ᐈ Olodumare 【Who is, Prayers, Orishas and MORE】

The Yoruba religion or Santeria as it is better known in the Caribbean, represents a very deep cult for both practitioners and strangers. This is mainly because they have multiple traditions, deities, prayers, and mysteries.

That is why, when talking about the origin of all existing things according to the Yoruba religion. To many people the name of Olodumare. If you are one of those, don’t worry, you are in the right place, since in this article we will talk in depth about this God and his accessories.

Who is Olodumare?

Its name comes from the Yoruba O-lo-dù-ma-rè which translates as Lord to whom our eternal destiny goes, that is to say, it is the supreme figure. He considers himself the omnipotent Being that has existed forever, creator of the heavens, the seas, the day, the night and the earth itself. In addition to being the main source of all ashe (or power) in the universe.

He established all living beings within the earth, including his Orishas, ​​giving them power and dominion over nature. One of them is his most beloved and closest son, Obatalá, who is considered by many religious devotees as the mediator between God and humans.

He is the one who governs humanity, judges and punishes men when the laws of nature are broken. Despite this, the Yoruba resort to it when other gods do not have enough power to help them solve a problem, given the magnitude of the events. This instance is usually unusual in that it can only be called upon directly in very particular situations.

Before Olodumare, everyone who has reached the end of his life will appear and will be judged for his morality and then receive his fair remuneration.

Because it is omnipotent, it is not in direct contact with men, but through its various forms which will be explained in one of the sections below.

Olodumare and his Orishas

As already mentioned, Olodumare is the main Being or God of the earth for the Yoruba, while the Orishas are his children who have been sent to earth in order to deal with the affairs of humanity. It is important to emphasize this differencesince despite the fact that all of them have enough power to rule over the forces of nature, each one represents different things and have different tastes, both for the offerings that are made to them, and for their food.

On the other hand, we can better understand the Orishas as those energies of nature that were later deified by people, by observing natural forces you can learn a lot about a specific Orisha, such as Oshún (rivers) or Yemayá (seas).

It is worth noting that there are approximately 401 different deities and that regardless of this large number, it is still a monotheistic religion, since they are under the only God, Olodumare.

The most relevant and important Orishas within the Yoruba religion are:

choose

Elegguá or Eleguá is the owner of the roads and destinations of the world, he is identified with the colors red, black or white and his numbers are one, two and three. This is a childish and mischievous messenger, who is in charge of opening or closing the doors to the path of life and prosperity, but also of misfortune.

He maintains a close relationship with the Orisha of divination, since something cannot be done in either of the two worlds without his permission and for this reason, he is called first before another deity.

Oggun

Oggún is a deity that represents iron, war and enormous virility in the human being. When Elegguá opens the roads, it is he who is in charge of clearing those roads with his main symbol, the machete, also called embelebobo.

It is identified with the number three (3) and its colors are green and black.

ochosi

The Ochosi deity is the third member of the group known as Warriors made up of Elegguá, Ogún and Osun, whose main objective is to protect the initiate, open and clear their paths.

Ochosi is related to the Orisha Obatalá, since he is entrusted to execute the justice dictated by him. He is also the designated explorer and hunter of the Orisha.

He owns everything that involves hunting, including the bow and arrow.

Obatala

Obatalá has the highest position in the Orishas hierarchy, he is highly respected because he was sent by Olodumare (in its third manifestation)to create and care for the world, do good, govern, and maintain peace among men.

He is also the owner of everything white, the kind father of all the Orishas, ​​the source of everything pure, wise and peaceful, although he has a warrior side through which he imposes justice on the world.

He is considered the deity par excellence above the rest and is the only Orisha that has roads for both genders, both for men and women.

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Oyá is the Orisha that governs all strong winds and storms, it is characterized by its number nine.

