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Olorun (
Yoruba alphabet The Yoruba alphabet ( Yoruba: ''Álífábẹ́ẹ̀tì Yorùbá'') is either of two Latin alphabets used to write the Yoruba language, one in Nigeria and one in neighboring Benin. The Nigerian Yoruba alphabet is made up of 25 letters, without C Q ...
: ''Ọlọrun'') (
Ede language Ede is a dialect continuum of Benin and Togo that is closely related to the Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern ...
: ''ɔlɔrun'') is the ruler of (or in) the Heavens creator of the Yoruba. The Supreme Deity or Supreme Being in the Yoruba pantheon, Olorun is also called Olodumare (
Yoruba alphabet The Yoruba alphabet ( Yoruba: ''Álífábẹ́ẹ̀tì Yorùbá'') is either of two Latin alphabets used to write the Yoruba language, one in Nigeria and one in neighboring Benin. The Nigerian Yoruba alphabet is made up of 25 letters, without C Q ...
: ''Olódùmarè''), Eledumare and Eleduwa/Eledua. 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 of which is appointed a divine sun OlúwaṢówjon. 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. Olorun has no gender in the Ifá Literary Corpus, and is always referred to as an entity who exists in spiritual form only. 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 Samuel Ajayi Crowther ( – 31 December 1891) was a Yoruba linguist, clergyman, and the first African Anglican bishop of West Africa. Born in Osogun (in what is now Ado-Awaye, Oyo State, Nigeria), he and his family were captured by Fulani sl ...
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. 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. Historically, the Yoruba worship Olorun through the agency of the orisa; thus there is no image, shrine or sacrifice made directly towards Olorun, since Olorun is known to BE everything, and everywhere. There is some controversy about whether Olodumare is directly worshiped, due to their aloofness from humanity, or due to the belief that Olorun already is ALL manifestation of life and existence, and the believer is bound to be grateful and loving towards all existence, and all beings, since Olorun IS everything.Bewaji, John (1998). "Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief and the Theistic Problem of Evil" (PDF). ''African Studies Quarterly''. 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. Olorun is omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evil. These ''orisa'' or orishas are supernatural beings, both good (''egungun'') and bad (''ajogun''), who represent human activity and natural forces, all at the same time, and is all harmonious, all possessed of equilibrium and worth.


Western ideology

* Olodumare – the Lord
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
of the Source of Creation ** Olorun – the Lord
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
of
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
In Trinidad Orisha, this god is known as Orun. Creator of the cosmology and all that exists, Babalú-Ayé.


Etymology

From the
Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern and Middle Belt, Central Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. ...
, Olorun's name is a contraction of the words ''oní'' (which denotes ownership or rulership) and ''ọ̀run'' (which means the
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
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".Ayegboyin, Deji; Olajide, S. K. (2009), "Olodumare", ''Encyclopedia of African Religion'', Sage Publications, Inc., , , retrieved 2019-10-10Cynthia Duncan, Ph.D
About Santeria
/ref>Mobolaji Idowu (1994), ''Olódùmarè God in Yorùbá Belief'' Longman Nigeria Ekundayo, Adejuwonlo; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga (2020), ''Spirituality and Mental Health: An Ifa Overview'', INARC Corp, U.S., , Kindle Edition


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 Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
. * 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 Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...
.


References


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, . {{Names of God God in the Yoruba religion Names of God in African traditional religions Sky and weather gods Umbanda Yoruba gods