Olodumare

Etymology

The riddle of the word remains in doubt. Its esoteric character, however, suggests it is of ancient origin. Idowu explains that Olodumare is a compound word derived from two words: odu and mare, and the prefix ol results from the word Ont, which means “owner of,” “Lord of,” or “one who deals in.” The coming together of Ont, which ends with a vowel i, and Odu, which begins with another vowel o results in the elision of the vowel i, thereby changing on to ol; hence, we have olodu instead of oni-odu. Odu may mean a main heading or chapter, a scepter, or authority. When it is used as an adjective, it means large, extensive, and full. Thus, when the Yoruba say “odu re kun”—one's odu is full—it means one has blessings in abundance. With the prefix ol, Olodu means the owner of odu, that is, one who possesses the scepter of authority or one who encompasses the fullness of excellence. These suggest that the being described is superlative and perfect in greatness, size, quality, and worth.

The word mare presents some etymological difficulty. An option is to accept the explanation of Idowu drawn from Yoruba myth that the word, which is an imperative, is made up of two separate words, ma and re, meaning “Do not go,” “Do not proceed,” or “that does not go.” This suggests the attribute of stability and constancy.

In summary, Olodumare is the deity who possesses superlative qualities and who also has the attribute of remaining stable, permanent, and reliable. Hence, Idowu has coined the term olodu-mareism to indicate the monotheistic tendency of the Yoruba traditional religion.

Creation Myths

A version of one creation myth recalls that, in the beginning, the universe was filled with water. Consequently, Olodumare sent the Orisa led by Obatala (Orisa-Nla) to create solid farmland from the liquid mass. When Obatala got drunk after taking palm wine along the way, Orunmila took over the leadership and succeeded in carrying out the assignment that started from Ilé-Ifè from where the solid earth spread to cover the whole world.

In another mythology, Olodumare asked Obatala to mold the physical body of human beings from clay. When that had been done, Olodumare breathed into the lifeless bodies and they became living persons. The created beings thereafter moved to the store of ori (inner head) from where they chose their destinies.

These Yoruba myths portray the traditional wisdom and lore of the people that reflect their deep-seated beliefs in Olodumare as the creator and ruler of the whole universe.

Attributes

In Yoruba life and thought, the eternal existence and the incomparable greatness of Olodumare are expressed in the name Oyigiyigi. Olodumare is also eleda (creator), awamaridi (unfathomable), alabalase kabiyesi (the king with unquestionable authority), oba ti ki iku (the eternal king), oba arinu rode (the one who can discern all things), and many others.

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