Orun- Yoruba LocationLocation · Realm"The Invisible Realm"
Also known as: Ọ̀run
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
The invisible realm that mirrors the visible world of Aiye. Orun is not a distant heaven but a coexisting dimension separated by mode of being, not distance. Olodumare presides there, the orishas dwell there, and every soul kneels before the Supreme Being to choose its destiny before descending into birth.
Mythology & Lore
The Invisible Counterpart
Orun and Aiye together make up everything that exists in Yoruba thought. Orun is the dwelling place of Olodumare and the orishas, where ancestors rest between their returns to the living world. It is not a distant heaven but coexists with Aiye, separated not by physical distance but by a difference in being: the visible and the invisible. Events in Orun affect Aiye. Actions in Aiye have consequences in Orun. Sacrifice and divination serve as channels between them.
Orun has distinct regions. Orun Rere, good heaven, receives the righteous dead. Orun Apadi, the heaven of the potsherd, holds those who lived badly.
The Cycle of Departure
Before birth, each soul kneels before Olodumare in Orun to choose its Ori, its personal destiny. Then it descends into the physical world. At death, the soul journeys back, and proper funeral rites are essential for safe passage. A soul denied appropriate burial may become trapped between realms as a restless spirit.
Reincarnation allows ancestors to return to their families. Grandparents may be reborn as grandchildren. The boundary between Orun and Aiye is firm but permeable: Egungun masquerades bring ancestors temporarily into the visible world, and ritual specialists access Orun's wisdom through trance and divination.
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