User:Robinfreiberg/sandbox

Message to Peer Reviewer: The original article was very brief and my main goal was to expand on the information. Some things I have written are already in the article, I will merely add the unsaid parts into the final edit. I have added many more resources. New information I have included is that of specific stories or Olodumare's actions that have been spread orally as well as more detail on Olodumare's characteristics.

Olodumare
Olodumare is the "Supreme Being" in Yoruba religion, could be seen as Yoruba's "God" although there are many other deities in the pantheon called orishas. Olodumare's name comes from the words Odu, Mare, and Ont, which translates as "owner of". Olodumare is the main orisha responsible for creating all existence. He is present in human life through ancestors, orisa. There is contradiction about whether or not Olodumare is directly worshiped due to his disinterest in humanity. This is where other orishas become invloved. These orisa or orishas are supernatural beings both good (egungun) and bad (ajogun) who represent human activity and natural forces. Olodumare and other orishas use ashe (power) which leads them to be responsible for all that happens in the world. Participants in Yoruba religion build communication with Orisha in multiple ways. They ask for answers through divination. People also gifts to orishas through sacrifice also known as ebo. Yoruba followers also participate in possession, which allows access to divine power and creates relations with those who control what happens in the world, possession is limited to priests and initiates. Ifa is a sacred power that assists in this communication. .

Stories of Olodumare
Yoruba followers believe Olodumare participates in a calm, restful, rather inactive life. He is not interested or involved when it comes to Earthly matters and lets other orishas, who are described as his sons, answer humans concerns through divination and more. There are many descriptions of Oludumare due to Yoruba's diverse pantheon that stemmed from colonialism and slavery. He is described as omnipotent, transcendent, unique, all knowing, good, and evil

There is a Yoruba Story of Olodumare sitting up in the heavens, holding back the rain due to the misbehavior of other orishas. Rather than eliminate them he watched them learn from their mistakes and suffer in the drought. The orishas suffered until they begged for forgiveness, but Olodumare could not hear because he was too high in the heavens. Orishas could not reach where he was. The smallest orisha, Oshun volunteered to try to get to Olodumare. She became a peacock and flew up into the heavens, burning up and scorching her feathers along the way. He feathers fell off and she transformed into a vulture, but she never gave up and kept on flying. Her determination led her to Olodumare. He saw how beat up she was and how hard she persevered and appreciated her drive, awarding her with bringing back the rain. She was given the job of messenger, the only orisha allowed into the heavens to communicate with Olodumare.