Olorun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Part of a series on
God
General conceptions
Specific conceptions
In particular religions
Attributes
Experiences and practices
Related topics

Olòrún is the Yorùbá name given to one of the three manifestations of the Supreme God in the Yoruba pantheon. Olorun is the owner of the heavens and is commonly associated with the Sun. The vital energy of Olorun manifests in humans as Ashé, which is the life force that runs through all living things.[1] The Supreme God has three manifestations: Olodumare, the Creator; Olorun, ruler of the heavens; and Olofi, who is the conduit between Orun (heaven) and Ayé (earth).

No gender is typically assigned to Olorun because Olorun transcends human limitations. Olorun rules Orun (the heavens), whereas humans live in Ayé (the earth). Typically, humans do not interact directly with Olorun but they receive the life-giving energy from the sun and recognize the power of Olorun over their lives.

Etymology

From Yoruba Olú-Ọ̀rún (Ruler of the Heaven)

According to this Yoruba myth, the world was originally a marshy, watery wasteland. In the sky above lived many gods, including the supreme God Olodumare or Olorun (the Owner of the Sky). These gods sometimes descended from the sky on spider webs and played in the marshy waters, but there was no land or human being there.

One day, Olorun called orisha-nla (the great god) Obatala, and told him to create solid land in the marshy waters below. He gave the Orisha a pigeon, a hen, and the shell of a snail containing some sand. Obatala descended to the waters and threw the sand into a small space. He then set free the pigeon and hen, which began to scratch the earth and move it around. Soon, the birds covered a large area of the marshy waters and created solid ground.

The Orisha reported back to Olorun, who sent a chameleon to see what had been accomplished. The chameleon found that the earth was wide but not very dry. After a while, Olorun sent the chameleon to inspect the work again. This time the chameleon discovered a wide, dry land, which was called Ife (meaning "wide") and Ile (meaning "house"). All other towns and societies later developed from of Ile-Ife, and it was respected and regarded forever as a sacred spot. It remains the home of the Oni, the spiritual leader of the Yorubas.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cynthia Duncan,Ph.D. About Santeria

External links

Look up olorun in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Olorun
Yorùbá religion (Orişa-Ifá)
Deities
Supreme Being
Orishas/Irúnmôlè
Countries
Topics
Sacred sites
Legendary figures
Religions
Deities
Roots
Related articles


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.