Olokun is the Orisha of the great seas and oceans, her wealth is vast and her powers are beyond comparison. She is revered as the authority over other water deities
Olokun is described as all-knowing, the keeper of wisdom and divination, the goddess of the unknown, creator of the realm of dreams and the unconscious, the dark goddess
She is associated with great riches, women pray to her to conceive a child as well as for good health and worldly possessions
In one account Olokun once tried to drown humans after Obatala created them, the Orishas met in secret to devise a plan . Orunmila asked Ogun to make the longest chain possible, as Olokun attacked the world of men Obatala would come from behind and chain her down, imprisoning the goddess in her domain forever
Olokun is far more revered in Benin/Edo traditions than anywhere else in the world. Stories about the god/goddess floods their folklore and ancient songs. The force of the ocean is referred to as male or female depending on what story you listen to. It would appear Olokun is androgynous
One of the more popular stories is about a boy named 'Omobe' He was the best wrestler in all the lands. At his birth a priest warned his parents to not allow Omobe to climb palm trees. But one day while his parents were away he decided to climb a palm tree any way
From high up he could peer into the spirit world and he noticed that several divinities had gathered for a fantastic wrestling match! He immediately climbed down and made his way to the spirit world to test his own luck amongst a variety of spirits. He beat every opponent. Ancestors, gods and all others lost at his hands, even Ogun. Finally he prepared to wrestle Olokun
During the match Omobe attempted to throw Olokun to the ground, but instead Olokun ended up firmly attached to his head. All attempts at removing Olokun from his head failed and Olokun declared it his permanent abode as a sign of Omobe’s arrogance and disrespect towards the other spirits. When Omobe returned home the priest advised him to appease Olokun
So for seven days Omobe made sacrifice. On the last day Omobe was initiated as the first Olokun priest after this Olokun loosened his grip on Omobe’s life
Olokun is described as all-knowing, the keeper of wisdom and divination, the goddess of the unknown, creator of the realm of dreams and the unconscious, the dark goddess
She is associated with great riches, women pray to her to conceive a child as well as for good health and worldly possessions
In one account Olokun once tried to drown humans after Obatala created them, the Orishas met in secret to devise a plan . Orunmila asked Ogun to make the longest chain possible, as Olokun attacked the world of men Obatala would come from behind and chain her down, imprisoning the goddess in her domain forever
Olokun is far more revered in Benin/Edo traditions than anywhere else in the world. Stories about the god/goddess floods their folklore and ancient songs. The force of the ocean is referred to as male or female depending on what story you listen to. It would appear Olokun is androgynous
One of the more popular stories is about a boy named 'Omobe' He was the best wrestler in all the lands. At his birth a priest warned his parents to not allow Omobe to climb palm trees. But one day while his parents were away he decided to climb a palm tree any way
From high up he could peer into the spirit world and he noticed that several divinities had gathered for a fantastic wrestling match! He immediately climbed down and made his way to the spirit world to test his own luck amongst a variety of spirits. He beat every opponent. Ancestors, gods and all others lost at his hands, even Ogun. Finally he prepared to wrestle Olokun
During the match Omobe attempted to throw Olokun to the ground, but instead Olokun ended up firmly attached to his head. All attempts at removing Olokun from his head failed and Olokun declared it his permanent abode as a sign of Omobe’s arrogance and disrespect towards the other spirits. When Omobe returned home the priest advised him to appease Olokun
So for seven days Omobe made sacrifice. On the last day Omobe was initiated as the first Olokun priest after this Olokun loosened his grip on Omobe’s life
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