Irunmọlẹ

The Irunmọlẹ are a group of primordial divine beings created by the Supreme Being, Olodumare and sent down to Earth to complete specific tasks.^[1][2][3] They differ from the other Orisha in that they existed from the beginning of the world, unlike humans that only became deified after death. This denotes that all Irunmọlẹ are Orisha but not all Orisha are Irunmọlẹ.^[1]

Although the term refers to a specific, higher class of divinities, it is sometimes used to refer to deified human ancestors who became highly revered as embodiments of primordial forces or to the Orisha in general.^[2][4]

The Irunmọlẹ are believed to be 801 in number, though this may vary. According to the Odu Ifa, 200 Irunmọlẹ reside permanently at the right side of Olodumare, 200 at their left, and 401 descended from Ọrun. Some major Irunmọlẹ include Ọbatala (the first), Ọrunmila, Eshu, Ogun, Olokun, Ọbaluaye, Shango,^[a] and Yemọja.^{[citation needed]}

Ọbatala is the oldest Irunmọlẹ, as he was the first one created by Olodumare. He is credited with the creation of the Earth and humanity. He is a powerful divinity of creation, the sky and purity. He is regarded as the king of all orisha.^{[citation needed]}

The exact etymology of the Yoruba word Irúnmọlẹ̀ is uncertain. However, it is often said to be derived from a blend of irún + imọlẹ, ultimately from irún ("four hundred") + i- (“nominalizing prefix”) + mọ ("to mold, to shape") + ilẹ̀ ("land"), literally "The four hundred creators of the land".

• Orisha
• Ajogun
• Olodumare
• List of Yoruba deities