Ọlọrun
Ọlọrun is the supreme deity in Yoruba religion, associated with the sky and regarded as the source of life and divine authority.
Yoruba religion: The religious traditions of the Yoruba, encompassing worship of deities, ancestors, and spiritual forces. Ọlọrun occupies the highest place within this religious world.
Yoruba creation myth: A body of Yoruba narratives explaining how the world and its inhabitants came into being. These accounts describe creation under Ọlọrun’s authority, often through delegated divine action.
Ifá: A Yoruba system of divination and sacred knowledge maintained by trained specialists. Ifá verses preserve accounts of divine beings and the ordering of existence under Ọlọrun.
Olokun: An orisha associated with the sea and its depths in Yoruba religion. Olokun governs a particular domain, unlike Ọlọrun’s supreme authority.
Olódùmarè: A supreme creator deity in Yoruba religion, often identified with Ọlọrun. The name is closely associated with Ọlọrun, though usage and interpretation vary.
Obatala: An orisha associated with creation, molding human bodies, and wisdom in Yoruba religion. Creation narratives often assign Ọlọrun a role in authorizing Obatala’s work.
Yoruba mythology: The body of Yoruba sacred narratives about deities, origins, and the relations between worlds. Its stories express Ọlọrun’s place through varied accounts rather than a single fixed doctrine.
Shango: An orisha associated with thunder, lightning, and kingship in Yoruba religion. Shango’s defined powers contrast with Ọlọrun’s role as source of divine authority.
Orisha: A class of divine beings and powers in Yoruba religion, associated with natural and social domains. Orishas act within creation under the supreme divine order associated with Ọlọrun.
Oduduwa: A central figure in Yoruba traditions, associated in some accounts with the founding of Ile-Ife. Some creation accounts describe Oduduwa carrying out a divine commission connected to Ọlọrun.