OSHUN GODDESS OF AFRICA: 5 FACTS OR MYTHS YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW!
Pic: Oshun Goddess of Africa
Oshun Goddess of Africa has her story rooted in Yoruba traditional religion as one of the mermaid deities and she controls the vast river Osun in Nigeria. Oshun
Goddess
of
Africa
is
still
very
active
considering the level of devotees which span beyond Osun State (a state in Nigeria named after her) to other race of people like African Americans, Caucasian Americans, Hispanics, Jamaicans and Caribbeans
Oshun Goddess of Africa is probably as popular as other goddess found in various mythologies around the world but she is definitely more celebrated than most and yet has several myths or facts surrounding her that you probably don’t know. Oshun Goddess made contact with first human 700 years back Many believed everything about Oshun Goddess of Africa is a myth but ask the natives in Osun. They will tell you, she’s more than a myth. She is definitely real. Legend has it that she’s been living in our world but maybe in another dimension for thousands of years until about
700
years
ago
when
she
made
contact
with
a
hunter, Olutimehin, in Osogbo during one of his hunting expedition.
At
this
meeting,
there
was
a
pact
made
between the hunter and the goddess. Pacts to bless, protect and nurture him and his generation should he choose
to
be
revering
her
which
he
did
and
the
generations after him even till today. Oshun Goddess of Africa following through with her own side of the pact has helped the Yoruba race ended one of
her
ethnic
handedly.
civil
war
with
the
Fulani’s
single
Oshun
Goddess
has
lived
on
earth
before
during
the
reign of deities Ile-Ife is the spiritual and ancestral home of Yoruba race and there was a time in the history when all the pantheon
gods
and
goddesses
found
in
the
Yoruba
mythology lives in the realm of men and control their affairs according to Olodumare’s (the Supreme Being) instruction. This era was referred to by the Yoruba’s as Ife-Oodaye. A version of Yoruba legend explained that Oshun goddess of Africa lived in Ile Ife during this era referenced and married to Orunmila, the deity in charge of wisdom and divination, and gave birth to a son named Obatala. Another version of Yoruba legend also claimed that, Oshun goddess of Africa exist in human form and married to Shango along with other two wives, Oya and Oba, who are both deities in Yoruba land. Established one of the most popular divination system in the world Oshun
goddess
of
Africa
has
her
reputation
spanned
across the globe especially due to her easy divination system
(Eerindinlogun
or
dilogun
as
known
by
the
Santeria practitioners) which she acquired while she
was married to Orunmila as explained in our previous entry. A
story
as
contained
in
ifa
rendition
“Ose-Otura”
explained that Orunmila gave her this tool as a means of
survival
while
he’s
away
on
one
of
his
many
divination assignments outside their domain. Although, a tool with less accuracy when compared to other original divination tools in Yoruba traditional religion such as Ikin, Opele and so on. Oshun goddess of Africa divination tool, Eerindinlogun, is probably more commonly used by the people around the world both by the initiates and non-initiates due to it easy of understanding. Oshun
Goddess
of
Africa
could
be
benevolent
or
malevolent. Depending
on
the
relationship
surrounding
your
encounter with Oshun goddess, she could be benevolent or malevolent. In the diaspora, Oshun goddess might be known to them as a benevolent goddess who blesses you with wealth, sexuality and other things you desired. But
Yoruba
people,
especially
those
living
in
motherland, know better. A deep research will tell you that the well-loved goddess is not always kind hearted as she’s presumed.
Several people have had encounter with her and became blessed or doomed. On the account of people who became doomed, they either disrespect her by bathing in her water at dusk, pee or defecate inside the water or they are
children
“gotten�
from
Oshun
goddess
but
whose
parent refuse to honor their pact. In such case they either get drowned in the river or meet some sort of accident believed to be handwork of the river goddess. Does
not
have
its
river
source
in
Osun
State
as
believed by many To the people in diaspora who believed in Oshun goddess of Africa, she has her river source in the state named after
her
in
Nigeria.
But
that
story
may
not
be
completely through. As noted in the first entry on this list, Oshun goddess made encounter with first human, a brave hunter and the founder of Osogbo city in Nigeria. On
the
further
trace
of
this
river,
it
source
is
located in Ekiti where it is still worshiped till today although
not
in
an
elaborate
way
Osogbo festival hosted in Osogbo. Source: Listngist Articles
like
annual
Oshun