Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of Obàtálá and Olókun in Ilé-Ife`

by Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem, Ayowole S. Elugbaju

Overview

In Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of Ọbàtálá and Olókun in Ilé-Ifẹ̀‘, Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem and Ayowole S. Elugbaju explore Ọbàtálá's (the Yorùbá deity of creation) and Olókun’s (the preeminent owner of the ocean) existence in myth, history, and religion through various facets of pan-human worship, belief, and everyday ritual practices. Raheem and Elugbaju explore Yorùbá history, culture, and religion to provide an extensive analysis of core themes in Ọbàtálá’s and Olókun’s stories. They argue for a more complex reading of Ọbàtálá beyond the often sustained and single narrative of struggle and defeat as well as a more nuanced reading of Olókun as a holy well beyond its popular exemplification of a female deity of wealth, childbirth, and preeminent owner of the world’s ocean. Drawing from oral accounts, chants, folk songs, praise poems, and verses from the Ifá corpus, the authors provide new insights into the worlds of both deities hitherto missing in the literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666945355
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/07/2024
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem is affiliated to the 'sun State University, 'sogbo, Nigeria.
Ayowole S. Elugbaju lectures in the Department of History and International Studies at Redeemer's University, Ede, Nigeria.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments

Part I: Introduction

Introduction

Part II: Ọbàtálá, Religio-Mythology Narratives, and Epistemic Nodes

Chapter 1: Ọbàtálá in Yorùbá Mythology
Chapter 2: Ọbàtálá and the Institution of Kingship in Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Chapter 3: The Òrìs?à Nlá (Ọbàtálá) Festival in Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Chapter 4: The Òrìs?à Nlá (Ọbàtálá) Festival in Throes of Change

Part III: Fluid World, Sacred Manifestation, Therapeutic Landscape and Ritual Encounters

Chapter 5: When the World was Fluid: Olókun, Myth and Sacred Manifestation
Chapter 6: Olókun Sèníadé: The Holy Well of Ilé-Ifẹ̀
Chapter 7: Olókun Temple: Sacred Landscape of Spiritual Devotion
Chapter 8: Ritual Practices and Sacred Observances to Olókun
Chapter 9: Festival Days of Olókun

Part IV: Epilogue

Chapter 10: Ọbàtálá and Olókun: The Gender Dynamics

Bibliography
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of Ọbàtálá and Olókun in Ilé-Ifẹ̀ is a brilliant work in religious studies and makes a significant contribution to the literature on Yoruba cosmology. Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem and Ayowole S. Elugbaju offer a thorough account of the role of sacred stories and rituals in Ilé-Ifẹ̀, a city steeped in religious and philosophical significance. The authors explore and reimagine Yorugrave;baacute; Traditional Religion through robust ethnographic research and meticulous observation in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. This groundbreaking manuscript illuminates the history of Ilé-Ifẹ̀, colonialism, and traditional beliefs and knowledge through the famous Ọbàtálá festival. Using the Ọbàtálá festival to interrogate questions of religious pluralism, the growth of Abrahamic religions in Africa, and modernity, the authors weave together Yorugrave;baacute; Traditional Religion and history in this pioneering and well-written work. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in religious rituals, Yoruba religion, and more broadly traditional African religions.

Jacob K. Olupona