In Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of O?bàtálá and Olókun in Ilé-If? `, Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem and Ayowole S. Elugbaju explore O?bàtálá's (the Yorùbá deity of creation) and Olókun’s (the preeminent owner of the ocean) existence in myth, history, and religion through various facets of pan-human worship, belief, and everyday ritual practices. Raheem and Elugbaju explore Yorùbá history, culture, and religion to provide an extensive analysis of core themes in O?bàtálá’s and Olókun’s stories. They argue for a more complex reading of O?bàtálá beyond the often sustained and single narrative of struggle and defeat as well as a more nuanced reading of Olókun as a holy well beyond its popular exemplification of a female deity of wealth, childbirth, and preeminent owner of the world’s ocean. Drawing from oral accounts, chants, folk songs, praise poems, and verses from the Ifá corpus, the authors provide new insights into the worlds of both deities hitherto missing in the literature. “ Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of O?bàtálá and Olókun in Ilé-If?` is a brilliant work in religious studies and makes a significant contribution to the literature on Yoruba cosmology. Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem and Ayowole S. Elugbaju offer a thorough account of the role of sacred stories and rituals in Ilé-If?`, a city steeped in religious and philosophical significance. The authors explore and reimagine Yorùbá Traditional Religion through robust ethnographic research and meticulous observation in Ilé-If?`. This groundbreaking manuscript illuminates the history of Ilé-If?`, colonialism, and traditional beliefs and knowledge through the famous O?bàtálá festival. Using the O?bàtálá festival to interrogate questions of religious pluralism, the growth of Abrahamic religions in Africa, and modernity, the authors weave together Yorùbá Traditional Religion and history in this pioneering and well-written work. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in religious rituals, Yoruba religion, and more broadly traditional African religions.” ―Jacob K. Olupona, Harvard University Oluwafunminiyi Wasiu Raheem teaches at the Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria. He holds a Ph.D. in History and International Studies from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, with research interests in African religious spirituality, sacred water bodies, contemporary popular culture, and Yoruba Islam. His latest co-authored book is titled Myth, Ritual, and Visible Expressions of O?batala and Olokun in Ile-If? (2024). Ayowole S. Elugbaju lectures in the Department of History and International Studies at Redeemer's University, Ede, Nigeria.