|2011|p=46}} | |||
== Gender == | |||
Ọlọrun has no gender in the Ifá Literary Corpus, and is always referred to as an entity who exists in spiritual form only. <ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Abímbólá |first=Kólá |title=Yorùbá Culture: A Philosophical Account |publisher=Ìrókò Academic Publishers |year=2005 |isbn=9781483535944 |location=Great Britain |language=English |chapter=Chapter 3: The Yorùbá Cosmos}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mligo |first=Elia Shabani |title=Elements of Traditional African Religion |publisher=Resource Publications |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-62564-070-3 |location=Eugene, Oregon |chapter=Chapter 3: The Concept of God}}</ref> 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 the male gender.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
==Western ideology== | ==Western ideology== | ||
Comparisons to western idelogy:{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} | |||
* Olodumare – the Lord [[God]] of the Source of Creation | * Olodumare – the Lord [[God]] of the Source of Creation | ||
* Olorun – the Lord [[God]] of [[Heaven]] | |||
==In popular culture== | == In popular culture == | ||
* Olorun is mentioned in the song "The Rhythm of the Saints" from the 1990 album ''[[The Rhythm of the Saints]]'' by [[Paul Simon]]. | * Olorun is mentioned in the song "The Rhythm of the Saints" from the 1990 album ''[[The Rhythm of the Saints]]'' by [[Paul Simon]]. | ||
* Olorun is mentioned in the song "Lua Soberana" from the 1992 album ''[[Brasileiro]]'' by [[Sérgio Mendes]] (composed by [[Vítor Martins]] and [[Ivan Lins]]). | |||
* Olorun appears as one of the gods in the 2014 video game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''. | * Olorun appears as one of the gods in the 2014 video game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''. | ||
*Eledumare is mentioned in the 2018 song "[[Soco (song)|Soco]]" by Starboy featuring [[Wizkid]]. | *Eledumare is mentioned in the 2018 song "[[Soco (song)|Soco]]" by Starboy featuring [[Wizkid]]. | ||
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{{Names of God}} | {{Names of God}} | ||
[[Category:God | [[Category:Conceptions of God]] | ||
[[Category:Names of God in African traditional religions]] | [[Category:Names of God in African traditional religions]] | ||
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]] | [[Category:Sky and weather gods]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:35, 11 November 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Wikidata imageTemplate:Compare image with WikidataTemplate:Orisa-Ifá sidebar Ọlọrun (Yoruba alphabet: Ọlọrun) (Ede language: ɔlɔrun) is the ruler of (or in) the Heavens, creator of the Yoruba, and the Supreme Deity or Supreme Being in the Yoruba pantheon and related syncretic religions. Ọlọrun is also called numerous other names including Olodumare (Yoruba alphabet: Olódùmarè), Eledumare and Eleduwa/Eledua. However, in some in belief systems the different names refer to particular deities or aspects of the same deity.
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, 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".[1][2][3][4]
Yoruba
In Yoruba culture, Ọlọrun is credited with creating the universe and all living things. Ọlọrun is frequently perceived as a compassionate entity who protects its creations and is thought to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. People do not worship Olorun directly; there are no sacred areas of worship, no iconography.
Ọlọrun's ordained are known to be Obatalá[5] of which is appointed a divine sun OlúwaṢójon.[6] 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.[7][8]
For Yoruba traditions, there is no centralized authority; because of this, there are many different ways that Yoruba people and their descendants or orisha-based faiths can understand the idea of Ọlọrun.[7]
Historically, the Yoruba worship Ọlọrun through the agency of the orisha; thus there is no direct image, shrine or sacrifice for the deity.[7] It is generally believed that Ọlọrun is manifest in all of existence, and the believer is therefore bound to be grateful and loving towards all beings.[9][4] However, there are those who also worship directly. Believing the deity to be the origin of virtue and mortality, and bestower of the knowledge of things upon all persons when they are born. Ọlọrun is omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evilTemplate:Clarify.[9] Orishas, the deity's manifestations, are supernatural beings, both good (egungun) and bad (ajogun), who represent human activity and natural forces, and who maintain universal equilibrium.[10]
Trinidad Orisha
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The one supreme god in Trinidad Orisha is Oludumare, the Yoruba supreme being who created the aye, the world of the living, visible to us, and the Orun, the invisible spiritual world of the gods, spirits, and ancestors.[11] Creator of the cosmology and all that exists, Babalú-Ayé.[12]
Santería
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Santería teaches the existence of an overarching divinity, known as Olodumare, Olofi, or Olorun.Template:Sfnm Practitioners believe that this divinity created the universe but takes little interest in human affairs.Template:Sfnm As this creator deity is inaccessible to humanity,Template:Sfnm no major offerings are dedicated to it.Template:Sfn The three facets of this divinity are understood slightly differently; Olodumare represents the divine essence of all that exists, Olorun is regarded as the creator of all beings, while Olofi dwells in all creation.Template:Sfn In taking a triplicate form, this deity displays similarities with the Christian Trinity.Template:Sfn
Gender
Ọlọrun has no gender in the Ifá Literary Corpus, and is always referred to as an entity who exists in spiritual form only. [13][14] 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 the male gender.[13]
Western ideology
Comparisons to western idelogy:Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In popular culture
- Olorun is mentioned in the song "The Rhythm of the Saints" from the 1990 album The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon.
- Olorun is mentioned in the song "Lua Soberana" from the 1992 album Brasileiro by Sérgio Mendes (composed by Vítor Martins and Ivan Lins).
- Olorun appears as one of the gods in the 2014 video game Smite.
- Eledumare is mentioned in the 2018 song "Soco" by Starboy featuring Wizkid.
References
Template:Reflist Template:Refbegin
- 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, Script error: No such module "doi"..
Template:Refend Script error: No such module "Portal". Template:Sister project Template:Sister project
Template:Orisa-Ifá Template:Yoruba topics Template:Names of God
- ↑ Ayegboyin, Deji; Olajide, S. K. (2009), "Olodumare", Encyclopedia of African Religion, Sage Publications, Inc., Script error: No such module "doi"., Template:ISBN, retrieved 2019-10-10
- ↑ Cynthia Duncan, Ph.D. About Santeria
- ↑ Mobolaji Idowu (1994), Olódùmarè God in Yorùbá Belief Longman Nigeria Template:ISBN
- ↑ a b Ekundayo, Adejuwonlo; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga (2020), Spirituality and Mental Health: An Ifa Overview, INARC Corp, U.S., Template:ISBN, Kindle Edition Template:ASIN
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). African Studies Quarterly.
- ↑ Peel, JYL (2016). "The Three Circles of Yoruba Religion". University of California Press: 214–232.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".