Orunmila (known as
Orúnmila,
Orunmilá,
Orúnla, or
Orúla in Nigeria and Latin America) is an
Orisha. He is the Orisha of wisdom, knowledge, and divination. This source of
knowledge is believed to have a keen understanding of the
human form and of
purity, praised as being often more effective than other remedies. Orunmila is recognized as a primordial Irunmole that was present both at the beginning of Creation and then again amongst them as a priest that taught an advanced form of spiritual knowledge and ethics, during visits to earth in physical form or through his disciples. Orunmila is the spirit of wisdom among the Irunmole and the divinity of destiny and prophecy. He is "
Ibikeji Olodumare" (second in command to
Olodumare) and "
eleri ipin" (witness of fate). It was also Orunmila who carried Ifá (the wisdom of Olodumare) to Earth. Priests of Ifá are known as
babalawo's and Priestess's of Ifá are known as
Iyanifa's.
