Ocean

Physical Ocean

The water of the physical ocean is one of the primary elements of life. This water is likened to life-giving and life-sustaining blood, fluids of the womb, and semen. Water cleanses, purifies, and nourishes. Water as an element has the distinct property of being purer than what it touches. Although other elements such as fire can be used in purification and although the Earth may be used in a symbolic burial signaling rebirth, water remains nature's ultimate purifier, as witnessed in the common rituals of bathing or washing food. Water connects the realms of Earth and Heaven because fresh water falls from the sky and is returned to Heaven again through evaporation. Therefore, water on the scale of an ocean intensifies the qualities of purification and connection between Earth and sky.

In Fon cosmology, there is a group of deities known as the sea pantheon. The primary deities of this pantheon are Agbè and Naètè, the third set of twins born to the androgynous deity Mawu-Lisa. Sometimes Agbè and Naètè are portrayed as husband and wife or the children of Sogbo, the leader of the thunder pantheon. It was Sogbo who gave Agbè control over what occurs in the universe and care over the Earth. The sea was created for him to live. Agbè and Naètè inhabit the sea and also command the waters. Their children perform numerous functions in relation to the sea. Some sons are responsible for the rising and falling of tides. One son has a fondness for sinking boats. One daughter, Avrekete, keeps the secrets of her parents and is therefore the guardian of the treasures of the sea. One child is responsible for extracting water from the sea to make rain. Other children reside in lagoons.

For the Yoruba, the divinity of the sea and marshes is Olókun. Among some Yoruba and Edo of Nigeria, Olókun, which means “owner of the sea,” is masculine, but among other Yoruba and the Fon, she is feminine. Olókun, also called Yemideregbe, or Awoyo among the Fon, lives in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, which is believed to be a gateway to Heaven below (Orun-Odò). Olókun is the richest entity in the world and the first of the Yoruba orisha to wear a crown. She is the wife of Orunmila, the deity of divination, the son of the sky deity, Olorun. As with the Fon, for the Yoruba, there is a complex relationship between sea and sky deities. Olókun ruled over a vast expanse of water and wild marshes that was grey, with no living creatures or vegetation. Obatala thought the area lacked inspiration and life, so, with the assistance of Olorun and other deities, he created solid land with forest fields, hills, and valleys. Olókun was upset that her domain was disturbed and washed everything away with a flood. She sought to challenge Olorun, the deity of the sky, but soon realized that the powers of the sky were greater than her own.

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