Owner of the gate to the cemetery, she governs along with Shangó and is one of the few Orishas with the ability to dominate the egguns, also known as the spirits of the dead.

oshun

As mentioned at the beginning of this section, Oshún rules over the fresh waters of the earth, (streams and rivers). He retains the title of great queen either iyalode, in the Yoruba language, it embodies love and fertility.

She is also recognized as one of the youngest Orishas, ​​due to her yellow colors and her representative number, which is five (5).

Yemaya

The Orisha Yemaya resides and commands from the seas of the planet. Her name can be interpreted as “The mother whose children are the fish.”

Yemayá is shown as the mother of all people. She is one of the best known Orishas, ​​since she is revered both in Latin America and in part of the United States.

Generally, she dresses in blue and white skirts, as these represent her colors.

Shango

It is considered by many people as another of the most popular orishas, this deity rules over lightning, thunder, fire, and dance. He considers himself a quick-witted, temperamental and virile warrior.

Shangó or Changó maintains a relationship with Obba, but has relations with Oyá and Oshún. This is because she is a strong-willed and hot-blooded person who loves the pleasures of dancing, drumming, women, singing, and eating.

orunmila

Orunmila is known to be the deity of wisdom and knowledge. has been the only one Orisha who has been allowed to observe the process of creating the universe thanks to Olodumare.

It is said that it also bears witness to those destinations that are in the process of being created. Usually identified with the colors green and yellow.

Olodumare and Olofin

Devotees to the Yoruba religion make a differentiation between Olodumare and Olofin. Olodumare is considered to be a metaphysical Being, which is the basis of all that exists. And on the other hand, they consider that Olofin is or perceptible of creation in his person. It turns out then that Olofin is Olodumare manifested through Olorum, but they are different aspects of the same spiritual Being. Olodumare is considered as the divine essence, Olorum is the creative action and Olofi is the foundation.

So, Olofin belongs to the trinity of Olodumare, that is to say, it is a manifestation (third) of God Olodumare himself, he is specifically in charge of being in indirect contact with humanity and the earth, which he does through the Orishas. That is to say that he, he supervises the correct functioning of things. Furthermore, it is said that Olofin resides in the distance and that he does not visit the world frequently.

Names Used to Describe It

eledá: It means the creator, this word indicates that it is a being unattainable for the other deities and responsible for the entire cosmos. Owner of individual reality and supplier of everything.alaayé: It refers to the vital power, that is, the Being that is always alive and eternal. He never died, for this reason the devotees exclaim: «A kì ígbó iku» (We never heard of Olodumare’s death).elemii: It means the owner of life, it expresses that all living things breathe thanks to him. When it takes the breath of a living Being, it dies. That is why the admirers of this religion have the following approach: «Bí Ëlémìí kò ba. gbá á, emi yóò še èyí tàbí èyìinì.» whose interpretation would be “If the winner of my life does not take it, I can do anything”.eye oni: This word directly describes the God Olodumare as “The one who wins or controls the day.”

Prayer to Olodumare

Very different from other deities such as the Orishas and, despite being the supreme God, Olodumare is not made any offering, dance or altar. Because he is supreme, and the supreme is not represented.

However, the best way to contact him is through prayer. Since the energies that are communicated can become very pure and this technique helps to flow with the environment.

There is a small fragment of a prayer that alludes to the deity of Olodumare, translated from the Yoruba language says:

«We respect the womb of creation, the king of the first messengers and greatest father of the ancestors, the ruler who never faces death, the spirit of the planet. We praise them with the praise name of him.
You who model the light to create all things, owner of the mysterious nature, whose words are the law and creation, owner of the most unknown mysteries.

The source of all heads and of creation.
In the sacred forest your divine light will always be praised.
The monarch of all forms of consciousness on Earth. The primary among the immortals of heaven.
The spirit of manifestations and king of all kings.
You who are the same creation, this is your work and, therefore, you receive the praises of your descendants. You are the one who distributes the blessings in heaven and on Earth.
Heavenly Father, we offer our absolute respect, may it be so.”

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