Oshun River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

River Osun in Osogbo - Africa
Enlarge
River Osun in Osogbo - Africa

The Ọṣun River (sometimes spelt Oshun flows southwards through the central Yorubaland in southwestern Nigeria into the Lagos lagoon. It is one of the several rivers ascribed in local mythology to have been women who turned into flowing waters after some traumatic event frightened or angered them.

Osun was reputedly one of the wives of Ṣango, the Yoruba god of thunder. The annual traditional worship at the Ọṣun Shrine near the Ọṣun River at Osogbo has become an important tourist attraction drawing people from various parts of Nigeria and countries far beyond to the annual festival in August.

The Ọṣun river has a number of source tributaries emanating from the Yoruba hills. Some of the tributaries are also called Ọṣun or Omi Ọṣun (meaning Ọṣun's waters) in some parts ot Yorubaland.



In other languages