Yoruba Mythology: Stories of the Orisa, Yoruba Heroes, and Ijapa from West Africa and the Diaspora

By Oludamini Ogunnaike and Ayodeji Ogunnaike Ph.D.

The first major work of Yoruba mythology retells hundreds of traditional tales from West Africa, Cuba, and Brazil. Beautifully illustrated throughout.

Yoruba mythology is sacred to the traditional Yoruba religion and culture of the Yoruba people of West Africa found primarily in Nigeria, B nin Republic, and Togo. It is a community of more than 100 million practitioners, who can be found on every continent. An oral tradition, many of the stories revolve around Olodumare, a Supreme Being, and the source of all creation and a number of divinities, or Orisa, who control the elements of nature, events, and human behavior including Obatala (creation), Oduduwa (the warrior), Sango (lightning, fire, dance, and drumming), Oya (wind, storms, and thunder), Esu (chaos and trickery), Yamoja (motherhood and protection), and Iku (death), to name just a few. Yoruba Mythology is the first-ever full-scale collection of more than 300 myths of this ancient, profound, and beautiful storytelling tradition. Authors Ayodeji Ogunnaike and Oludamini Ogunnaike have spent decades learning and collecting these myths and are uniquely qualified to write this book. Many of the stories they include are recalled from their own childhood where Yoruba myths are traditionally told to young children, while many more are the result a years-long research and encounters with Yoruba practitioners in Nigeria, Cuba, and Brazil. A gift to both those familiar to Yoruba culture and tradition and those who are encountering it for the first time, Yoruba Mythology is an important and long-awaited contribution to the mythological canon.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0762485477
• ISBN13: 9780762485475
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• Length: 624 Pages
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 7.3" x 9.5"