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| The Shrine of Osun. © Olalekan Oduntan |
OSUN was once human before becoming an Orisa. What is the meaning of Orisa? It literarily means a deity in English language. She was one the wives of king Sango who mistakenly ruined his own regime by burning his palace and people down with wild fire in Oyo Empire before becoming a deity throughout of the Yoruba kingdom.
Before the inferno, two warlords of Sango had always been on each other throat which made the king to set them against each other. Eventually, Eliri succeeded in killing Oluode, his long time partner. After this, Eliri bragged to make life uncomfortable for king Sango which made the king to attempt to test his charm in order to burn him alive. It was while testing the charm that Sango set his entire palace and the people ablaze. After the whole scenario, Sango and his two wives namely Oba and Oya went their different ways to become deities to the people because Sango committed suicide by hanging himself, Oba and Oya turned themselves into rivers.
It is only Osun, who continued her journey elsewhere as human being because she tried to put her past full of bitterness behind her by accepting what fate had brought upon her and she moved on with her life. But despite her good intentions and generosity towards people, she was still being hated one way or the other by one or two people wherever she was being loved. She was the lover of children and she was an indigo maker. Osun loved to be of assistance to everybody hence she was being referred to as the limitless giver.
After becoming one of so many deities in Yoruba land, she is being appeased whenever her assistance is sought for through Ifa Oracle. The Ifa priest will name the needful to appease Osun in order to make her grant people's requests. The barren women go to Osun for fruits of the womb and their wishes are granted by getting pregnant and giving birth to children. Osun gives her clients water of life to drink and the abundance of life is granted to them.
Some other numerous problems brought forth before the shrine of Osun are also taken care of because she is a problem solver. And it is this her water of life that she gives to the people to drink that gets their numerous problems solved for them. Osun always blesses those who come to her shrine to seek for her help. And she is a Yoruba deity respected all over the world. Many people troop to Osogbo, one of western states of Nigeria today to appease the river Osun on yearly basis without knowing who Osun was before becoming a goddess.
Whereas, Osun was once a beautiful woman who lived her life as a human being before turning herself into a river and she became a respected deity being worshipped all over the world today.
OSUN Se e ge se, olooya a yu, Awede werisa.
Iya Alaro, iya olodo, onibu ore.
Osun dakun gbe mi bori ota mi.
Osun a gbe wa o!!!
Copyrights: © 2015 Olalekan Oduntan
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