Mythical History of the Yoruba's

According to legendary accounts, the Yoruba and the Endo or Bini in the south western part of the present day federation of Nigeria were Kinsmen. These legends confirm both the Yoruba and and the Bini were descendants of Oranmiyan who was said to have founded the Yoruba state of oyo and whose son, according to the legends became the first ever ruler of a new dynasty in the kingdom of Benin.

THE YORUBA

Today, the Yoruba occupy three states of federal Nigeria: Lagos, western and kwara state. Amongst the largest groups of the Yoruba people are the Oyo, Egba, the ijebu, the ondo and the Ekiti.

Origins of the Yoruba

Scholars have not yet been able to determine the true origins of the Yoruba but the traditional stories are based upon two legendary accounts.

• According to one legendary accounts, Oduduwa the eldest son of Lamurudu left mecca his ancestral home as a result of his refusal to embrace Islam. With his followers, Oduduwa emigrated west ward into Africa and finally halted in the present day western state of Nigeria where he founded a settlement at ile-ife.
  In due course as the population of ile-ife expanded, the sons or grandchildren of Oduduwa left the Yoruba cradle and founded for themselves and their followers the seven original states of the Yoruba. These were: Owu, save, popo,ila, Ketu, oyo and Benin. According to legend Oyo was founded by Oduduwa youngest son Oranmiyan. Probably the last foundation chronologically, oyo was later to gain ascendancy over all the other Yoruba states.

• Another legend, more mythical than the first, has it the ile-ife Was the cradle of creation of the world. At the dawn of time, we were told that earth was covered with water. Then Olurun the Supreme God sent his son Oduduwa down to earth from the sky on a chain. (A chain preserved in ile-ife till this day is believed to be the celestial chain of the legend). Taking down with him a hand full of earth, a cockerel and a palm nut, Oduduwa scattered the earth which formed the land where ile-ife was founded as a settlement. The cockerel dug a hole in which Oduduwa sowed the palm nut, it sprung up into a large tree with many branches. The Yoruba traditions use this mythical story to explain the origin of the ruling families of an early Yoruba state.