Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
---|---|---|
God name "Ochosi" | Nigeria | God of hunting and justice. Nigeria |
Goddess name "Ochu" | Nigeria | Goddess of the moon who sweeps away the ashes of death. Nigeria |
Supreme god name "Oduduwa" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | Creator goddess. The consort, or alternatively the daughter, of the supreme god OLODUMARE. She is perceived as the substance, or matrix, of the earth which Olodumare impregnated to generate life. She is also a goddess of war and her sons include the great heroic Yoruba god OGUN. According to some traditions Oduduwa is also perceived as a god.... |
God name "Ohe" | Nigeria | The omnipresent and supreme sky god. The Egede, Nigeria |
God name "Oko" | Nigeria | Oko god of the farm and Agriculture. Yoruba, Nigeria |
God name "Oko (hoe)" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | God of Agriculture. According to tradition he descended from heaven and lived at a farm near the town of Irao, where he attained a great age. One day he disappeared, leaving only his staff which was taken as a symbol of his presence. Annually, at the start of the Rainy season, a festival with strong fertility emphasis is held in his honor.... |
God name "Olodumare" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | Creator god. He engendered the god OBATALA as his deputy. The souls of the dead are expected to make confession to Olodumare. When he created the earth, he filled a snail's shell with dirt, placed inside it a hen and a pigeon and threw it down, whereupon the hen and pigeon began to scatter the earth and create land. Olodumare then sent a chameleon to report on progress. Sand was added, followed by a palm, a coconut and a kola nut tree. When these were established the god placed on earth the first sixteen humans. Also Alaaye; Elemii; Olojo Oni; Olorun; Orishanla.... |
God name "Olodumare/ Alaaye/ Elemii/ Olojo/ Oni/ Olorun/ Orishanla" | Yoruba / Nigeria | A creator god to whom the souls of the dead are expected to make a confession |
God name "Olokun" | Fon / Yoruba / Benin / Nigeria, West Africa | God of fresh waters and oceans. The eldest son of the creator god OSANOBUA. He is symbolized in the sacred river Olokun, which runs almost the length of Benin and from the source of which come the souls of unborn children. A girl baby is given a shrine of the god which includes a pot of river water and which she takes with her to her new home when she marries. The god is particularly popular among women and has a cult of priestesses. Olokun is also a guardian deity of mariners.... |
God name "Ori (mind)" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | God of wisdom. The deity who, in heaven, guides the soul but who also acts as a personal guardian, controlling individual mental ability, so that one person becomes wise and another foolish.... |
God name "Orisanla" | Nigeria | Orishanla, sky god who was designated to be the creator of earth and living things. Nigeria |
God name "Orisanla" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | sky god. Delegated by OLODUMARE as a creator of earth and living things.... |
God name "Orunmila" | Nigeria | God of mercy and destiny. Yoruba, Nigeria |
God name "Orunmila" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | God of destiny. He accompanied the creator god OLODUMARE at the creation of the world and when the destinies of mankind were decided. He is consulted in an oracular capacity at IFA and makes decisions on such matters as choice of sacrificial animals. He is also a god of healing and in many households enjoys personal shrines which include palm nuts, fragments of ivory and sea shells.... |
God name "Osowo" | Nigeria | The supreme being, a sky god, who is also identified with or represented by the big tree which is worshipped. Indem, Nigeria |
Goddess name "Osun" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | River goddess. The daughter of Oba Jumu and Oba Do and the consort of the god SHANGO. The guardian deity of the river Osun, revered particularly in the towns and villages along the banks of the river where sacred weapons are kept in her shrines. Also a goddess of healing. She is worshiped particularly by women and is honored in an annual festival, the Ibo-Osun, during which new cultic priestesses are selected.... |
Goddess name "Oya" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | River goddess. The consort of the god SHANGO, she is the guardian deity of the river Niger. Also a goddess of storms and thunder. Her sacred animal is the buffalo and her presence is symbolized by its horns.... |
Goddess name "Ra" | Nigeria | Goddess of wealth and fertility. Nigeria |