geo.wikisort.org - River

The Oṣun River (sometimes, but rarely spelt Oshun) is a river that flows southwards through central Yorubaland in southwestern Nigeria into the Lagos Lagoon and the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea. It is one of the several rivers ascribed in local mythology to have been women who turned into flowing waters after some traumatic event frightened or angered them.

Oṣun River
Osun River in Osun state-source of origin.
Location
Country	Nigeria
Region	Osun State
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Osun state
• coordinates	8°20′N 5°16′E
Mouth
• location	Lekki Lagoon
• coordinates	6.563210°N 4.062032°E / 6.563210; 4.062032
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Erinle River, Oba River

It is a sacred and reserved area where dirt and other unlawful activities are not meant to take place.

The river is named after the Oṣun or Oshun, one of the most popular and venerated Orishas.[1] The annual traditional worship at the Ọṣun Shrine near the Ọṣun River at Osogbo has become a popular pilgrimage and important tourist attraction, drawing people from all over Nigeria and abroad to the annual festival in August.

Osun is one of the river goddesses in Yorubaland, she is noted for providing for the needs of the people. She was reputedly one of the wives of ̣ango, the Yoruba god of thunder. Osun is a native of Igede-Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area, Ekiti state, Nigeria hence her main source situate at Igede-Ekiti. Osun, third child of the marriage between Ake (a hunter and prince from Ile-Ife) and Erindo (Ake's wife) that would also gave birth to fifteen more children including the popular Rivers Ogbese and Elemi. While Ogbese was the brand legend of the old Afrikola, Elemi river continues to adorn the beauty of our land. Osun, the second wife of Alafin Sango, turned to a river after she lost in the contest of who succeeds their father, Ake. In those days, incantation was the most potent weapon of war hence, the smartest and the very vast one carries the day. My town's name, "Igede" was a derivative of "Ogede"- meaning incantation and finally became "Igede" by nominalisation. So, "Ilè Ògèdè or Igede means the land of incantation. Igede-Ekiti is home to more than sixteen rivers and it hasn't been proven otherwise by any one or documents that no river flows through to Igede-Ekiti from anywhere rather, rivers flow from Igede-Ekiti to other towns and places. The river goddess has been able to give the barren babies and change the lives of many people.[2] And also there has been many fictional stories about goddess Osun, for example, Shegun Coker and the cursed temple by Kolawole Michael, 2008.[3]

In 2018, the river suddenly began to change colour and investigation by Urban Alert (a civic-tech nonprofit organization) has revealed that illegal and unregulated licensed gold mining activities at the upper course is the root cause.[4] The activities of these miners have contaminated the river with heavy metals, thereby threatening the river and the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.[5]

References

На других языках

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[de] Osun (Fluss)

Der Osun (Ọṣun, Oshun) ist ein Fluss im Südwesten Nigerias. Er ist nach Osun benannt, die in der Religion der Yoruba die Flussgöttin darstellt.

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- [en] Osun river

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[ru] Ошун (река)

Ошу́н[1][2][3] (йоруба Ọ̀ṣun [ɔ̀ʃũ̄], англ. Osun или Oshun) — река в юго-западной Нигерии (Западной Африке). Протекает по штатам Ошун, Ойо, Огун и Лагос. Длина реки составляет 267 км, площадь водосборного бассейна — 9014 км²[4].

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