Welcome back to another Exhibition of Deities. And this time, guess who we have?? Ọṣun!
Ọṣun is the goddess of divinity, femininity, fertility, beauty and love.
Of the original 17 Orisas sent to Earth by Olodumare, Ọṣun was the only female deity and is commonly described as the favourite of all Orisas by Olodumare because of her beauty and sensuality.
She was one of the wives of Ṣango, whom she married after leaving her fruitless marriage with Orunmila, the god of wisdom.
Ọṣun has also been described as the maintainer of spiritual balance & mother of sweet things. She is invoked by worshippers for prosperity, luck, healings and strength during times of challenges.
She is the patron of the Ọṣun River which bears her name. The river has its source in Ekiti State and flows through the city of Osogbo, where Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, the principal sanctuary of the deity, sits.
Ọṣun is honoured at the Ọṣun-Oṣogbo Festival - a two-week-long pilgrimage that usually takes place at the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, in August.
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Ọṣun, 2021.
