Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

You Can’t Outrun Your Destiny Creation Narrative

Nearly every culture in the world has a creation story that explains life on earth came to be here. These creation stories have a massive influence on African storytelling literature. Yoruba Ori destiny creation narrative, you cannot outrun your destiny explains creation from the African Yoruba point of view.

To the Yoruba people, Ori is an Orisha supernatural concept. Ori refers to a person’s spiritual intuition and destiny, the deep within a spark of human consciousness rooted in the human spirit.

Yoruba destiny creation story of how choosing the right Ori will establish what life you will inhabit Earth.

Ori and Human Destiny

The God Oggun who never sleeps as long as the world is turning molded the human skeleton and the God Obatala molded the head of humans out of clay. 

Olodumare, the supreme God of the universe, blew the breath of life into the completed human body. 

The destiny or Ori chosen determines your final destiny. You are said to be free to choose any Ori from Ajala, the God who supplies the inner head within the clay head of humans. The chosen Ori irreversibly determines the life course and personality of the chooser on earth. 

The success or failure of a person’s life depends on the choice of Ori. However, once born you are unaware of the Ori chosen. If a person is smart, famous or rich, it is said they chose the right destiny or Ori for themselves.  

When you talk to your unborn child, tell him or her to choose an Ori wisely.

You cannot out run your destiny Yoruba creation myth
You cannot outrun your destiny Yoruba creation myth

Links to learn more about Yoruba and Africa 


More short folklore stories from Africa to make you fall in love with myths and legends again from the motherland.

  1. Why the bunny rabbit has wiggly slits for a nose
  2. Love Takes No Less Than Everything Marriage Folklore
  3. Hunters Attack Cowards Tell the Story
  4. One Do Wrong All Get Punished
  5. Mighty Little Hedgehog

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