Irunmọlẹ
The Irunmọlẹ (Yoruba: Irúnmọlẹ̀) are a group of primordial divine beings, or orishas, in the Yoruba religion, a West African religion practised by the Yoruba people. Ọbatala is the oldest Irunmọlẹ, and is regarded as the king of all Orishas.
Description
The Irunmọlẹ are a group of primordial divine beings created by the Supreme Being, Olodumare and sent down to Earth to complete specific tasks.[1][2][3] They differ from the other Orisha in that they existed from the beginning of the world, unlike humans that only became deified after death. This denotes that all Irunmọlẹ are Orisha but not all Orisha are Irunmọlẹ.[1]
Although the term refers to a specific, higher class of divinities, it is sometimes used to refer to deified human ancestors who became highly revered as embodiments of primordial forces or to the Orisha in general.[2][4]
The Irunmọlẹ are believed to be 801 in number, though this may vary. According to the Odu Ifa, 200 Irunmọlẹ reside permanently at the right side of Olodumare, 200 at their left, and 401 descended from Ọrun. Some major Irunmọlẹ include Ọbatala (the first), Ọrunmila, Eshu, Ogun, Olokun, Ọbaluaye, Shango,[a] and Yemọja.
Ọbatala
Ọbatala is the oldest Irunmọlẹ, as he was the first one created by Olodumare. He is credited with the creation of the Earth and humanity. He is a powerful divinity of creation, the sky and purity. He is regarded as the king of all orisha.
Etymology
The exact etymology of the Yoruba word Irúnmọlẹ̀ is uncertain. However, it is often said to be derived from a blend of irún + imọlẹ, ultimately from irún ("four hundred") + i- (“nominalizing prefix”) + mọ ("to mold, to shape") + ilẹ̀ ("land"), literally "The four hundred creators of the land".
See also
Notes
- ^ The Irunmọlẹ Shango (also called Jakuta) is sometimes considered different from the historical Alaafin Shango of the Oyo Empire, who became deified after his death, though the two figures are often conflated. See also: Ọramfẹ
References
- ^ a b Popoola, Solagbade; Oyesanya, Fakunle; Okemuyiwa, Gbolahan (2017). Ifa: Its Core Values Vol. 4: What Is an Irunmole? (Illustrated ed.). United States: Amazon Digital Services LLC. pp. 11–14. ISBN 9780998823546.
- ^ a b Journal of Religion in Africa: Religion en Afrique. (1979). Netherlands: Brill.
- ^ Fatunmbi, A. F. (1992). Awo: Ifá and the Theology of Orisha Divination. United States: Original Publications.
- ^ Akintola, A. (1999). Yoruba Ethics and Metaphysics: Being Basic Philosophy Underlying the Ifa System of Thought of the Yoruba. Nigeria: Valour Publishing Ventures.