Oduduwa, phonetically written as Odùduwà, and sometimes contracted as Odudua, Oòdua, is generally held among the
Yoruba to be the ancestor of the crowned
Yoruba kings.Oral history of the
Oyo-Yoruba recount the coming of Oduduwa from the east, sometimes understood by Muslim sources as the "vicinity" or direction of
Mecca, but more likely signifying the region of Ekiti and Okun sub-ethnics in northeastern Yorubaland/central Nigeria. A strong theory among the Yoruba is that Oduduwa came from the region of Egypt or Nubia and may have been fleeing from religious persecution or invasion. Oduduwa is presumed to have entered the Ekiti-Yoruba and Okun-Yoruba region. This region is near the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, and is where the
Yoruba language is presumed to have separated from related ethno-linguistic groups like
Igala,
Igbo, and
Edo.
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[African] The Yoruba god of the earth. From the union of Obatala, heaven, and Odudua come forth two children, Aganju and Yemaja. These children represent land and water.