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Mythos Atlas

Yoruba Tradition

Olokun

Also known as Olokun-su, Lokun

Illustration of Olokun, a deity of the Yoruba Tradition
Illustrative imageIllustration of Olokun. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • sea
  • ocean depths
  • wealth
  • secrets
  • mystery

The Orisha of the deep ocean and unfathomable wealth. Olokun rules the mysterious depths of the sea and guards the treasures hidden beneath the waves.

About Olokun

Lord of the Depths

Olokun personifies the vast, unknowable depths of the ocean. Unlike the surface waves ruled by Yemoja, Olokun commands the dark abyss where light never reaches and treasures accumulate undisturbed.

The Contest with Olodumare

In one famous myth, Olokun challenged Olodumare to a contest of splendor. Olodumare sent the chameleon Agemo as his representative. Each time Olokun changed into magnificent garments, Agemo instantly matched them, demonstrating that Olodumare's power was infinite.

Wealth and Fertility

Olokun bestows material wealth but also represents the profound depths of human consciousness. The ocean's riches—pearls, coral, and sunken treasure—are all within Olokun's domain.

Origin story

Olokun was present at the creation of the world, ruling the primordial waters before dry land existed. After Oduduwa created the earth, Olokun remained master of the oceans.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Olokun's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Olokun

The deep. Beads, mudfish, and riches that do not come from the farm. Cult is the sea-floor, not the surf of Yemoja's more public beaches.

Sacred sites

  • Benin and Yoruba water-wealth shrines

Family

Questions about Olokun's family
Who are Olokun's siblings?
Siblings of Olokun recorded in the atlas: Yemoja.

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Oriki Olokun (Yoruba oral praise)

    Catalog date: Traditional

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Olokun's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree