Ọ̀rúnmìlà

In Yoruba tradition as represented in the supplied sources, Ọ̀rúnmìlà is counted among the Irunmọlẹ (primordial divine beings) and is described as having existed before the creation of humanity and as resident in Ọ̀run (heaven). He is traditionally credited—by the Ifá corpus and its practitioners—with revealing or transmitting the Ifá system and its 256 Odu; many Ifá narratives and the canon are said to date from the time Ọ̀rúnmìlà "walked the Earth as a prophet." Some strands of praise identify him as "Igbákejì Olódùmarè" (second in command to Olódùmarè), emphasizing his high rank in cosmological hierarchies in the tradition. The supplied materials indicate other traditional motifs (for example, narrative interactions with figures such as Èṣù) but do not supply a single unified cosmogonic tale in full detail.

The provided sources do not give a consistent iconographic description of Ọ̀rúnmìlà. Rather than a fixed physical portrayal, accounts emphasize his identity as a preexisting divine intelligence and the eponymous source of Ifá. Regional name variants (Ọ̀rúnmìlà, Ọrúnla, Orúla) appear across West Africa and the diaspora; narrative sources include tales such as "Orunmila meets Eshu on the road," indicating his appearance in story cycles, but specific bodily attributes, clothing, or standardized imagery are not recorded in the supplied texts.

Sources attribute to Ọ̀rúnmìlà epistemic and divinatory capacities: he is believed/credited as the revealer or origin of the Ifá divination system and the 256 Odu, which provide stories, prayers, ethical instruction, and ritual prescriptions for human life. He functions as "Ẹlẹ́rìí ìpín" (witness of fate) and is associated with Ori (the inner head/destiny); Ifá stanza material traditionally includes instruction in Iwa (moral character), linking his divinatory revelations to ethical formation. Engagements with Ọ̀rúnmìlà are mediated through initiated Awo (babalawos, iyánifas/iyalawos) who study the Odu and perform divination on behalf of clients.