ODUDUWA
Oduduwa the reputed founder and ancestor of the race is really a mythical personage. The Etymology of the term is from Odu(ti o) da Iwa. Whatever is usually large as a large pot or container is termed Odu: the term then implies the great container the author of existence. According to Ife Mythology Oduduwa was the son of Olodu Mare, i.e. the father or lord of Odu;mare implies cannot go beyond i.e. the Almighty. Oduduwa was sent by Olodumare from heaven to create the earth. Olokun i.e. the goddess of the ocean was the wife of Oduduwa, Oranmiyan and Isedale their children, and Ogun a grand-child. Such is the desire of most nations to find a mythical origin for themselves through their kings and ancestors.
Oduduwa died peacefully at Ile-Ife and was deified, being worshipped to this day by the Ife’s, and up to the time of the British Protectorate, human sacrifices were offered to him at regular intervals. The soil of Ile Ife is said to be sacred to him. He was the grandfather and great-grandfather of renowned Kings and Princes who ruled and made history in the Yoruba country. The number of years embraced by this period is unknown, but it includes the time during which Yoruba kingdom was in prosperity and the Kings despotic. The capital of the kingdom then was Ile Ife. The Basorun of this reign was Olorunfun-mi.