Osun is the goddess par excellence of the river. Among all the rivers that exist in Nigeria, this Orisa is represented in the most important river, that of Osogbo, a city where it is mainly adored. Osun is the owner of bronze and her specialty is fertility in women. However, she is a key Orisa to acquire the luck of wealth and is asked not to hide wealth in the river.
Who’s Osun?
Osun (Oshun in Afro-Cuban practice) is one of the primordial Yoruba Orisa. However, at first she was not considered a sister deity by her peers. In position among the other Yoruba deities, she was the seventeenth of the main Orisa and was not initially involved in running the world because she was a woman. But the first sixteen Orisa were in trouble until they went to Olodumare for direction and were told that they would invite Osun to whatever they wanted to do, so that normalcy would be restored. According to Olodumare’s word, she should be involved in managing the world because she was as powerful as men.
Osun first married Orunmila, the god of wisdom, from whom she later divorced to marry Sango because they had no children. It was when she was Orunmila’s wife that he was given the Eerindinlogun (the sixteen cowries and the simplified Ifa poetry), the divination system that she originated. Despite marrying Sango, Osun was still childless, so he went to Orunmila to make sacrifice.
Orunmila advised her that she could not have her own child unless she sacrificed Olodumare to send children en masse to the barren women of the earth and it was from the children that Olodumare would send that she would have her own children. She sacrificed as prescribed and it was when Olodumare sent many children into the world that she also had a son. But it didn’t end there. Anytime the children of the other barren women were sick, it was to her that Orunmila would direct their mothers for their care.
How to get initiated in Osun
The person who wishes to be initiated into Osun must first acquire knowledge of this Orisa. After she is able to take care of herself, she can begin her initiation with the babalawo with whom she receives her learning. We must remember that in Traditional Yoruba practice the person interested in initiation must acquire knowledge before initiating. Osun’s initiation is no exception. At Ilé Awo we help you check your knowledge of Ifá and the Orisha with the exclusive tests that you can find in Ojú Odù.
The initiations are not carried out by chance, because each initiation must have an objective in the person’s life and these are recommended in our Odu de Ifá, either the Isefa (first Ifá initiation) or the Itelodu (Ifá initiation) , as well as within divination with an Olorisa (a person initiated into an Orisa).
How to feed Osun
To attend Osun there are key materials that should never be lacking.
Propitiation
One of his favorite foods is Yanrin (a type of lettuce), and it is generally offered as a sacrifice because, it is said, it is the vegetable that he liked to eat a lot in his earthly life. Pumpkin or eggs are also used.
Healing power
Osun’s healing power is not based primarily on medication, but on water therapy. Medical care given to children under the protection of Osun rarely involves the use of medication.
Osun types in traditional practice
Like many other Orishas, there is only one Osun. However, there are different nicknames for this deity. Several of these nicknames are: Oore yeye o, A ri pepe ko ide si, Iya Ijumu, oyeye ni imo, Modeni aninla nile awo, among others.