The Legend of Oshun

 Parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo were once collectively called the Yoruba Land. The Yoruba people shared a common cultural concept that dates back to earlier periods in their religious history. According to their oldest religious beliefs, they follow the Supreme God, Olodumare. He is the supreme creator and ultimate divine authority. Olodumare wanted to create and bring balance to Earth, so for this, he sent 17 Gods or Orishas to perform the task. King Obatala led the Orishas. The other Gods who accompanied him to perform the mammoth task were Ogun, Orunmila, Eshu, Olokun, Yemoja, Osanyin, Shango and Oshun.

 

Each Orisha was assigned a particular task in the creation of the Earth and the life within it. The Mighty Orisha King Obatala created the Earth and humans. Ogun was the Orisha of warfare, hinting at skills, technology and innovation. Orunmila, the God of wisdom and knowledge, was responsible for prophetic enlightenment. Eshu was the God of trickery, judgment, and chance. Olokun was the Orisha of the bottom of the ocean. Yemoja was the water goddess of the rivers. Osanyin was the Orisha of the knowledge of herbs, leaves and healing. Shango was the God of fire, thunder, drums, and dance. None of the powerful Gods considered any Goddess important. They started creating Earth and humanity without the power of the Goddess Oshun.

 

Goddess Oshun was an Orisha of immense power: purity, love, fertility, sensuality, nurturing and the flow of rivers- everything that makes the Earth a lively and beautiful place. However, the other Gods rejected her and did not want any interference from a woman Orisha in their work. Earth was formed, and humans began to exist. They were intelligent, skilled, and advanced, with the ability to adapt to their surroundings and build a comfortable existence through knowledge. Everything was going fine, but what is the meaning of humanity without love? What is the meaning of life if there is no fertility and purity? What is the meaning of men and women if there were no sensuality? How will life thrive without care and nurture? What is the essence of a river if there were no flow? And the inevitable happened: a severe drought was brought about as a result of all the Gods’ destructive ego.

 

The lands were left barren, and the rivers dried up. Food and water were scarce. There was a constant fight for existence and survival. It seemed that the Earth would soon come to an end; such was the dire condition. Oshun knew exactly what went wrong, although the other Gods denied it. They also knew that only Oshun could restore balance to Earth, yet they remained unbothered, too consumed by their fragile thoughts about seeking help from a female Orisha. Olodumare came to know about the Earth's struggling state and, upon investigating, directed all the other Orishas to let Oshun continue her work without interfering. He also warned them to deactivate their power if anyone dared to obstruct Oshun’s work.

 

The Supreme God’s orders were the ultimate decision, and despite their ego being shattered, they did not dare to oppose him or Oshun. Oshun started her magic with care, love, and nurture. She sprinkled love wherever she went. Flowers began to bloom with her care, rivers began to flow, plants began to bear fruit, birds began to chirp, and humanity flourished in abundance.

 

Oshun is said to be the wife of Shango, the Orisha of thunder. Her main trait is balance. She is caring and nurturing. But when enraged, her wrath can bring a flood or withhold the flow of water. But again, if appeased by her devotees’ love and respect, she again showers her blessings of abundance upon the Earth.

 

Oshogbo is a city in Nigeria. A few of Oshun’s devotees wanted to build a city for dwelling. There was fertile land with a flowing river, and they prayed to the Goddess Oshun to bless them as they wanted to build a city. Oshun was happy, and she met all her devotees, marking the advent of the very popular Oshun festival, which is still celebrated there. The river was named the Oshun River, and a flourishing city was built around it.

 

It is believed that she was also the Supreme God Olodumare’s favourite for the kind of sacrifice she had made for all. During the drought, when the Gods refused Oshun's help, and there was no one to inform Olodumare, Oshun took the form of a peacock and flew to him as a messenger. The extreme heat burnt her wings, and she turned into a vulture. When Olodumare learnt of that, he healed her, and she was chosen as the primary messenger between the Earth and the Divine.

 

Dr Deshpande started searching for an image of Oshun on her phone to show Sunaina, her granddaughter. In most images, she was seen wearing a yellow dress.

 

The inquisitive Sunaina’s eyes did not miss this common feature in all the images. “ Dadi, why does Orisha Oshun wear yellow all the time?”

 

“ I am glad you have noticed this, dear. Yellow or gold represents warmth, sweetness, luxury and high value. Oshun, as a goddess, was said to embody all these qualities. So it was quite symbolic.” The Professor replied.

 

“Oshun sounds so much like Goddess Lakshmi, embodying prosperity, kindness, care and abundance.” Said the bright Sunaina.

 

“ You are correct. There have been references to a comparison between her and Mother Mary through syncretism. Enslaved African tribes who worshipped Oshun blended their beliefs with the Catholic belief in Mother Mary. This was a wonderful way to stay connected to their origins.” Dr Deshpande took off her glasses.

 

Sunaina realised her grandmother was tired and needed some rest. “ Last question, Dadi. What is syncretism?”

 

“ Again, very good question. Syncretism is the blending of various religious, cultural, and philosophical practices or beliefs to form a new, unified system. Now this would be enough for today. We will meet tomorrow for our final story.” Dr Deshpande lovingly ruffled her granddaughter’s hair.

 

 To be continued

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.

Check out 

Part 1: Dr Deshpande's Dainty Tales

Part 2: The Buckriders of Limburg

Part 3: The Mystery of Puteri Gunung Ledang

Part 4: King Vijaya of Simhala

Part 5: The Firangi Pirates of Sundarbans