Back Oduduwa Catalan Oduduwa German Oduduwa Spanish Oduduwa FF Oduduwa French Oduduwa Hausa Odùduwà Italian Oduduwa KNC Oduduwa PCM Odudua Portuguese

Oduduwa

A statue of Oduduwa

Odùduwà (Ooduwa, Odudua or Oòdua) was a Yoruba divine king,[1] a creator deity (orisha) in the Yoruba religion, and the legendary figure who ushered in the classical period that later led to the foundation of the Ife Empire.[2] His earthly origins are from the village of Oke Ora.[3] According to tradition, he was the holder of the title of the Olofin of Ile-Ife, the Yoruba holy city.[4] He ruled briefly in Ife,[5] and also served as the progenitor of a number of independent royal dynasties in Yorubaland,[6][7] with the praise names Olofin Adimula and Olofin Aye.[8]

While archaeologists and historians estimate Oduduwa's kingly existence to the Late Formative Period of Ife (800-1000CE),[9] Yoruba spirituality sees Oduduwa, together with Obatala, to be creator divinities as old as the earth itself.[10]

The etymological derivation of the Yoruba name “Oduduwa” is: Odu-ti-o-da-uwa (i.e. Odu-ti-o-da-iwa). This translates literally to: The great repository which brings forth existence.[11]

  1. ^ Bondarenko 2003, p. 70.
  2. ^ Ogundiran 2020, p. 7.
  3. ^ Nwanyanwu, O. J.; Opajobi, Bola; Olayinka, Sola (1997). Education for Socio-economic & Political Development in Nigeria. Visual Resources. p. 159. ISBN 978-978-34467-0-0. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  4. ^ "The Yoruba States | World Civilization". courses.lumenlearning.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  5. ^ Alokan, Adeware (2018). The Origin, Growth & Development of Efon Alaaye Kingdom. Timade Ventures. ISBN 9789783456785.
  6. ^ Obayemi, A., "The Yoruba and Edo-speaking Peoples and their Neighbors before 1600 AD", in J. F. A. Ajayi & M. Crowder (eds), History of West Africa, vol. I (1976), 255–322.
  7. ^ Falola, Toyin; Mbah, Emmanuel (2018). Dissent, Protest and Dispute in Africa. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781315413082.
  8. ^ Atanda, Joseph Adebowale; Oguntomisin, Dare (17 June 2018). Readings in Nigerian History and Culture. ISBN 9789783654822.
  9. ^ Falola, Toyin; Jennings, Christian (2004). Sources and Methods in African History: Spoken, Written, Unearthed. University Rochester Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-58046-140-5.
  10. ^ Lynch, Patricia Ann (2018). African Mythology, A to Z. Infobase. ISBN 9781438119885.
  11. ^ Johnson 1921, p. 143.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne