Olókun, Owner of the Deep Sea
Symbol: ocean
Olókun (or Olóòkun) is revered as the ruler of all bodies of water, and the authority over all other water deities. They are highly praised for their ability to grant great wealth, health, and prosperity to followers. Communities in both West Africa and the African diaspora regard Olókun as male, female and androgynous. In West African regions directly adjacent to the coastlines, Olókun takes on a male aspect, whereas in the hinterland, they take on a more female essence. In their female incarnation, Olókun was the senior wife of Emperor Oduduwa. Her rivalry as one of the Emperor’s many wives led to her manifesting the Atlantic Ocean.
In Candomblé, Olókun is venerated as Yemaya’s mother and the owner of the sea. In Brazil, much like Oduduwa and Orunmilá, she plays a minor role in the Afrio-Brazilian religion. So, while her divinity is recognized, she is not held as a personal deity. Olókun is celebrated during the Festival of Yemaya (Festa de lemanjá). In Santería, Olókun takes on a more androgynous nature.
Olókun is deeply tied to Yemaya, and they are often mixed up. While Olókun is said to be Yemaya’s mother, others believe them to be husband and wife, and still yet others believe they are siblings. So, while Yemaya is responsible for shallower waters, Olókun tends the deeper seas. Nevertheless, while both Yemaya and Olókun share the same elements of nature, their temperaments are quite different. Olókun is an orisha full of great mysteries.
Children and worshippers of Olókun tend to travel a lot and be very busy people. Many gravitate towards physically dangerous and demanding professions or become seamen. They tend to be passionate lovers, and yet tend to not ever want to fully commit to one partner.
Some claim that Olókun was the first spirit to inhabit the earth before all the other orisha. They are a powerful orisha, with the power to destroy anything they want by unleashing the depths of the ocean. Crossing them could mean the destruction of the world, so they are greatly feared and respected. Though aggressive and compulsive, they are also unfathomably wise and considered the authority figure over all the other orisha.
Stories about Olókun include how they believed humanity did not respect them enough. So, in punishment, they send tidal waves to bury all of the land and everything upon it. The other orisha saw this and tried to stop them by soliciting the help of Orunmilá, the orisha of wisdom, knowledge, and divination. Orunmilá told them instead to seek advice from Obatala, who in turn, met with Ogún, asking him to make a long metal chain to keep the waves at bay. So Ogún did, standing chain in hand, between the ocean and humanity. When Olókun heard of Obatala’s involvement, they came riding on a huge wave, silver fan in hand. In some versions of the story, due to Olókun’s deep respect for Obatala, they abandoned their path of watery destruction upon humanity. In other versions of the myth, Obatala caught Olókun with Ogún’s mighty metal chain and trapped them at the bottom of the sea with it. In yet other versions of the story, it was in fact Yemaya who spoke to Olókun to calm them down, which led to the receding of the waves, leaving behind beautiful pearls and corals all over the beach as gifts for humanity.
While Olókun may not be everyone’s favorite orisha, they are still quite respected by both humans and orishas. And even today, when the seas swell up or become choppy, it is said that Olókun is still angry at being chained up at the bottom of the waters.
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References:
The Afro-Cuban Orisha Pantheon
