Oduduwa est l'ancêtre fondateur des Yoruba et le premier souverain d'Ilé-Ifè, leur cité sainte. Progéniteur des dynasties royales de Yorubaland, il fut divinisé après sa mort et compté parmi les orishas. Il est vénéré au Nigeria comme la figure des origines et un symbole d'unité yoruba.

Oduduwa est-il un personnage historique ou un dieu ?

Les deux dimensions coexistent. La tradition en fait un souverain historique d'Ilé-Ifè, que les historiens situent autour de la période formative de la cité, entre le neuvième et le onzième siècle. Après sa mort, il fut divinisé et intégré au panthéon yoruba comme orisha, associé dans plusieurs récits à la création de la terre.

Quel rôle joue Oduduwa dans le mythe de création yoruba ?

Plusieurs versions du mythe lui attribuent la formation de la terre ferme à Ilé-Ifè, répandant du sable sur les eaux primordiales, parfois en concurrence avec Obatala. Ce geste fait d'Ilé-Ifè le premier lieu habité et fonde la place centrale de la cité dans la religion et l'identité yoruba.

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ODUDUWA

ally

God

☥ SpiritYoruba →Yoruba — YorubaElder

Gender: MasculineSign: ancêtre

Oduduwa, whose praise names are Olofin Adimula and Olofin Ayé, is the founding ancestor of the Yoruba and the first sovereign of Ilé-Ifè, the holy city and cradle of Yoruba civilisation, in the south-west of present-day Nigeria. The oral tradition makes him a prince who came to settle among the local populations, whose communities he unified and to whom he gave a monarchical system. From him descend, according to the narratives, the many crowned dynasties of Yorubaland: the possession of a crown of Oduduwa symbolised the legitimate authority of the kings. The historians situate his existence around the formative period of Ifè, between the ninth and the eleventh century. Alongside this historical dimension, Oduduwa holds a place in the Yoruba cosmogony: several versions of the creation myth attribute to him, in competition or in complement with Obatala, the formation of the dry land, spread over the primordial waters at Ilé-Ifè. After his death, he was divinised and counted among the orishas. Certain traditions, notably linked to the Gelede cult, evoke a figure at first feminine. Venerated still today as the father of the Yoruba, he remains a symbol of unity and of political and religious legitimacy.

Powers & Attributes

ancestorcreation

Role in the ROHO universe

Ferryman of souls. ODUDUWA ensures the circulation of souls and prevents stagnation between the worlds. Bound to the Yoruba pantheon.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of ancestor and creation, embodiment of the power of Oduduwa

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Who is Oduduwa?

Oduduwa is the founding ancestor of the Yoruba and the first sovereign of Ilé-Ifè, their holy city. Progenitor of the royal dynasties of Yorubaland, he was divinised after his death and counted among the orishas. He is venerated in Nigeria as the figure of the origins and a symbol of Yoruba unity.

Is Oduduwa a historical character or a god?

The two dimensions coexist. Tradition makes him a historical sovereign of Ilé-Ifè, whom the historians situate around the formative period of the city, between the ninth and the eleventh century. After his death, he was divinised and integrated into the Yoruba pantheon as an orisha, associated in several narratives with the creation of the earth.

What role does Oduduwa play in the Yoruba creation myth?

Several versions of the myth attribute to him the formation of the dry land at Ilé-Ifè, spreading sand over the primordial waters, sometimes in competition with Obatala. This gesture makes Ilé-Ifè the first inhabited place and grounds the city's central place in Yoruba religion and identity.

Related spirits

ERE ORISHANLA AJE AMIRINI

Sources and references

Samuel Johnson, The History of the Yorubas, 1921
E. Bolaji Idowu, Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief, 1962