By: Bukola Adeyinka
Ogun was the first Ooni of Ife after the demise of Oduduwa. A warrior and a powerful spirit of metal work, as well as of rum and rum-making.
He is also known as the ‘god of Iron’, and is present in Yoruba religion, Haitian Vodou, and West African Vodun.
Ogun was the 3rd Ooni of Ife, a paramount traditional ruler of Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas. He succeeded his father Ooni Osangangan Obamakin and was succeeded by Obalufon Ogbogbodirin.
Ogun, also known as Ogun Onire, is the god of war and iron of the Yoruba people of West Africa.
In Yoruba lore, Ogun and the other gods climbed down to earth on a spiderweb. When creation was completed, the gods realized that people needed to clear more land in the forest where they lived. Unfortunately, the only tools available were made of soft metal, a material not suitable for cutting down trees.
However, Ogun had been given the secret of iron by Orunmila, son of the supreme god Olorun or Olodumare and he used an iron ax to clear the forest.
Ogun later shared the secret of iron with the other gods and with humans. He also showed them how to shape the iron into weapons
Though a fierce god, Ogun is not evil and will help those who pray to him.
Yoruba blacksmiths have traditionally sacrificed dogs to Ogun, and each year they hold a three-day festival in his honor.
Yemonja is frequently portrayed as the wife of various male personified orisha, such as Obatala, Okere, Orisha Oko, and Erinle. She is also said to be the mother of Ogun, Sango, Oya, Osun, Oba, Orisha Oko, Babaluaiye, and Osoosi.
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