Children of the Stars, is a collection of children’s books created by Femi Odufunade. The unique and captivating stories, which invokes the names of various Òrìṣàs and their legendary characteristics, will introduce young readers and adults alike into the mystical world of the Òrìṣàs. 

The word Òrìṣà can be separated into two words, òrì and ṣà. ‘Òrì’, means  head, while ‘ṣà’, means selected. The words combined mean, selected head. So the word Òrìṣà, can be seen as, a title, given to selected individuals due to their contributions to humanity, individuals who have become legendary heroes. 

The first to hold this title of Òrìṣàs, are the Irúnmolès. According to Yorùbá world view, the Irúnmolès are responsible for the creation of our world, including human consciousness. 

The word Irúnmolès, refers to, those who came from Orun (eternity) to create ile (earth), so as to make it livable. The Irúnmolès are also described as the bringers of light,  hence the title of the book, ‘Children of the Stars’. All the Òrìṣàs in these books are Irúnmolès, Femi was inspired to develop these stories out of pure imagination, spurred-on from the moments of play fighting with his child. 

At the time, his young child would roll play as Spider Man, while Femi would roll play as Ṣàngó, Ògún or even Ọbàtálá. This became an excellent way of introducing the names and characteristics of the Òrìṣàs to his child, promoting a sense of cultural imagination, something that was missing from Femi’s upbringing. 

Click here to find out more about individual Òrìṣàs.