ᐈ Olofin 【Who is, History, Children, Prayers, Offerings and MORE】

The Trinity scheme is appreciated both in Christianity and in the Yoruba religion. It consists of three manifestations that come from the same spiritual Being. Olorum, Olodumare and Olofin make up this scheme within Santeria.

Through syncretism, it is inferred that the figure of Olofin represents for this religion, Jesus Christ, because both have similar actions and characteristics, such as the creation of the existing plane.

To discover who exactly Olofin, its history, importance, among other things, you just have to keep reading this short article.

Who is Olofin?

Olofin or Olofi as it is also known, constitutes one of the representations of the greatest God of the Yoruba religion, that is, Olodumare. He is the firstborn of this God. It is impossible to obtain something without his mediation. Since he plays a role as an intermediary between the Orishas and matters that have to do with the earth and humanity. This is because he has authority over these deities, where Olofin is the leader.

His name is understood as “Owner of the palace”. Which means that heaven is his home, while the Orishas are the family that accompanies him. He was the one who distributed the ashé that corresponded to each Orisha and keeps the secrets of creation safe. So you can imagine how important and powerful this representation of the supreme God is.

In fact, his power and direct contact no one is allowed. It is very well guarded and only a very few priests are allowed in. Despite having to govern the Orishas, ​​he is considered the embodiment of absolute divinity and creation. On the other hand, it was he who allowed the prophet of Orunla to approach the earth to profess.

History

Every God has a story and Olofin is no exception. Legend has it that this was born out of nowhere, becoming the third consecration of Olorum. Once already manifested, the world was inhabited exclusively by the Orishas. While this was happening, Obatalá was in charge of creating peoplethese human beings went to paradise without any impediment.

At some point in existence, a couple took the initiative to visit the palace where Olofin resides, in heaven. All this with the purpose of making an order, the power or ashé of the reproduction. The God was taken aback by such a request, so he took some time to reflect on it. When he issued the answer to the couple, they accepted without hesitation, since the deity proposed that they could bear a child. But this under the condition that when he was born, he could not cross the limits of the earth.

Regardless of the harsh condition, the parents eagerly awaited the birth of the child. He grew up, and his parents took care of him, but he turned out to be an excessively spoiled and restless baby. However, this would eventually bring consequences, that day cameand the child fled from his father figures, crossed space, arriving where Orun reigns.

Due to his childish character, he began to make fun of the Orishas, ​​mocking and doing mischief. As a consequence of his actions, Olofin, who was observing that scene from long distances, seized him with his stick, with such force that the earth and the atmosphere were separated from Orun.

Since then, humans they wasted the chance to visit Olofin’s palace in Eden and in turn, direct contact with the Orishas. This is the most representative story of Olofin, since the two facets that the deity had are appreciated, from an authoritarian figure capable of reprimanding those who lack or break the natural laws to that comprehensive God in unfavorable situations for humanity.

Children of Olofin

Olofi procreated three (3) children, called Achama, Achamarumawho were older. The minor had a first name eyokile. There are various stories about this trio of brothers, or patakies as it is known within the Yoruba language.

One of the best known It is when each one of them was old enough to fend for themselves and start working. For which his father exclaimed “You have the age and ability to work, so here are three machetes, one for each one.”

That was the only thing they knew how to do, cut palm. They were qualified as toppers. Mofa had told Eyokile that she make a ebbo That is, an offering or ceremony with his machete, and so did the youngest of the brothers. In the following days, the older brothers, when they got home, responded that the younger one stayed asleep. Implying that they were the only ones working, which was false.

Since Eyokile eventually did not have a machete to work, he got a parrot feather, an object that his father longed to have but had not achieved. Upon learning of this discovery and that his youngest son had been working with his bare hands, he took pity on him, and turned to his other firstborn as envious.

After the well-deserved recognition that the youngest of the three children received, Olofin urged him to shout the following sentence at the top of his lungs in the street: «Tani lobba, logguo mo addpa ologuó, addá aricha» whose meaning is understood as “The machete that I brandish in my extremities was the one that made me command and this machete belongs to the deity Osha.”

This patakí (short story) shows us through details what Olofin’s family relationship with his children is like and leaves us a moral lesson about undervaluing other people’s work and envy.

Prayer to Olofin

The Supreme Being of Olofin only goes to the call of the well-known babalawos, or also called Ifá priests. Where a link is created between the two, carrying out specific works that only the priest knows about, since they are secret.

The prayers that are rendered to Olofin They are usually specific. Because people always keep in mind that it is a special, divine and infinite entity. It is not an easy task, that is why the prayers and ceremonies are special. They try in some way to show the great devotion they feel towards this entity.

The person or in this case the Babalawo who receives Olodin, through the letter of the same will understand the veneration necessary to maintain the saint for a long time. The main prayer if you want to worship Olofin correctly is the following from the Yoruba language:

“Yes, Olokun, Olofin, Olodumare”

The sentence is designed to be repeated multiple times. Since its purpose is to achieve the invocation or manifestation of the deity through Olofin. When it is done, it is advisable to be invoking his presence have drums, songs and everything that brings emotion.

Offerings

As in most religions, commemorative events are important. The Yoruba religion is not exempt and they are even a fundamental part of it. These ceremonies must be carried out with respect since you will be addressing the Orisha that you wish to contact.

Each Orisha and God they have different tastes. In the case of Olofin, he likes to receive gifts such as alcohol, tobacco, and a coconut broken into nine pieces, which indicates the sign of the non-living. Added to this, you can place coffee and pepper in the back of your home (if you have one), but never inside. With these final ingredients you must make a figure and place the first elements already mentioned inside.

If an animal is to be sacrificed as an offering to Olofin, it must be placed in the same way within the circle of pepper and coffee. However, a few days before you must have placed meat or food in its natural state (raw) and any other food cooked without salt.

The last step, which would be the direct connection with Olofin, should be when he is offered a glass of water, accompanied by rum and tobacco. The ceremonies must be carried out based on the Orisha, so when making the offering you have to be very careful. Above all, the clothing for the occasion must be respected, it is advisable to use its main colors, white, yellow and rarely the color red.

Olofin necklace

Unlike the other Orishas, Olofin is a particular deity, so it is not represented by necklaces or other accessories. Instead, it has a receptacle, that is, a cylindrical-shaped container that is intended to contain a specific substance. It is generally made of metal and its color is white.

In general lines, you can appreciate the importance of this deity within the Yoruba religion. If we take it to the Catholic religion, it is syncretized with the Holy Spirit. Because he is one of the representations of what the Yoruba religion considers the greatest God, better known as Olodumare. This is important because it is not about any other Orisha, but the third part of a deity superior to the rest.

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