![]() In the meantime, the people pleaded with Obatala, the creator of human bodies, asking him to intervene and save their lives. Orunmila told them that they would need the help of Ogun, a powerful warrior who was excellent in metal work, to make the longest metal chain that he could possibly make. In this version of the story, the orishas all saw what was happening and decided that Olokun had to be stopped from causing any further damage and so they sought the advice of Orunmila, the orisha of wisdom, divination and knowledge. They ran as far away as they could in fear. Immense waves start invading the land and the people who lived far away from the coastline saw the mountains of water coming towards them, meaning certain death. The water obeyed his commands and the ocean began to swell up. Therefore, he decided to punish humankind, by sending tidal waves to bury the land and everything on it under water. Olokun, at a certain time, was displeased with humanity since he believed that the humans didn’t respect him as they should. He also controlled all the bodies of water, big or small, since it was his domain. Although he was a very aggressive and powerful orisha, he was also very wise and considered the authority of all the other water orishas in Yoruba mythology. Crossing him could mean the destruction of the world so no deity or human dared to do it. Olokun was a powerful orisha who was highly respected and feared since he had the power to destroy anything he wanted by unleashing the depths of the ocean. However, some sources state that Olokun had no lovers, wives or children and lived alone in his palace under the sea. In some accounts, Olokun was said to be the husband or lover of Yemaya, the great mother goddess of the ocean and they had several children together. She was often angry and jealous of her husband’s many other wives and it’s said that she created the Atlantic Ocean in a fit of rage. In Yoruba religion, Olokun, in the form of a female, was said to be the wife of the great Emperor Oduduwa. Therefore, Olokun’s gender usually depends on the religion in which the orisha is worshipped. Although most people believe that Olokun is a male deity, he was often viewed by the Africans as either male, female or as an androgynous deity. According to the myths, Olokun was said to be the father of Aje, the orisha of wealth and the bottom of the ocean. ![]()
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