Who are the cosmogonic Deities? Creator gods of the universe

The Yoruba religion has as its main figure of veneration Olodumare, supreme God and creator of everything that exists, the deity to which every Yoruba owes extreme devotion.

They are then included in the Yoruba Pantheon, numerous deities created by him, which are subdivided according to their powers, into head Orishas, major and minor.

Cosmogonic deities:

Several scholars of the Yoruba religion wanted to give a scientific order to the representation of the Orishas according to their actions on earth and the elements with which they are related.

Thus, a scheme was made that groups them into deities:

We will now address the first group, that of the creators of the Earth and men, the group of cosmogonic deities, characterized by being the first and creators of the other deities, associated with the forces of the universe and of creation.

La cosmogony It is a mythological narrative about the origins and evolution of the world, the human being and the universe.

We describe each deity in this group below:

Olodumare: Supreme god

The Creator par excellence. Olodumare created human life on Earth and watched over its formation and maintenance.

He is God, he is the creation, the greatest, the deity of the perfection of everything human. Olodumare is the primary source of vital energy. It is said that different tendencies of the divinity were integrated into those whom he put in charge of watching over men and life on Earth: Obatalá and Oduduwá

Its name comes from the Yorùbá Olòdúmàré, which means Lord to whom our eternal destiny goes and it is the arterial and spiritual manifestation of all that exists. It is not in direct contact with men, but through what are considered its other forms Olorún or Olofin.

The Yorubas represent it in a guiro with two halves, the upper one symbolizing the elevated astral states and the lower one, the earth. When your name is mentioned you should touch the ground and kiss the dusty fingerprint out of respect.

Obatala: Creator Agent of Olodumare

The Orisha Obatala is one of the seven major and main deities of the Yoruba religion and was born as an incarnation of Olodumare.

His first commission was to create the Earth, but due to Eshú, the ruling deity of the malevolent, he could not finish his work and Olodumare gave the task of ending the world, to Oduduwá.

The legends tell that after this, Obatalá and his wife Yemmú, were the parents of the warriors of the mountain, Oggún, Oshosí, Elegguá and Osún and also of the great Shango and the fortune teller Orula, that is why this Orisha is the fairest of all , as the father of the other saints who come to him as a judge and an honorable father.

Obatalá was responsible for Olodumare distributing his power among the orishas and is an extremely important figure for the deities, since he represents Olodumare himself on earth. He is the one who judges men in this world and tests them, with great patience and intelligence.

Oddudua: Creator Agent of Olodumare

Orisha of desires, is awarded the creation of the world with Obatalá.

It is a very powerful spiritual mass that has no shape or shape. Represents the mysteries and secrets of death. Oduduwá uses the spirits to manifest himself and lives in the deep darkness of the night with a single phosphorescent eye.

Its material representation alludes to the formation of the world, of which the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms are part.

It is especially related to Orunmila the soothsayer, Obatalá Obalofun and Oshún the river goddess. He was the first Oní (king) and founder of Ife, from where life was born. Its name comes from the Yoruba Odùdúwá Lord of the other world or of our destiny.

In Africa, Oduduwá is often considered the creator god, ancestor of Obatala, while in other regions he is shown as his wife.

For some Cuban faithful, Oduduwá is the Blessed Sacrament or San Manuel in Catholic syncretism.