"the Yoru`ba’ say that all deities descended to the world in at least thirteen "batches," each batch consisting of fifteen to seventeen deities (Adeoye 1985:29-35). The deities descended from heaven by holding onto ropes, won ro.

p. 109

S,a`ngo’ wooed O,ya away from O`gu’n".

p. 113

"O,ba`ta’la’ ... married Yemo`o’, who is worshipped jointly with him".

p. 119

"after separating from S,a`ngo’, O,ya remarried. ... Olukosi Epe ... spied O,ya in a masquerade costume crowned with buffalo horns. ... Later, Olukosi Epe removed the costume from its hiding place and took it home. O,ya ... tracked the hunter to his home and eventually married him." When O,ya found her hidden costume,

p. 120

"she vanished from sight. The place from which she disappeared is popularly said to be Ira". {cf. the similar "swan-maiden" motif (known in the Philippines etc.)}

p.

deity

sub-tribes

109

O`ri`s,a`-Oko

O,`yo,’; E`gba’; I`je`vu’

O,`s,un

Ya`gba`; I`gbo’mi`na`; E`ki`ti`; I`je`sa`

110

O`gu’n

E`ki`ti`; O`ke`

118

S,a`ngo’

O,`yo,’

p.

deity

titles : O`ri`s,a`-__

114

Ajangele

-Oko

114-5

O,ba`ta’la’

-Nla’; -O`gi’ya’n; Olu’fo’n

"associate lead and brass with O,ba`ta’la’ and O,`s,un".

p.

deity

ornament

114

O,ba`ta’la’

"white robes ... with bangles of lead"

116

Ajangele

"arere or ilarere (cowries) ... strung together as necklaces"

117

O,`s,un

"brass bangles, brass fans, and carved combs"

120

O,ya

"dazzling beads, kele"

O,`ru’nmi`la` is known as the "Mighty Hippopotamus of O,`wo,`".

Ifa` is known to the Nupe as "Se`ti’lu`".

p. 108

"O,`s,un, a ... deity ... female, upset their supernatural exploits. Ultimately, however, Ifa’ ... counseled the male deities to consult with O,`s,un in whatever projects they planned in order to prevent her from thwarting their efforts."

p. 114

"Divination with cowries or e,e,’ri`ndi’nlo’gu’n is traced traditionally to the goddess O,`s,un. It is said that her first husband ... taught her."

p. 116

The name of "O,`s,un signifies a "great source" ..., as in ori’su`n, the source of a river". {cf. [Skt.] /yoni/ ‘source’}

p. 117

(according to Adeoye 1985:203-45) O,`s,un sent forth as her lieutenants :-

__ awo

the Mystery-Maker of __

Boribori

Iragberi

Egba

Ilukan

Ese

Ijebu

Atonu

Ikire Ile’

O,`s,un is owneress of trees as "dye pots" at O`sogbo.

"The god O`ri`s,a`-Oko started his life in Ife`-Ooye` (Adeoye 1985:271) as ... a fisher, who one day rescued, and subsequently married, the drowning daughter of O,ba`ta’la’ andYemo`o’."

{Perseus rescued, and afterwards married, the heroine Andromede (GM 73.k) when she was about to be carried off by a female sea-monster (GM 73.j).

"O`ri`s,a`-Oko plants no melon; yet he eats its seeds (e,`gu’si’). He lives on the fortunes of his parents-in-law."

{Perseus beheaded Medousa (GM 73.h) : head-hunting is ascribed to pumpkin-seeds by the Iban of Borneo (CG 5, ll. 410-654).}

p. 152

p. 153

p. 154

Yoru`ba’ (based on Drewal 1989b:45)

Benin (quoted from Erediauwa 1984:9-10)

"Edo" [but Agbon is "an Igbo town"!] (based on Ben-Amos 1995)

"When the Supreme God decided to send his children to the world, He gave an option to each of them to choose what to take away.

"the high god sends his three sons into the world."

"the world was at first covered with water, so

At that time ... the universe was all water and no land.

the divinity, Olo’du`mare`, descended on an iron chain from the spirit world.

"Agbon also is supposed to be the place where O`sa`no’bua`, the Benin high god, first came down from the sky on a chain and demarcated the world".

One of the children chose the sign for wealth; the other one took wisdom ..., another chose medicine.

"After the others have chosen their gifts,

He took along a snail shell (or gourd) filled with earth, a cockerel (or five-toed chicken/bird), and a chameleon.

When it came to the turn of the youngest child, there was apparently nothing left for him to choose; but ... he saw a snail shell ... . He took that, broke it open ... to find that it contained ... sand.

the youngest son chooses a snail shell

Upon arrival, the deity poured the earth from the snail shell into the water, and

... on getting to the world, he ... emptied it ... and the whole place became land.

the "bird" spread it,

His other brothers who had been hovering around ... then came ... to ... land".

at the direction of a bird (or a toucan) that lives at the top of a tree in the middle of the waters ... .

creating the land.

He then pours sand from the snail shell to create land, and

The chameleon then walked warily and gently on it to test its firmness, after which the other deities arrived".

a chameleon walks on the sand to test the firmness of the earth."

p. 167

Leading the way was ... the o,`pa’ o,ba, a silver-topped scepter. Then came ...

p. 168

the o,`pa’ odiyon, a staff ... of Ifa’ divination ..., and la’ba’, leather bags that held special paraphernalia needed for the ritual.

#

shrine, deity or secret society

origin

1.

Oju Odiyon & Erinkina

Benin

2.

Oju Olobun & Akoko tree

"

3.

Olokun & Iworo

" / Ijebu

4.

Ajagbili

["secret"]

5.

Eje pillar

Idoluwo Ile

6.

Akala s.s.

Benin

7.

Olokun

Keta (Volga)

8.

Alele

Eti-Osa / Aja / Lekki

9.

Orona

Ilaro

10.

Ejiwa & Riri

Orile Oko / Abeokuta

11.

Elegba

Iwa / Badagry

12.

Sangbeto

Egun

13.

Oshugbo s.s.

Ijebu / Ikorodu

14.

Akala s.s. [again!]

Apa

15.

Iroko tree

Mahin

16.

Ojuewa

Ijebu

17.

Oju Olosa / Elegba

Awori

18.

Oju Olosa / Eshu

Benin / Ijebu

19.

Onijegi & Alarogbo

Benin / Arogbo

p. 195

A woman was the seventeenth of them. ...

p. 196

They answered, "Seventeen." ...

p. 197

The woman with the beaded comb."

"When none of their plans work, the Odu` consult Olo’du`mare`, whonwarns them to include O,`s,un in their deliberations. ... At the moment when she would have cursed (o`fo`) them all, O`se, the fifth Odu` ..., covers her mouth."