Ayelala

Yoruba

Etymology

Said to be from the phrase ayé yìí mà lá ò (“This word is truly a large problem”), ultimately from ayé (“world”) +‎ lá (“to be big, large”)

• This is believed to come from a phrase Ayélála uttered while on Earth before being executed

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ā.jé.lá.lā/

Proper noun

Ayélála

1. A female orisha of justice and prosecution widely feared for her harsh punishments for those who commit criminal offences.
   • She is believed to have originally been a slave from the town of Ìlàjẹ and was executed for a crime she did not commit, and soon was deified as an orisha upon the discovery of her innocence. Her role as a punisher of criminals is comparable to the role of Orò among the Ẹ̀gbá.

Derived terms

• aláyélála (“An priest or priestess of Ayélála”)